Disclaimer: I don't own Sky High or 'Lie in the Sound' which is by Trespassers William.
Warren sat, unblinking, on the edge of the roof of the Paper Lantern staring over the city. His eyes were dry but his heart was so full and beat so fast he thought it was about to burst out of his chest.
I love you more than I should
So much more than is good for me
More than is goodHe'd had to leave; all the people, so much noise. The bodies pressing against him and all he'd managed to do was catch a glimpse of her beautiful face. He'd wanted to hold her forever and never let go.
Oh the timing is cruel
Oh I need and don't want to need
More than I shouldHe knew now he should have come back earlier, dealed with his issues faster, realised his true feelings sooner. He'd always loved her, ever since he first saw her in the cafeteria defending Will even though he didn't know it then. After he'd lost his mom he had left. Left everything, his school, his house, his friends, her and had travelled the country for the best part of two years trying to find clarity. Something that would make him whole. But he realised he had left it at home and it had been there for him this whole time.
I am falling, say my name
And I'll lie in the sound
What is love, but whatever
My heart needs around
And now he could never have her. She was gone and perhaps, just possibly, if he'd come back earlier or plucked up the courage to find her sooner then things would have been different. He wouldn't be sitting here now, going over all this in his mind.
Oh my sheet is so thin
So I say I can't sleep because
It's so very cold
He was alone in the world. He had no school, no house, no friends and no family. No one cared for him, no one would notice that he was missing from society – or if he ended up like his dad, in jail with only a deranged supervillain for company.
He shivered and tucked his arms around him as the wind blew through the rooftops. He stared out over the place he used to call home, where people knew him, worried about him…loved him.
Oh but I know what I need
And if you were just near to me
Would you go...
His eyes clouded over again. The fourth time in an hour. He furiously scrubbed at his face. They wouldn't help. Nothing would bring her back to him now. All he could see was her beautiful pale face lying in the ground surrounded by her hair which still caught the sun, even now. Dressed in green; it still suited her though the light from her face had passed, like her spirit.
I am falling, say my name
And I'll lie in the sound
What is love, but whatever
My heart needs around
Suddenly he let go and felt a surge of pain. It grasped his heart, his lungs, his spirit and would not let go. His throat constricted as he felt the grief crash down on him and his head felt like it was about to explode. Nothing could stop this, he thought. He felt like he would stay this way forever. He curled over in a ball on the rooftop sobbing silently. He couldn't breathe as pain wracked his body.
I am falling, say my name
And I'll lie in the sound
What is love, but whatever
My heart needs around
She was gone, he knew that, but his heart couldn't accept it. That he'd never tell her how he felt. He could never unburden his heart of all the feelings he'd carried around for the past years. All the things he'd wanted to tell her would remain unsaid, the feelings unreturned, their lives separated forever.
But no, he could change that, fix that. They wouldn't have to stay separated. He dragged his body up off the floor. He no longer felt connected to it, like it wasn't his anymore. It could do nothing more for him now, in fact, it was weighing him down. Stopping him from achieving his goal – to be with her. If he couldn't be with her in this world then maybe in the next.
He stood up and walked over to the edge and looked down. It wasn't too far, but far enough to serve his purpose. He stood right on the edge of the building, his toes pointing over and spread his arms wide. The familiar flames flickered up and down them and his mind became miraculously clear. He knew soon all this would be over and at last he would do what he came back to do.
He let himself fall and one thought crossed his mind before he met the ground:
Layla.
And it needs you too much now.
