Chapter Text
Lin Ling set his box of his office belongings down on the roof before stepping closer to the ledge, looking over the vast city that housed superheroes and villains alike. The streets were emptier than usual, which wasn’t surprising. Many people were still at work at this time, after all. Not him anymore.
He was so sure that ad would be a hit. Surely ads were meant to cater to the public, and what would they like more than Nice telling them that anyone could be a hero?
Lin Ling clenched his hands into a fist and looked down at the ground. The sidewalk and streets seemed to expand and waver, making him dizzy. A fall from this height would surely kill him, and it would likely be painless.
God, he hopes it will be. It would suck even more if he fucked it up and paralyzed himself or something.
After all, his boss, or well, ex-boss, was right. He was nobody. Just because he made ads for Nice and Moon doesn’t make him important. No one even bothered to see who made those ads. No one would miss him if he died, and he sure as hell didn’t have anything to live for anymore. Would anyone even care enough to give him a proper funeral? His parents disowned him for pursuing graphic design and video production, he had no friends at work, and his boss wasn’t so kind as to spend money on a funeral for a guy like him. What if he was just tossed in a random grave with just his name on his tombstone?
He’d wanted to leave behind a legacy. If he couldn’t become a hero, he wanted to at least be remembered for the videos he put countless hours of effort into. But now, he’d just be forgotten as he rotted in the dirt, his name on the tombstone rubbing away year after year, until there was no mark left.
That thought made Lin Ling shiver.
He was shaken out of his thoughts as a zeppelin playing an ad about True Love Recipe floated past. Moon’s cheery voice played out from the speakers.
“Hey, cheer up!” She said, reading off a script he wrote.
He watched her for a bit.
“...don’t lose hope!”
Normally, he’d perk up at her voice and feel empowered despite knowing that her words were the same ones he’d written for her to say. But today, he just felt a rush of anger at the scene of Moon and Nice playing out his ad. Mr. Perfect with his perfect voice and perfect girlfriend. Playing out his ad. That he’ll never be recognized for. Never be remembered for. And apparently could be easily made by someone else, which was why he was fired so easily.
He wanted to throw something.
Reaching into his pocket, he grabbed his victim. A pen that the company had provided on the first day he arrived. It was cheap. The ballpoint always got stuck and made it a hassle to write with. He didn’t even know why he kept the damn thing. It was the perfect thing to throw.
He drew his arm back, not aiming at any particular spot, and pitched the pen forward with all his strength and a yell of frustration. In the back of his mind, he wondered if it might accidentally hit anyone.
The ads continued to play around him, Nice, the perfect hero, dancing across the screens, speaking the words Lin Ling had strung together in concise and charming sentences.
“Enough, Nice!” Lin Ling shouted, snapping at them.
It was like they were mocking him.
“No matter how perfect you are right now, one day you, too, will become old and ugly, and be replaced by someone else!”
Of course, nothing happened.
He should just stop stalling and get his suicide over with.
He stepped up on the ledge and…
Stopped.
His breathing became shallow, and he noticed his arm was shaking.
Didn’t he want this? There was nothing to live for anymore. He shouldn’t be hesitating. It wouldn’t be painful (probably). There was definitely no shot of him surviving if he dived head first, right?
His right leg lifted and was set back down. He shifted from one foot to the other, visibly nervous. Did the temperature drop? It suddenly felt cold.
He closed his eyes, scrunching up his face. He briefly wondered what expression he’d be wearing when he hit the ground.
Finally, Lin Ling took a deep breath, lifted his right leg again, and tilted forward. A flash of fear and sudden realization of regret filled his brain as he started to fall with no way to pull himself back up.
Before he fell very far, gravity seemingly stopped working and reality as he knew it started twisting and flattening into cartoonish shapes and lines and neon flashing geometry-
Ok what the fuck.
Lin Ling gasped as he tried to process what was happening to him. Was this some sort of pre-death/suicide vision that people get? Did he fall and hit his head, but didn’t die yet, and now he was hallucinating?
Lin Ling hysterically thought that this was what people probably saw when they took hallucinogenic drugs. And that if he had epilepsy, he’d die from a seizure right then and there instead of from smashing his body into the street below.
The moment passed, and Lin Ling felt himself being yanked up by the neckline of his shirt as reality settled back to normal at the sound of a snap.
“Woah there!” A voice said as Lin Ling collapsed.
“What the fuck what the fuck what the fuck.” He babbled as he found himself on the ground, distantly realizing that he was shaking and patting the roof with both his hands like he was blind.
After he apparently made sure he was on something solid, his hands went to his arms and face, feeling the touch of his skin and the warmth from the blood running through his veins.
“I’m not dead. I’m alive.” He muttered. “And the world isn’t rainbow anymore.”
“Deep breaths now.” A comforting voice said.
Lin Ling tried to follow the voice’s directions, breathing in and out. After a few seconds, he felt oriented enough to raise his head and look up at the voice.
A tall and handsome middle-aged man with sleek white hair and glasses appeared in his vision. He wore a concerned expression.
Ok, he definitely wasn’t an employee at the advertisement company.
