Chapter Text
You shouldn’t be up here. You know you shouldn’t. If security realised you’d get arrested.
Well, maybe not arrested, but at least in trouble.
You hate trouble. You hate drawing attention to yourself. So it’s ironic that you were standing on the edge of an office building peering down at the pavement below.
Usually your legs would feel like jelly this high up, but they don’t. Usually you’d feel excited and alive being this high up. But you don’t.
You just felt done with everything.
You wished a strong gust of wind would help push you over the edge, figuratively and literally. Then everything would finally be over.
“Miss?”
You froze. You hadn’t heard the door creak, why the hell was someone else up here? You daren’t turn around in case you lost your footing. Another irony, not wanting to die unless it was on your terms.
“Miss, are you alright?” the male voice asked gently.
“I’m fine,” you replied, knowing he wouldn’t believe you but hoping anyway.
“It’s a bit chilly out here, innit?”
Why was he talking about the fucking weather?
“Why don’t you come inside and warm up.”
That’s why.
“I’m fine out here,” you answered, your voice surprisingly steady.
“You’re shaking like a leaf, luv. It’s a lot warmer inside than it is out here.”
“I said no.”
“Can I at least give you my coat so you’re not freezing?”
His insistence was grating, so you finally risked turning to look at the man.
Huh.
Cuter than you’d expected.
And a lot closer than you’d estimated.
“I don’t need a coat,” you replied, your words at odds with your sheer blouse.
“Look, I can see you shivering from here,” he said, slowly shrugging off his jacket and taking a miniscule step towards you.
“Don’t come any closer!” you shouted.
The man raised his hands in surrender, his jacket halfway down his arms. “Alright, alright. Not coming any closer, okay?”
He shrugged the item back on, pursing his lips. You quickly glanced down towards the pavement below before looking back to him, ensuring he hadn’t moved.
“Can you keep looking at me, luv? I know I’m an ugly git but I’d wager the view up here is far better than it is down there.”
Your brow knitted together. What was he talking about? He wasn’t ugly at all.
“My name’s Steven, can you tell me your name?” he asked gently, his brown eyes softening in a way you knew was designed to make you answer.
“Charlie.”
“It’s nice to meet you Charlie. How long have you been up here?” he asked, never taking his eyes off you.
“A bit.”
Steven nodded. “A bit,” he echoed. “It’s a beautiful view, isn’t it? Can see right across to St. Paul’s from here,” he smiled weakly.
“I’m not here for the fucking view,” you snapped.
“I know, luv. I know why you’re up here,” he replied calmly.
“No you don’t! You don’t know anything about me!” your throat felt tight.
“Then tell me. Why are you out here, Charlie?”
Damn it.
“No,” you mumbled, glancing at the floor by his feet.
“Why not? Why can’t you tell me?”
A car honked loudly below, your head turning down towards it.
“Hey, hey, hey don’t look there, remember?” You looked back to Steven, you hadn’t heard him step closer but there he was, two feet away. “Charlie, come on. Can you tell me why you’re out here? It’s the middle of winter and freezing, what’s going on darlin’?”
“You wouldn't understand,” you insisted, hating how cliche it sounded.
“I might not understand it all, but that doesn’t mean I can’t listen. I’m a good listener, I should know, I listen to myself talk plenty enough-"
“Stop trying to use humour to butter me up!” you shouted, surprised he didn’t even flinch.
“Sorry, I’m sorry, I’ll stop. But Charlie, I can listen to you. I don’t know your situation, I don’t know anything about you. All I know is you’re standing on a ledge so cold that your lips are going blue, and I want to help. Will you let me help you?”
Your eyes stung, from the cold wind that’s all. Not because you wanted to cry. “I don’t want your help!” you tried to push the tears back with anger.
“Why not?”
“Nothing can help me! Nothing will ever make the pain go away!”
His head tilted to the side, his eyes getting impossibly wide. “Pain from what, luv?” he asked softly. You hated his tone. The look on his face. How he seemed to care. He wouldn’t care if he knew the truth.
