The Punk and His Princess - Hobie Brown x Reader

Chapter 1 - Introduction

Chapter Song Rec: Summertime Sadness by Lana Del Rey

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Hobie's POV

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"Get out of here y'little punk!"

10 year old Hobie Brown found himself being chased out of yet another store, the icy wind smashing against his face as the owner shut the door behind him, muttering curses about "delinquents" and "street rats". 

He hadn't been trying to steal anything, all Hobie wanted was some shelter from the freezing cold of the evening. It was well below freezing outside and all Hobie had to protect himself was a thin coat that did little to keep the snow from soaking him to the bone.

He shivered as he walked along the sidewalk, the tip of his nose dark blue with the beginning of frostbite. He clutched his layer tightly around himself, closing his eyes as yet another draft shoved him back. He took to one of the many Camden alleyways and sat down with his back against the wall, watching timidly as the passerby regarded him with disgust, their noses held high as they walked by him, hands full with Christmas shopping bags.

It wasn't Hobie's fault that he lived like this, shuffling from one street to another, digging through trash cans for just one loaf of bread or something to keep him warm. His parents had died a while back, leaving him in the care of his older brother, Abraham. Abe had done a great job raising Hobie for the past year, working hard to give them both shelter and keep Hobie fed. But one horrific protest later, Hobie found himself a true orphan, his older brother no longer able to protect him.

Hobie had always looked up to Abe. He was a true punk and had taught Hobie his first few guitar strings. It had been a quiet night when Abe had gotten his hands on a discarded guitar and brought it back to the shelter to show his little brother. He'd handed it to Hobie with a big grin plastered across his face, and the two of them spent the rest of the night teaching themselves different notes, playing and fighting with each other the way siblings did.

But now, Abe was gone and so was the guitar. All Hobie had left was his jacket, a few sizes too big for him and too thin to keep him from getting a cold. As he huddled up in that alleyway, he felt tears begin to prickle the corners of his eyes. 

He was scared. Not only was he homeless, but he was lost. He didn't know where the shelter was and he didn't know if he'd survive the night. He could feel it start to snow as well, the soft little flakes hitting his bare face and moistening his hair. Abe had loved the snow.

And then it was like he'd heard the voice of an angel.

"Hey, are you okay?"

He looked up and saw something so beautiful, he could barely believe his own eyes. A young girl, probably around his age, with pretty hair, perfect skin and the most beautiful eyes he'd ever beheld was standing in front of him, a sweet smile on her face and her arm outstretched towards him. He watched in shock for a moment, thinking he was hallucinating. He stayed silent as he took her hand and she pulled him up.

Another young boy arrived, a nervous expression on his face as he watched Hobie and the girl, eyes darting between them. "Y/N, come on! We're gonna get in trouble!" He said in a whiny voice, grabbing onto the girl's arm desperately.

"Calm down, Harry! My father won't even realize we're gone" the girl replied, shaking him off. She looked back at Hobie, her voice turning soft again. "Are you alright? You look starved, you poor thing" She reached out towards his face and caressed his cheek gently, looking him up and down.

He was in awe. He leaned into her touch, his eyes never leaving her face. "Y/N, don't do that! You don't know where he's been!" the boy, Harry, said quickly. The girl smacked him on the arm before looking back at Hobie with a curious expression on her face.

Hobie watched as she pulled her jacket off of her and handed it to him. "Here. Take this. It'll keep you warm." Hobie was in shock. He shook his head no and tried to return the jacket to her, pleading for her to take it back. "I can't take this..." he whispered, his big watery eyes wide with surprise. "Its all right! Its too big for me anyway, it'll fit you perfectly" she said with a smile, forcing the jacket towards him.

"You're crazy" the boy named Harry whined, looking between the girl and Hobie with a nervous expression on his face. The girl continued to ignore him, not taking her eyes off of Hobie. "Look. F.E.A.S.T. shelter is right down the street. Keep going down Main and take a right onto Hamilton and you'll see it in the distance."

Hobie nodded at her words, still in disbelief at the fact that she was helping him. Who even was she? When she finished giving him directions, she looked up at him nodded. "You understand?"

"Thank you" he replied quietly, his voice barely a croaked out whisper as he blinked tears back. "Thank you so much."

"You can thank me by being safe." she replied, tilting her head up at him slightly. Suddenly, she turned her head as if she heard her name being called. "Oh no, we're in trouble now!" Harry squeaked out. "Oh calm down, no we're not!" she looked back up at Hobie and patted his shoulder. "Remember the directions. Get to F.E.A.S.T. and they'll take care of you."

Hobie nodded again, unsure of how else to respond besides whispering out another thank you. And then, she leaned in and gave him a friendly peck on the cheek before she and the boy, Harry, ran back towards their family. Hobie touched the part of his cheek that she'd kissed, watching her in astonishment before he began to head down the street, the jacket she'd given him filling him with a warmth he hadn't felt in ages. He could still just barely hear her talking in the distance.

"Y/N? Where's your jacket?"

"I lost it."

"Silly girl, how could you lose a jacket? We'll have to get you another one, tsktsk"

Hobie eventually arrived at F.E.A.S.T. and it was there he stayed for a few years before he was old enough to start squatting with other teenagers his age. Even after he left F.E.A.S.T., he still returned often, volunteering and donating what he could, getting to know all the new admittees and more.

He was 19 now, and it had been 9 years since he'd encountered that girl, but to this day, he couldn't forget her. That hair, that skin, those eyes. That perfect smile. The way she'd looked at him like he was all that mattered in that moment. He wished every single day that he'd find her. Whenever he went outside, especially near the richer neighborhoods, he would find himself subconsciously searching the crowds to see if he could recognize her. If he could see her face.

And even after he'd outgrown the jacket she'd given him, and it was a really nice, expensive jacket at that, he'd patched pieces of it onto his vest. Whenever he touched them, he would get that warm feeling in his chest again, that feeling that let him know he mattered.

Even if he was just some delinquent punk. Even though he was a street kid. He mattered to her. And that was all that mattered.

He hoped one day he would see her again.

A/N

This is really short, but I just wanted to give some background for the actual storyline. The next chapters will definitely be longer and have a lot more of a storyline in them!