What caught his eye next was the “X” pinned on his tie.
This was- no fucking way.
“You’re X!” Lin Ling blurted out after he caught his breath.
That made the reality-shifting more sense. X did have some power like that.
“Yes, I am.” X replied in an almost amused tone and bending down to squint at the name tag on Lin Ling’s shirt. “And you’re Lin Ling.”
What was the number one hero doing here? How did he even know Lin Ling was up here, about to fall off the roof? And yes, he was falling. Not jumping. Because holy shit he did not actually want to die.
“Uh, are you ok?”
Was he ok? No, he almost died, experienced a three-second drug trip, and was saved by the number one hero. Of course he wasn’t fucking ok.
Lin Ling stared at X. He didn’t give a fuck that it might be rude, especially since this was X asking the question. Maybe he should, though. Yeah, he probably should answer that he was fine and let the hero get on with his day. He blinked and ran a hand through his hair, now messy from the wind.
“Yeah-”
“Right, stupid question.” X stated before Lin Ling could answer out of politeness.
X then reached out a hand to Lin Ling, smiling in a friendly way, but Lin Ling could see that he was tense.
“Think you can get up?”
Lin Ling stammered at that.
“Ye-yeah. Thanks?”
He took X’s hand, and was surprised to find it warm and slightly rough.
X chuckled with concern as he pulled Lin Ling up from where he was sitting and further away from the ledge.
“Oh dear, that really took you out of it, huh?”
“...I think the weird reality warping was more… disorienting.” Lin Ling replied, still a little shaky as he looked around.
The sky remained blue, and the buildings around them were still standing strong. Maybe this was a lesson that he shouldn’t take them for granted.
Lin Ling gave a nervous little laugh.
“Ah. Sorry about that. My power tends to have that effect on civilians.” X replied with a small laugh of his own.
Lin Ling breathed out, still shocked from his experience.
“Jesus Christ dude…” He covered his face with his hands.
An awkward moment passed between them.
“Well… thank you, I guess. For saving me. I… You can go now. I’m alright.” Lin Ling muttered gratefully, feeling heat creep into his face.
It was true, he was thankful that X had saved him. But now it was just embarrassing. He would’ve never even wanted to commit suicide if he’d known this was a possible consequence.
“Ha! Sure you are, kid. What kind of hero would I be if I just left a person to their own devices after they tried to kill themselves? Tell me what happened.” X responded in a kind voice.
His voice was sort of soothing, actually. He’d be a great voice actor. Lin Ling was sort of jealous.
“I’m not gonna- I don’t want to kill myself.” Lin Ling spoke defensively, shaking his head.
X snorted in disbelief.
“So you fell down because the wind pushed you?”
“Um… yes?”
Lin Ling wanted to smack himself. This was just pathetic, even a baby would know he’s lying. He avoided X’s stare — those gray eyes felt like they could pierce him — and aimed his line of sight at a building before averting his gaze again as a giant electronic billboard with Nice’s ad on it came into view.
“Then tell me what wind it was that pushed you.” X inquired again, this time with a stern look that Lin Ling could feel even without meeting it and a more serious voice.
Lin Ling sighed. Were they really going to do this? Does X seriously not have better things to do? More people to save? Evil villains to defeat?
X seemed to have felt Lin Ling’s confusion and said, “Take your time. I’m free for the rest of the day, seriously.”
“Well, you can probably tell I got fired.” Lin Ling decided to talk and gestured to the discarded box of his belongings on the ground. “And I don’t have anything anymore.”
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair again.
“I mean, I’m about to lose my apartment if I don’t pay my rent, this place was the only one that hired me out of the others I’ve applied to, and I thought I might actually be able to do something here. Make my mark and all that jazz. I make ads for heroes, you see. Mostly Nice and Moon. I spend hours on my work, coming up with scripts, editing videos, and adding voiceovers. But no one even is a bit interested in who makes the ads and my boss certainly doesn’t give a shit as long as it makes Treeman satisified and brings in money. I made an, in my opinion, amazing ad for Nice and presented it today. I was so sure it would be a hit, and I might even get a bonus or promotion or something. The ad was supposed to be Nice telling the viewers that anyone can be a hero, which I would think would boost his Trust Value, cause it appeals to the audience. But my boss hated it and fired me, saying that it was bullshit that ‘anyone could become a hero’ and how I shouldn’t forget my place. ”
X nodded sympathetically at Lin Ling’s bitter rant.
“The corporate world is cruel to its lower-level employees. They don’t get the recognition they deserve and are often victims of verbal abuse. It can truly be a toxic environment.” He commented with an oddly personal tone. “Your boss is spouting nonsense. You shouldn’t listen to him.”
“Exactly!” Lin Ling responded, finishing his rant with that frustrated utterance. “But he’s right, though! I’m just a commoner who can’t get his life together even at twenty-one years old! Much less become some hero.”
X hummed in thought, which was a kind gesture. Lin Ling doubted X actually cared much about his sob story, but it was nice to have someone listen to him.
“Well, twenty-one’s still quite young. You do have time. You’re right that anyone can become a hero. Like I said, your boss is spouting nonsense.” X said after a beat.