“Stop! Just stop, okay! Stop trying to get me to open up, stop trying to stop this from happening because it’s going to happen whether you like it or not!” your foot slipped slightly as you became more animated. You suddenly felt a dizzying rush at the absence of ground beneath half your shoe.
“Charlie please, just- just step away from the edge, okay?” Steven pleaded.
“No! Don’t tell me what to do!”
Suddenly you lost your balance. You glanced down to the pavement, and with a sickening lurch in your stomach, your legs turned to jelly. Your head spun as you swayed.
“Charlie!”
You were flying.
No.
You were falling.
This was it.
It would all finally be over.
Something hard wrapped around your torso, your collision course with the pavement slowed as if a parachute was somehow pulling you back. You looked down to see two weirdly bandaged arms around your waist.
You landed- or rather whatever was behind you- landed on the ground whilst your feet were slightly raised, protecting you from the force of the jolt. Whoever he or she was set you down and released you. You scrambled forward then turned to face your unwanted saviour at the same time as the vestiges of bandages peeled back instantly from Steven’s body.
“Are you okay?” he asked in an American accent, stepping towards you.
“Why did you do that! How did you do that!” you scrambled backwards. He’d ruined it.
“To stop you from-”
“I fell!” you hissed, looking left and right to see if anyone was watching. Did you fall or did you jump?
“You wouldn’t have fallen if you weren’t up there in the first place considering suicide.”
You winced at the word, marching towards a nearby alleyway. “Whatever!” you shouted, unable to think of a reasonable argument against him. It all happened so fast. He’d ruined it. This random man had witnessed your moment of weakness, had seen you at your lowest, and now you heard him following after you. You felt mortified. You had to make him go away.
“Charlie,” he called.
You wheeled back to face him once you were near a dumpster. “Why are you talking like that! And how did you just save me!”
“That’s not important right now. What’s important is you. Are you okay?” he asked again.
“Yes!” you snapped, exasperated. You just wanted him to go.
He raised an eyebrow as he shook his head. “Don’t lie to me. You need help.”
“I don’t need help,” you glared at him.
He scoffed, putting his hands on his hips.
“Why are you being like that? What happened to the ‘darlings’ and niceties!”
“It’s called tough love, kid.”
“I’m not a kid, I’m 30!”
Both of Steven’s eyebrows raised. “You don’t look 30,” he said slowly.
“I know!” If you had a penny every time… You watched him glance over your curves, before practically scrutinizing your face. “Please just go away, I'm not up there anymore, you can leave,” you begged.
He shook his head before you had even finished. “I can’t leave you like this.”
“Yes you can! You have two legs, use them!” you pointed towards the street.
His eyes narrowed. “Don’t take that tone with me, I just saved your damn life.”
“I didn’t ask you to!”
“You didn’t have to!” he shouted back.
“Please Steven just go away,” you began to march back towards the street.
“It’s Marc. And no,” he stepped in front of you. You tried to side step, but he matched your movement. You glared up at him, and he glared back. You tried to formulate a plan, your gaze subtly flitted to the ground at your side to assess if you could feign one way then dart backwards, but he was somehow a step ahead. “Don’t even think about it.”
Normally you wouldn’t ever be so confrontational with a stranger, so verbose. But this man had just seen you up there trying to- No. You weren’t that close to doing it. He just made it worse by coming up there and disturbing your moment.
“Why are you calling yourself Marc now anyway? You more fucked up than me or something?” you asked spitefully, hoping to get a strong enough reaction that he’d finally leave. For a second you thought it worked, what with the way his eyes darkened and his jaw clenched.
“Miralo,” he murmured. What. He took a step closer to you, then another, making you walk back until you were against the wall. “You got family?” he asked, his voice huskier.
“Yeah,” you replied reluctantly.
“Kids?”
You scoffed. “No.”
For a second he looked like he was having a seizure, then he sighed loudly and took a step back, granting you personal space once more. “Can I at least take you to the hospital?”
