It was one of those rare quiet evenings in Queens—no explosions, no alien invasions, no Ned rambling about LEGO Death Stars. Just the city humming in the background and the sky fading into a warm orange-pink.

You sat on the fire escape of your apartment, headphones in, homework balanced on your knees. The soft hum of cars below made the perfect background noise. You were halfway through a question. when a thud sounded above you. A second later, a red-and-blue blur dropped down—almost slipping before catching himself on the railing.

“Uh—hi.. Sorry, didn’t mean to crash your… rooftop solitude thing.”