Before I Forget

I Fucking Love You, Eli Moskowitz!

They were walking down the street, towards Hawk's home. Sky had braided her still moist hair in a loose french braid, and single strands had escaped it, soft baby hair that was curling as it dried, forming this smooth, fuzzy red halo around her face.

She was wearing loose sweatpants and an oversized hoodie with a Batman logo on the front, her comfy outfit, and she looked so cute Hawk honestly couldn't decide which one he preferred better - this look, or the one from last night, the dress, the heels, the carefully done make up.

Maybe this one, though, he thought, glancing at her by his side. She probably had no idea how pretty she looked like this, with the wind messing her hair, a slight blush on her naturally pale skin.

"I'm sorry about my dad," Sky said, stuffing her hands into the pockets of her hoodie. "He can be such an ass sometimes."

"It's okay," Hawk replied. "I get it, he just wants what's best for you."

Sky glanced at him and gave him a small smile. "I know. I just wish he realized that what's best for me, is you."

Hawk's heart skipped a couple of beats at those words. It was beginning to look like the decision to stay and look after Sky throughout the night was really paying off - there was something different about the way she looked at him today, something soft, and the way she had said she loved him—

"Yeah well, maybe he will. I feel like he's warming up to me," he joked. "He barely yelled at me at all."

"No, because he was too busy yelling at me," Sky rolled her eyes. "I can't even remember when was the last time I was grounded. Must be when Kat stole her brother's weed and we got high on it—"

She stopped mid-sentence, a shadow falling over her face as every single time she started talking about Kat.

Hawk knew there were no words that would make it better, so he just silently reached out his hand, and Sky took it. Their fingers entwined.

"Anyway—" Sky continued as if brushing off the lingering sadness, taking a firmer grip of Hawk's hand.  "I still have no regrets, I had so much fun last night that it's definitely worth getting grounded for two weeks."

That made him smile. He remembered how she had danced - her body moving as if she was one with the music, her hips swinging to the beat, the way she had laughed, laughed, laughed at the black night sky reaching for the stars. That image was burnt into his brain, and Hawk knew he'd replay it over and over again, just to relive the happiness that had bubbled in his bloodstream when seeing her like that.

He gave her one of his crooked smiles. "Well, I had fun too."

"I bet you did," Sky snorted.

"Hey, I had fun because you were happy," Hawk clarified. "Not just because of... the stuff we did."

"You know," Sky said, suddenly serious again. "I am aware that I drank too much. And  I'm really sorry about that—"

"You don't have to apologize—"

"No, I do, it was a bit over the top," She fell silent for a small moment, but her hand was still in his, her palm pressed against his own as they walked down the street hand in hand. "It's just that... Sometimes it gets so fucking loud in my head. Like, I can't make the voices shut up. And getting drunk just makes everything... quiet. That's why I like it. It makes me forget, at least for a little while."

"I know," Hawk said, because what else was there to say?

He wished he could fix her, to make it all better, to make her believe it wasn't her fault that Kat was dead, to make Sky realize that the things that had happened to her weren't because she deserved them. But it seemed like no matter what he did, what he said, he could never make her believe that - so the next best thing was to try and make her forget, even for a short moment.