You almost laughed. “The hospital?” you asked incredulously. “I don’t need the hospital.”
“You need help, Charlie.”
“And the hospital is going to help me, how?”
“Charlie.” Oh you did not like his tone.
“‘Marc’,” you air quoted. “I’m fine! The moment is over! I’m safe on the stupid ground!”
“How do I know you won’t go right back up there the moment I leave?”
“You don’t! Tough shit!” you shouted, becoming increasingly embarrassed with yourself.
But he’d ruined your wallowing, he’d ruined your moment, he’d ruined the fact you had finally plucked up the courage to end everything once and for all. He snatched your peace away at the last second. Though the longer this conversation was going on, the more your brain was connecting the dots.
“That’s it, I’m taking you to the hospital,” he said decisively, reaching out to grab your hand.
You snatched it away. “No no no, no touching.”
“You’re coming with me regardless.”
“I am not! I’ve managed this long without a hospital trip, I can manage a bit longer!”
He gestured towards the roof. “You call that ‘managing’?!” he asked incredulously.
“Just please just- leave me alone. I’ve got through this before on my own and I can do it again,” you tried to reason.
“I can’t leave you alone after you just tried to kill yourself.”
“I fell! But if you’re going to be like that then how are you gonna explain saving me, huh? You gonna tell them you’ve got powers?”
He stayed silent.
“I may be dumb enough to go up there and try to-” you cut yourself off. “But I’m not stupid! I know who you are! I saw you on the news last year. And now I know your name is Marc, and Steven. I know what you look like behind that mask.”
His eyes darkened.
“So unless you want me to go blabbing to the world about the bandaged guy in Cairo who’s real name is Marc and or Steven, I suggest you shut the fuck up and move on.”
He stared you down for a long moment, your resolve beginning to crack. “You threatening us?” he murmured, the soft tone at odds with how menacing it sounded.
You second guessed yourself, narrowing your eyes in slight confusion before eventually nodding “Yea-” then changing it to shaking your head “No…”
“Good.”
“Still not going to the hospital,” you added quickly.
He sighed loudly, closing his eyes. When he opened them again they were noticeably softer. “If you won’t go to the hospital can you at least let us call someone for you?” he said in a British accent again whilst taking his coat off.
“No! No one knows I feel this bad and that’s how it’s going to stay,” you said decisively as he wrapped the jacket around you. “I don’t need you to care about me.”
“What was it you said, ‘tough shit’?” he retorted gently.
“I have my own coat,” you continued to protest.
“Then where is it?”
“In my car.”
“And where’s your car?”
“The car park.”
He gave you a slightly exasperated look. “Which is where?”
“The one that way,” you pointed towards the direction you felt it was in. “I don’t know, I don't usually drive here!” you added defensively.
“Okay, okay. Do you live nearby?”
You shook your head. “Two hours away.”
“How about this, we’ll go to a nice cafe and get you warmed up, then you can call one of your loved ones-”
“I just told you they don’t know!”
“-okay what about your doctors? The Samaritans? Or do you have a therapist or anyone?”
“They won’t care, Samaritans didn’t help the last time, and I don’t want to bother my therapist with this shit right now,” you listed off.
His eyes darkened so much you thought the other guy was about to come out. “Your therapist is there precisely to help you with ‘this shit’! You can’t shut down every option Charlie!”
“I can and I bloody will!” you tried to walk off for a third time.
“At least just sit with me for a bit then! Until you calm down!” he called after you.
“I am calm!” you turned back to shout, walking backwards.
He gave you a disbelieving look. “Fine until I calm down!” he said, throwing his hands in the air.
“Why! I don’t owe-” you cut yourself off. You owed him your life. You sighed loudly. “Fine.”
He caught you up in no time, then held out his hand.
“No,” you muttered, not taking it, then began to walk.
When the two of you re-emerged onto the bustling street, it was as if it were just another day in the busy city of London.