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counting stars above

Summary:

It was a cold day and a colder night. He’d been running around all morning, trying desperately to sell anything he had, since he hadn’t wanted to steal and he had sworn to himself never to return to the corner, to work with the girls.

 

But nobody had wanted to buy any of the scraps he had and now, here he was; on the Eve of the 24th of December, alone in an alley, shivering under a thin blanket, back against the frozen stone wall that had been warm with the heat of the oven indoors, hours earlier. Tonight, nobody was working, everyone was at home, celebrating with their families.

He palms for the lighter in his pocket that could offer him a bit of warmth.

 

or:
What could've been had Jason decided to be a little more morally upright.
A fairytale retelling of the little match girl.

 

DAY 7: ALLEYWAY

Notes:

hey guys, I ripped my favorite pair of jeans so everyone gets to be sad now.

For those not familiar with the fairytale, here's a link to the story I read growing up (granted not in English so it might differ a tiny bit but the gist is the same).
the little match girl story by h.andersen

I grew up reading all sorts of fairytales by Andersen and co but this one I think about the most. I put a little continuation in the end notes for those that really hate tragedies (myself included) so you can choose which version of events actually took place.

If you click on this series you can see which prompts have been completed and when I will post next :)

 

(go check out my Tumblr, I post on there too!)
my Tumblr

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Work Text:

It was a cold day and a colder night. He’d been running around all morning, trying desperately to sell anything he had, since he hadn’t wanted to steal and he had sworn to himself never to return to the corner, to work with the girls. The hot hands wandering made him want to vomit every time it happened and he just couldn’t do it anymore. 

 

But nobody had wanted to buy any of the scraps he had and now, here he was; on the Eve of the 24th of December, alone in an alley, shivering under a thin blanket, back against the frozen stone wall that had been warm with the heat of the oven indoors, hours earlier. He liked this alley, it wasn’t as dirty and sometimes the baker would take pity on him and give him some old bread or something. But not tonight. Tonight, nobody was working, everyone was at home, celebrating with their families. 

 

Jason couldn’t go home though, he had no home anymore. He still remembered the harsh words his Dad had thrown against his head, the last time he’d saw him— that was almost seven months ago. He didn’t know where his father was anymore, but he hadn’t returned home. 

 

His teeth began to chatter and he huddled in closer. It would probably snow soon, he thought, looking up at the grey sky. He was so cold, he wasn’t sure how he would survive the night. Then he remembered it; the lighter he’d tried to pawn off earlier. Surely he could use that? Nobody had wanted to buy it anyway, and it wasn’t like he had anything to smoke. His hands were already numb with cold, but the lighter was still in his pocket where he’d put it hours earlier. 

 

It took a few tries, but eventually a flame erupted. He watched it closely, mesmerized by the golden dance, and he could almost pretend he wasn’t sitting on cardboard, abandoned in an alleyway. The light reminded him of better times, when there small oven had still worked and in the winter, his mom had lit it with whatever they could find, and they’d made soup or a can of ravioli or something, and they’d eaten at the kitchen table—just the two of them. He smiled. 

 

Just as quickly as the flame appeared, it flickered out. His finger had given out and all the magic and warmth had vanished with it. He stared at the spot the flame had been at and felt like crying. 

Still, he pressed the button again, and the flame reappeared. In its halo, it was like the world around him disappeared, and instead he was given a window into the live of someone far richer than himself. A long table with a pristinely white tablecloth, rows and rows of glittering glassware and dishes painted with filigree little designs. A big Christmas tree was in the corner, with big red baubles and a star on top. He’d seen that once, walking by ginormous houses in the diamond district. Him and his mom had always had a little plastic tree that must’ve been a hundred years old at least, but they had lamella and ornaments Jason made from paper and it had been the best thing in the entire world. The glittering lights almost blinded him until they all began to morph into one big spot of light. A single spark fell down and Jason was reminded of a story his mom told him. 

 

They hadn’t been very religious, only ever gone to church for donations, but she’d believed that everyone turned into a star after their death, rising up to join the others in the sky. And when you spotted a shooting star (which to be honest, Jason had seen all of once, with the smog in Gotham) that meant a new person had come to join. It was a beautiful story and Jason had always tried to believe in it, if only because he wanted his mom above him, the only person that had ever loved him, watching over him, even if she was no longer there. 

 

Suddenly, the darkness returned. There hadn’t even been any wind at all, so maybe the fuel had gone out, and Jason felt immeasurable loss. He’d nearly forgotten all about his miserable situation between all the glitz and glam. Somewhere in the distance church bells rang. He wondered if he would join his mother soon. 

 

 

He tried to get the light back on a few times, but only on the very last, he managed to get the fire back. He knew it wouldn’t stay on for long, but for now he could return to his dreams. The Christmas dinner in front of him was even bigger than before, a turkey in the middle, steaming plates filled with all sorts of dishes he’d always wanted to try. There were people around him in fine clothes, smiling and laughing and everyone was happy. He could almost taste the food on his lips. Then, right beside him, his mother appeared. He reached out but she backed away. Her smile was just like he remembered. He smiled and stood up. Finally, she gave him her hand and his fingers curled around hers. They’d finally reunited under the glorious Christmas light. 

 

(Jason closed his eyes and a snowflake hit his lashes. His breaths came out in little puffs, more and more time between each. The lighter had fallen out of his hand, now abandoned on the floor. His cheeks lost all color, turning slightly blue and it was then, with a smile on his lips that he joined his mother in the sky.) 

 

 

Notes:

---happier ending---

It was mere minutes later that a shadowy figure landed in the alley, his cape hiding him from sight. He knelt down next to the poor little smiling boy and wrapped him in his cape, before carefully picking him up and carrying him out of the alley His pulse hadn’t stopped yet, though it was dangerously low, and Bruce Wayne knew, the rescue had been a true Christmas Miracle.

--the end--

This is it, comments and kudos r very much appreciated! They r genuinely my main motivation and I read all of them, even if I don't always answer.

If you have any prompts i'd be happy to hear them out.

until we read again,
Vio

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