Dylan put his coffee down on by the noticeboard, flooded with risk assessments and posters explaining symptoms of meningitis and the like. With his other hand taken by David's, he couldn't imagine who could be calling him. His confusion grew when he saw Ben's photo flash up on the screen.
"Just a second" He told David, swiping the screen to the left to answer. "Ben?"
There was a soft click at the other end of the line and Dylan's muffled voice reached Ben. "Dad… Please come to the roof! Quickly!" Lofty hissed as Max's grip on his hand tightened, their fingers entwined.
"Why-What's wrong Ben?"
The line went dead, leaving nothing but a sharp whine blaring flatly in Dylan's ear.
"What is it?" His partner's eyes found his and saw the fear growing.
"We need to get on the roof. I think Ben's going to jump."
"Shit!" David dumped his undrunk tea in the bin beside the ledge and gestured to Dylan. "This way's fastest; come on!"
The breeze ruffled through the tips of his deep brown hair as he glimpsed the fire exit across the roof, before turning to the edge, his hands cool, despite the evening sun as his clothes rubbed gently against him. He took a breath and continued to stare, waiting.
"He sounded terrified!" Dylan all but shouted as he ran three steps ahead of David, sprinting with unstoppable energy in his desperation to reach the roof in time, his mind feeding him horrific images of the worst-case scenarios. With every step, the fear grew more intense, until he was running faster than he'd ever imagined he could, the adrenaline burning through his bloodstream.
"I-I got, I got to sto-" David curled in on himself, a sharp pain stabbing between his ribs, "Catch – you…up" He gasped, sitting halfway to the roof, and watching with pride as his husband continued to bolt up the stairs in his panic, until the iron staircase stopped vibrating.
Dylan must've reached the top.
He turned around to the sound of clanging footsteps up the fire escape. They sounded… frantic. It was only as the sun glinted off the corner of his eye, making his green irises glisten with unshed tears, that he spotted the two figures on the opposite end of the roof.
He couldn't tell who they were… he just had to step back… get the sun out his eyes. Placing his left foot back, his body spasmed in shock as Dylan ran out onto the roof in a frenzy.
Dylan almost froze when he saw who he did before him, one foot mere centimetres from an empty drop – a threatening three storeys drop down to the ED car park. No one could survive that fall.
The man took a breath, his thoughts spinning as he identified all three figures on the roof with him.
"Seb…" Dylan whispered, trying to mask the growl of fear in his voice with a patient-seeming whisper. "Seb, come away from there…"
Seb's eyes widened. The transgender boy held a phone in his right hand and his boyfriend's hand in his left. He must've called Dylan… That meant Dylan hadn't told Ben what Seb had been like in theater.
All the more reason to jump.
"Why are you trying to save me?" Seb hissed bitterly, "To prove me the coward you seem to think me?"
"I'm trying to save you because-"Dylan paused, "Oh for God's sake, step away from the edge so we can discuss this properly!" Dylan stepped forward to pull Seb down from the ridged ledge, but the other man sidestepped his grasp, eyes widening further as David too appeared at the top of the stairwell.
"H-how many people did h-he call?" Seb's voice began to shake and he shuffled further from Dylan.
"Seb… In a minute, you'll fall and trust me, the potential alive version of you would not be grateful!"
"How would you…" Seb trailed off as an image of the laddered scars flashed in his mind, "Y-you…"
"Yes" Dylan's voice softened, "You'll have reasons now, but look back in a six months, six years, maybe even sixty; I promise you'll be glad you didn't."
Seb thought for a few seconds and suddenly the tears were overflowing, clear crystals rolling down his face, as his body wracked with silent sobs. Dylan grabbed his shoulders and tugged him down to where he stood, pulling him into his arms and crouching down as the younger man's body heaved.
"You're okay" He whispered, knowing just the support alone provided a sense of security.
David watched from the stairwell, leaning on the iron banister and picking at the rust absentmindedly as he watched his husband with pride: he took the same position David had just six months previously and he couldn't be more proud.
It was only as the two teenagers reached him, after running across the asphalt roofing that David properly realised where they were.
"Hey… What are you two doing out of bed?" He asked, only half-joking.
"Can you imagine if we weren't?" Max retorted, smiling.