Lin Ling just groaned into his hands.
“I hope you know there are more, better opportunities out there, which supersedes dying.” X pointed out after Lin Ling expressed his emotions.
“I don’t want to die!” Lin Ling exclaimed, before amending it after seeing X’s unamused expression again.
“Fine. I don’t want to die anymore. Stepping off was a mistake.” Lin Ling finally admitted.
X sighed and smiled, looking pleased and finally believing Lin Ling’s words.
“What would you know about it, though?” Lin Ling muttered, not really meaning for X to hear him.
“Oh?” X asked, almost sounding offended.
Lin Ling felt himself blush again in embarrassment and a little shame. After all, one of the allures to X that made him gain the spot of the number one hero was his mysteriousness. No one knew his personal life or identity, so maybe he did know about corporate culture. Lin Ling was highly doubtful, though. How could a regular worker become a hero like X? All the top ten heroes were some sort of celebrities.
“Well, you must admit, it’s hard to imagine you having any experience with, well, corporate culture. You’re the number one hero, for god’s sake!” Lin Ling gestured to himself and then to X.
X scoffed and waved a hand, but he seemed to be debating something with himself.
“Don’t tell me you’re actually like, secretly one of the employees here and that’s how you found me up here.” Lin Ling said with horror.
“No, no, nothing like that.” X laughed lightly. “But… I am an office worker.”
Lin Ling gaped at him, uncaring that he looked like a fish out of water.
“No way.”
X laughed again at his expression, looking slightly smug at the shock written across Lin Ling’s features. Lin Ling shook himself out of it, dragging his hand across his face and then up over his head in a “I give up” movement.
“Well- well then, how did you know I was up here?” Lin Ling asked, shifting the topic.
“Your pen almost impaled me when I was at a vending machine down there.” X pointed at a nearby street, and there was indeed a vending machine there. “Gave me quite the scare.”
Then, to make matters worse, he added on a last part.
“It wasn’t too hard to pinpoint the thrower when the name of your company’s on the pen and there’s a person cursing out Nice at the top of his lungs at the top of a roof.”
Lin Ling looked like he was about to jump a second time from embarrassment.
“I changed my mind. I do want to die. Kill me now. Please.” He moaned in horror, trying to hide behind his hands. “I can’t believe I almost fucking killed X cause I was throwing a tantrum.”
“Oh my, I was just joking. I was never in any real danger of death. That was you. And your, ah, tantrum was completely warranted.” X replied, amusement clear in his tone as he gave Lin Ling a grin. “I do have to ask, though. Why were you insulting Nice?”
Lin Ling kept his eyes on the floor and moved one of his feet back and forth like a metronome.
“I was just jealous, I guess.” He muttered truthfully. “Sorry.”
“Why are you sorry?” X asked, genuinely confused.
“Well, I assume, like you know him… You both live in the Hero Tower after all…” Lin Ling trailed off, realizing that his assumption was probably incorrect.
“Ah. Well, I suppose I’ve seen him around and his ads. He seems like a fine young man, but I do not know him personally.” X said pensively before shrugging nonchalantly. “I don’t particularly mind if you insult him, although I don’t believe he deserves it.”
Lin Ling looked at X for a second before bursting into laughter.
“Oh- Oh man, wow. I thought you would’ve scolded me or something! You’re quite chill compared to Nice, at least from the Nice I know from the kind of lines Treeman wants him to say when I write the scripts.”
X’s lips quirked up into a smile at that, before it suddenly fell into something more serious as he looked to the side. Following his gaze, Lin Ling was horrified to see the subject of their conversation fly down to the roof — and was that a flock of doves that shepherded his arrival? — Walk by them, to the ledge, ignore Lin Ling’s stuttering apology, give them his signature pose of two finger guns, and promptly step off the roof. It was obvious he was not planning to fly back up by the empty look in his eyes and the fake smile Lin Ling recognized from the ads. He’d never realized how fake it looked until now.
X acted instantly, running forward as he snapped his fingers. Lin Ling shut his eyes, bracing for the reality shift and rainbow colors to play outside his eyelids. But when none came, he opened his eyes and ran towards the ledge, looking down to see… nothing. Where was X and Nice?
That question was answered when he looked at the wall and saw, to his surprise, 2d pictures of X and Nice moving on the wall. Lin Ling watched with fascination as X practically tackled the struggling fifteenth-place hero around the waist and pulled him up the wall. Then, the older white haired hero snapped, and the two of them appeared back in the normal dimension. Was this what happened to Lin Ling? He wondered how Nice wasn’t completely disoriented from the warping rainbow reality he must have experienced.
Also unlike Lin Ling, Nice was visibly unhappy, prying himself away from X’s grip as soon as they landed and glaring at his fellow hero with annoyance, frustration, and… desperation? In a definitely not nice way. Then, that expression turned to horror as voices and footsteps came up the stairs. Lin Ling didn’t even have time to think as X acted again, pulling both of them close and snapping with the hand that was holding Lin Ling.
This time, when Lin Ling closed his eyes, the colorful dancing lights did indeed invade his vision even through his eyelids.