Chapter Text
It would be nice to remember how you got here.
Maybe the high altitudes were making you fatigued, but all you could remember was that one second ago you were standing on the ground, and now, you found yourself on the edge of a tall building, holding onto its railing for dear life. Did you black out in between? Were you planted here by someone? Maybe that was worth figuring out later– if there was a later. You needed to figure out how the hell you would get down from here without plummeting to your death.
How high up even were you? The thought of looking down to assess how tall the building was crossed your mind, but you realized that looking down would make you even more scared. Being able to see the tops of many buildings seemed to tell you were high enough. At least your death would be quick if you fell from here, you thought.
Your hands were already clammy and cold from sweating, and you could feel your grip on the railing loosening with every second. Maybe you could just close your eyes, and wake up to find this was all an awful dream. If you tried to use your other senses to take in the environment, surely you'd slowly regain consciousness. You let your eyes close, focusing on everything other than what your sight provided.
Cold wind... sweaty hands... the sound of someone clearing their throat... the heat of the sun...
Wait.
Your eyes slowly opened to a navy blue, eagle-patterned suit.
What? No way.
Tightly, you shut your eyes again and re-opened them slowly. Still there. Your vision slowly focused, and you confirmed your suspicions when you glanced upwards and into the livid-blue eyes of none other than the fucking Homelander. He hovered in the air, mere inches from your shaking, trembling figure. His red and white striped cape gently blew in the wind behind him. A wisp of his blond hair freed itself from its slicked-back counterparts, and the movement of him swiping it back into place snapped you out of your trance. Wordlessly, you stared at him, and he laughed.
"So, how'd you get yourself all the way up here? Wanted to get a nice view of the skyline?", he joked. You couldn't think of an answer, still in utter shock. Being stuck at the top of this building was already a less-than-optimal situation, and the Homelander's newfound presence before you made it even worse. Despite being such a renowned Superhero, you didn't have the highest respect for him. Rumors may be rumors, but you'd seen some damning information about the attitude and actions of the patriotic leader of The Seven, and you couldn't trust Vought and their crafty media cover-ups. Anyone with a fanbase like those who showed up in masses at his rallies told you enough about his influence and what sort of ideals he pushed, and regardless, being in the presence of a man clad with laser eyes and having no exit was enough to make an already bleak situation seem hopeless.
"Not much of a talker, I see. Well, let's just get you out of here, yeah?" He shifted forward, extending a hand to you. With a deep breath, you slowly let your right hand off the rails as you tightened the grip of your left one, and shakily placed it in his. You're ever aware of your sweaty, trembling hands in his dry, steady ones, and are thankful he doesn't comment on it. He held out his other hand, but now, you're scared to let go from the rails. For a moment, he seems patient with you... until he almost doesn't anymore, and your not-so-irrational fear of accidentally annoying him and getting fried pushes you to give in and finally let go of the rails.
It felt like you were on a rollercoaster without the safety restraints. You allowed the most unhinged scream to leave your lips as you hurriedly placed your second hand in his. You were screaming and floating in the air, your hands still in his, until you were suddenly in the air and screaming even louder, as he tossed you up to carry you bridal-style. It was for the inevitable civilians with cameras that followed Homelander around, you would have assumed, but that was the last thought on your mind as he chuckled, descending to the ground at a rather fast pace. Your heart was pounding at a hundred miles a minute and you felt like you were about to pass out, but it wasn't long before you felt his feet touch the ground below you.
He gently planted you to the ground in front of a large crowd, as you expected, but it didn't take half a second for you to immediately topple over.
"Woah, hey, I got you! You're alright."
He's quick to grab your shoulders and steady you, but only a moment later is he whisked away by reporters with cameras and frenzied fans with signature books. You turned around to try and thank him, only to find he was long gone; you'd been pushed away by the crowd, who didn't even stop to ask if you were okay. Not that you really wanted to talk, anyway, you think to yourself. You started to feel a little guilty about your misconceptions about Homelander– he saved your life, after all. You turned around once more, and you could have sworn you made direct eye contact with him as he flashed his winning smile with a wink, but you blinked and found him turned the other way, posing for the crowds.