Burnt Out (Hawks X Reader)

Chapter 3: Seventh Heaven

That night wasn't that bad. Sure, there were really terrible and absolutely plastered people climbing on the small stage to sing, but over all it wasn't bad. Hawks had come in, but only ordered one old fashioned then left.

Here I am, the next day. Sitting on the same park bench as yesterday. Staring into the same alleyway. I have dubbed this spot as my inspiration place. A place I go for inspiration.

Now, I had come here with a notebook to write the lyrics in. I had written the overall idea I had for the song, and the few words I had come up with yesterday. Today, creativity seemed to be flowing through me more easily than it ever had.

I guess after years of it being locked up and buried, it's overflowing with ideas because of how much had accumulated over the years.

It didn't take long for me to have a whole song done. Only the lyrics, though. I still had to come up with a beat for it. Something I knew would take longer than the lyrics mainly because I do that with my keyboard and that's hidden in the  League of Villains bar. I knew for a fact I still wasn't ready to face that place again, so I would just wait.

Wait until the wounds were healed, only leaving a scar that'll never go away.

~~

A year had passed since I finished writing the lyrics, and I still didn't have the courage to go back and get my instruments.

I was no where ready to do that.

Maybe a few more months is what I need.

During my time here at Seventh Heaven, I had grown close with a lot of the customers. I knew every regular by name, and could even pinpoint when they would come into the bar. The one I had grown closest to had, surprisingly, been Hawks. He started coming more often, now coming every Friday, Saturday, Monday and occasionally on Wednesdays. He came a lot on other days, but never drank unless it was one of those days.

He would stay until the bar closed, which was two in the morning, and afterwards he would help Sophie and I with the dishes like an unpaid employee. He didn't mind, though. After the dishes were washed and Sophie was asleep, we would sometimes talk about how our day had gone, going into some random topic of conversation.

Sophie was right. He is a good guy.

"Hey, Y/n," Sophie said, walking into what had become my room.

I turned in my spiney chair, quickly closing the laptop I had been using to write more lyrics for different songs.

"Yes?" I said. Turning to see the sad expression on her face concerned me. Sophie has always been a happy and bubbly person, so seeing her look even the slightest bit sad never meant anything good.

"I'm . . ." she trailed off, trying to get the words she needed to say out of her mouth. "I'm selling the bar."

Those words were all it took to make me freeze. I just stood, staring at her until I could finally speak again.

"Why?"

That was the only thing I could manage to say. so many questions were swirling around in my mind, but that one stood out the most.

This bar was all I had. It had become my everything. Everything I live for is being ripped away from me again, and I have no control over it.

"I can't continue paying for this place," she said. "Alcohol prices are going up and I don't have enough money to keep this place going even with all the money we've been making. It just isn't enough."

"But Sophie, this . . . this is all I have," I said, a few tears slipping out of my eyes. "Please, don't take this from me."

"Unless you can magically make money appear, I'll have to." Sophie was crying too. Owning and managing a bar had always been her dream. Sure, it was a slightly concerning dream job to have when you're six, but it's what she wanted to do, and she pursued it. "We have to be out of here by the end of the month. I don't want to do this, but I have to."