Chapter Text
Neil was tired. No scratch that, he was fucking exhausted. Getting up far too early every morning and dragging his aching body across the city alongside with constantly praying to a god he didn’t believe in to get a spot on a homeless shelter in the area was probably not the best for his mental and physical health. Living on the street was bad enough if you were young but ten times worse if you were alone. It hadn’t always this bad but since his mother was killed by the Butcher of Baltimore about two years ago he had prefered staying by himself. He hadn’t been able to trust anybody even before he escaped his father without his duffle that contained his contacts and money.
Winter was the hardest time to find a secure shelter even in South Caroline, the icy cold lured even the toughest of people out of their abandoned homes and into the shelter were warmth and food could be provided.
On the rare occurences that Neil had been with other homeless people he had heard stories about people who hadn’t found a secure place to sleep during a particularly cold night only to simply not wake up the next morning. It was probably meant to be a scary story to warn people from sleeping in parks or anywhere outside but for Neil it didn’t really sound that bad. Passing away peacefully in your sleep was a luxury you couldn’t afford if you were the son of the Butcher of Baltimore.
Maybe that was the reason he was currently sitting on a bridge crossing a relatively wide river.
It must’ve once been used for a train or locomotive, judging by the abandoned train tracks. The river was frozen but probably not enough to hold him if he fell.
His mother would kill him for killing himself if she was still alive and the irony was enough for Neil to smother a laugh that bordered on hysteria. No more running, no more hiding, no more being scared of getting robbed in your sleep, he would finally be free. A bird finally let out of its cage.
The cold skin was biting his skin and the thin clothes he was able to steal from random people’s balconies after his old ones were too worn down even for his standarts, were too thin to keep him warm. He took a deep breath and climbed the railing carefully. He remained standing there for a solid minute.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.“
A voice behind him caused him to turn around so fast he had to grip the railing with both hands to stop from falling down.
“What?“
He asked, completely puzzled.
In front of him stood a short blonde man who couldn’t be much older than him. Neil stared at him and he stared back. It was like a staring contest which would’ve been awkward if it hadn’t been so confusing.
“You heard me“, the man said after a few seconds of silence.
“Why?“ Why do you care, went unsaid.
“Cause you’d die.“
“That is kind of the point.“
Neil was starting to get pissed; he wanted to be done with this and finally rest and now some asshole had to stick his nose where it definitely didn’t belong. Said asshole was putting a cigarette in his mouth and lit it up with a lighter. He pulled a second one out and offered it to Neil whilst still keeping his distance.
“I don’t smoke“, Neil lied.
“What, scared you’re gonna get lung cancer? Seems a bit hypocritical considering you’re about to jump off a bridge.“
The man’s face was much too apathetic for Neil to figure out his intentions.
“What, are you some kind of good Samaritan bullshit? I’m sorry but your persuasion technique kinda sucks.“
The man looked annoyed, as if Neil was the one bothering him instead of the other way around.
“I’m not trying to convince you not to jump just not here or at least not now.“
Neil was probably looking at him as if he had just grown two more heads but the man didn’t look bothered by it in the slightest.
“You want to convince me that I shouldn’t jump and that it’s all going to be okay?“
“No, first off I don’t want anything and this is my spot and I’m here to look at the nice view and your disgusting dead corpse would definitely ruin that.“
Neil decided that he was not going to kill himself if the last thing he saw was the asshole’s smug expression so instead he stepped down the ceiling.
The stranger was standing on the edge of the bridge and watched the night sky without another word.
Neil carefully stepped next to him, although still minding the gap between them.
“You overinterpreted my words and suddenly decided that living is the better option?“ he scoffed.
They remained standing there in silence. Neil would never admit it but he hadn’t talked to another person in so long that he didn’t realize he was missing it this bad. Not only talking but just feeling the other’s presence. It didn’t mean he was less aware, the man could still prove to become dangerous but Neil decided if he wanted him dead he would’ve just pushed him off the bridge whilst his back was turned. The knowledge that there were people who wanted worse things than to just kill someone was enough to keep both his eyes open.
Neil didn’t know for how long they had been standing there but the moon was setting and on the other side of the river the sun was slowly rising. Birds chirped and Neil was slowly coming out of his haze.
The stranger’s phone buzzed and he turned it on.
Above a green message sign, Neil could see the time. It was seven am. He had just spent around three hours of being around another human being and not being attacked or ignored, there had to be a guiness book of world records for that.
“I’m leaving“ the stranger said.
Neil didn’t bother with a response. The man sighed.
“Will I be able to return here or will the police arrest me if they find me scraping your dead body off the ice?“
“I’m a homeless person without an ID, I doubt they’d care.“
The stranger narrowed his eyes. He reached into his pocket and handed Neil five dollars. Neil stared at his outstretched hand. He did not want to be mistaken for some pathetic guy that needed to beg for money.
His face scrunched up in disgust as he looked away. Not at the houses and appartments of the city in the foreground, but past them, to the faded blue mountains whose tops were covered in snow and tufts of grass.
“I don’t need your charity.“
“This isn’t charity, this is for you to buy something to eat and then find another bridge to jump off.“
Once again, Neil was suprised by the rudeness of the suggestion.
“I don’t need your pity.“ He realised his tone had become all bite and he had leaned in the stranger’s space a bit too much. The next thing he knew was that there was sharp, cool metal pressed against his neck and the stranger looked at him with a deadly expression.
“Wow, what a martyr you are. You think you deserve to starve for the pride of Five Fucking Dollars.“
“Don’t pretend you know“, he spat out. “You people all think we are some pathetic dogs who go for every piece of meat that gets thrown at us. You’re just so much better than me, aren’t you? Don’t come here and pretend you know anything of the world.“
There was something chilling and fierce in the other’s eyes but he let go of Neil and he stumbled back.
Neil walked off without turning around.
It took a few hours for regret to sink in but when it did, it almost drowned him.
He had met the only person who offered him company without wanting anything in return and of course he had fucked it up royally.