Metal Has No Heartbeat (A Blue Beetle/Jaime Reyes [Young Justice] Fanfiction)

Eight: Apologise Everyday

There are a million things to say. There are a million things to do. But the one I stick with is standing, frozen in the centre of the skatepark.

He's wearing a small worried smile as he approaches the edge of the arch quietly and sits down.

My board moves back and forth beneath me, before I sigh with a dramatic eye-roll, leaving it in favour of running myself up the arch to sit beside him, leaving a fair bit of space between us.

In some way we are the same as we used to be; sitting next to each other at the skatepark, or the playground.

This time the atmosphere is colder.

"Before you try to spout some sort of sob story, you should know that I'm done being mad and sad. Now I'm just concerned for my wellbeing if I let you back in my life again," I blurt honestly. 

The look he gives me is somewhat pained, but he nods, rubbing his hands over his jeans. It's a nervous habit he's had as long as I've known him.

"I wasn't going to try a sob story," he admits. "I was just going to apologise. There's no excuse for what I did," he says. 

I only nod. 

"You said I refused to understand and you're right," he's looking at me but I decide staring at the sky is easier than returning that gaze. "You said I should trust you and I didn't. Instead I left you when you needed me. I'm sorry I thought breaking up with you was the answer."

The apology covers everything, but the uncomfortable atmosphere makes me squirm. For everything he says I relive the memory of that day. For every rough tone in that voice and the way his hinted accent dashes through every vowel- I need to pinch myself.

"Okay. That's it right?" I say, standing up. He stumbles over the word wait and pushes himself up to face me. In just these past months he seems to have continued to grow at an impressive rate. Somewhere deep in my mind I wonder if he has a jacket he has grown out of.

"You- You have every right to still be mad," he begins. I laugh vainly.

"I have every right to be more than mad, Jaime. After what you did to me it's a miracle I haven't hacked your systems and flown you into a building," I reply, jumping back down to collect my board.

"I agree," he says.

"And that's supposed to mean something?" I respond as I walk up the ramp and away from the skatepark. He jogs to catch up.

"I just wanted you to know. I am sorry. I should've trusted you. Paid attention. And I never should have started anything with Breanna. For all of that, I'm sorry. You know I'm not good at this."

We cross the road in silence as I try to find something to say. It's nearly dark and the streets are empty, waves crashing in the distance. People closing up their streetside shops watch curiously, as I, with an unfamiliar boy jump up onto the curb.

"Never ruin an apology with an excuse, Benjamin Franklin," I quote. That makes him stumble a bit more.

"Mahiko. I'm trying to fix this," he sighs, finally getting a little bit more salty. This was the best and worse thing about Jaime; his sweetness. 

"A little talk and a small apology doesn't fix the betrayal you put me through," I reply over my shoulder. A bit of regret blossoms. He did try to take the breakup back when it happened, but that's exactly it; it happened. 

I hear him running up behind me.

He grabs my wrist and I freeze. Little sparks spread over my skin like wild fire and I feel my heart begin to beat a mile a minute.