Hot Chocolate

Snow. Snow fell silently amidst the bustling downtown area, littering the roads and concrete sidewalks in a thin sheet of the white stuff. It was cold outside, and it was actually starting to look like it was cold outside. The flakes continued to fall out of the dark gray sky, dancing upon the soft gusts of wind that were created by the taxis and buses that still operated.

Very few people had chosen to catch a cold today and walk in this weather, but some did - and one of those being the notorious Quantum. Of course, he made it a point to look vastly different when he wasn't on business, and this was in no way a business trip. Honestly? He just needed a bit of a break, and his reprieve was often met in the corner booth at the Westside diner. It was far enough away from his 'workplace' that it wouldn't look suspicious, and he knew the owner personally. But he didn't suspect that anyone would recognize him. No one did without the work suit.

Today, he wore a dark gray sweatshirt and a pair of khaki pants, complete with dark blue sneakers and a light raincoat. Though even he could not have predicted that it would have decided to snow today. Curse those weather men. If it were Quantum's decision he'd have them all fired. Couldn't get the weather right half of the time anyway. Useless, the lot of them.

His sour thoughts upon trivial matters were quickly forgotten, though, once his eyes landed upon the familiar striped canopies that decorated the Westside diner. It wouldn't be long now and he could settle down in his favorite booth and take a sip of some hot, steaming, bitter black coffee. The taste settled in the depth of his throat at the recollection of the pleasantly familiar flavor. As his eyes closed he could swear he could smell the scent of coffee amidst the wet humidity that clung to the air.

Though once his eyes opened, they alighted upon an unexpected sight. The first thing he noticed as he opened those bright teal eyes was a huge scraggly black coat on tiny white legs - legs that had no shoes on those feet as the being huddled close to the Westside diner's nearby alley. Close to the dumpsters.

Upon a more focused inspection, Quantum could easily see that this was no ordinary creature, but a human - a child... a child whose home was the concrete jungle that Degaldo was, and the thought had the villain looking away as the taste in his throat turned into a different kind of bitter. He knew of the multitude of people who lived in such a way. Young ones didn't usually last that long. And he knew that, if this weather were to persist, their chances would only be weakened all the more.

Teal gaze flickered back to the child once he saw a head manage to pop out of that black coat that was many, many sizes bigger than the young girl was. Her skin was a sickly sort of pale but her hair was as red as a robin's belly. Her hair was short, but extremely curly and particularly frizzy thanks to the humidity. But she looked dirty... dirty and cold as her gaze flickered to meet his own for only a moment before those green eyes looked back down to her bare toes.

Now, he knew that villains were supposed to be just that: villains. Heartless, wretched, ugly beings that wouldn't even bat an eye at something as insignificant as the homeless child in front of him... But he wasn't a typical villain, and even if he was, he was not in his business clothes, and the suit made the man, as they say.

And if he were going to be absolutely honest with himself, he hated the sight of a young child in the sleet, cold and hungry and in need of care that her own kind refused to her.

He paused a moment in his stride, soon coming to a stop amidst the sleet and snow to lock eyes with her. At first she seemed to begin to shrink back into her large coat, taking a step back into the alley as wide green eyes remained on his own like he was a wolf in search of her, his prey.

"Please, wait." His voice came quickly, yet it was as smooth as it always was. He did not move from his spot but he did turn to face her and that caused her to pause.

"Are you hungry?"

Those appeared to be the magic words, for those green eyes widened upon him and sparked with some sort of knowing, those scrawny little legs moving as she dared to come closer to him, though he towered over her. Once she came closer to him she nodded rather enthusiastically, which caused a flicker of a smile to flash across the man's lips. He offered her his hand then, at which she hesitated before taking it. Her hand was cold and just as calloused as his own, but hers were so small as it settled within his. He had to resist the odd and almost instinctual urge to squeeze her hand, as if squeezing it would warm them up. He knew better. She'd be warm in Westside.

A gentle tug was given as he moved forward, the girl coming to walk beside him, and soon they were stepping through the door into the Westside diner. It was a pretty comfortable looking place, with soft lighting that came from, both, the lights that hung neatly from the ceiling and the candles that were placed in the middle of every table. The wood was a warm oak hardwood and the walls were painted a soothing shade of muted maroon. From the outside it didn't look like much, but the inside? It looked more like a high-end sort of place.

There were a few people inside. Not as many as usual, for Quantum had come in their slower hour on purpose. Nevertheless, the few that were inside enjoying the atmosphere and their meals seemed to pay little to no attention to just who walked in.

Immediately, Quantum proceeded to wander into the building and began to bob and weave through the various tables, making his way to his preferred booth which sat unoccupied. He let go of her hand and sat upon the cushions, and soon motioned for the girl to come and set herself down as well.

She did so with little hesitation, and he could only watch as she looked about the place like she had never been inside before. A part of him was amused at such an expression, while another was disgusted by the fact.

Instead of voicing his, admittedly, poisonous opinions, he exhaled a sigh as he settled into the booth, his fingers falling in line with each other as he locked his hands upon the table, patiently waiting for the next host as his gaze settled upon his newfound company. The girl was fiddling with her coat sleeves, looking as nervous as ever. He wanted to say something, something that would help her calm her nerves but, alas, nothing came to mind. And that bothered him. All he could do was sit there, listening to the soft piano music that played from the cleverly hidden speakers about the dining area.

The awkward silence didn't last very long, thankfully, for soon a waitress came to their table. She set two menus before wandering off, allowing the two to look. Quantum idly picked up his menu. A part of him absentmindedly wondered if she could even read and he peaked over the side of his menu. Sure enough, he was greeted with the sight of the other menu, opened by the tiny white fingers that peaked out and held the sides.

A huff of amusement escaped him before he went back to look at his own, scanning the options he had memorized by now before the waitress returned.

"What can I get you two to drink?" She begged kindly.

"I'll have my usual, please." The man responded lightly, idly watching as she gave him a small smile and wrote his order down. They both looked at the girl then.

"And what about you, sweetheart?"

A soft 'flick' of her menu and she'd be seen, large green eyes glancing quickly to the man before locking onto the waitress... then back to the man. There was an uncertainty there, a look that Quantum recognized almost instantly. He smiled.

"Order whatever you would like." He replied to the unspoken question.

That spark flickered through her eyes again before she looked up to the waitress once more. At this point, it was obvious she knew what she wanted.

"Hot chocolate, please."

-----

And that's how it began.

After that day, whenever Quantum chose to visit Westside, he would be accompanied by the little girl that he brought. She never went home with him. Instead, she saw herself back to the alleys when all was done, but she took notice of him. He was never much concerned about the money she could not offer, and instead was much more concerned about her getting something to eat.

Soon it became a ritual, to where he would come every Wednesday around five o'clock, meet here there, and they'd settle down to eat.

He learned her name was Ellie and that she was eight years old.

She learned his name was Kevin and he worked a desk job somewhere.

At least, that's what he wanted her to believe. Because he knew what would happen if he did tell her who he really was.

For now, they fell into the comfortableness that came with repetition. It was something he looked forward to. Meeting his little friend every week. He could see she looked forward to him, too... at least, that's what it looked like, and he hoped it was the case.

A small, small part of him that he often did his best to ignore really hoped that this was the case... and that this would continue as often as it did.

But something got in the way.

Something, or more specifically someone, always got in the way.