Love On Fire

Rooftop

I let out a sigh as I stare at Maxim tie up the detective to an empty water tower with metal wire.

"This is not what I signed up for," I tell him, staring at the unconscious man.

"And what exactly do you think that was?" Maxim asks turning around so he faces me.

"Helping a man who needed it!" I practically yell at him. Hot air that escapes my mouth and floats into the cold sky night, staying for a few moments more before dispersing into nothing. His heavy breathing doing the same, but all I can focus on was the fact that the unconscious man didn't have any hot air leaving his mouth.

"Oh, it's that simple?" He asks scoffing.

"It was supposed to be. Not helping some vigilante who mysteriously has some sort of powers?!" I argue, having enough of being left in the dark. "How am I supposed to know that I'm on the right side here? I just helped you bring up a bloody unconscious man to my roof." I utter, pointing to the man whose head hangs from his sleeping state.

"You knew what side you're on when you found me and decided to help me. You had faith." Maxim tells me as he straps on some tape to his hands.

"Faith?" I scoff. "I don't believe in faith," I mutter, folding my arms together in front of me.

"Then why did you help me, Daeva?" He asks, clearly angry at my argument. I let out another breath, watching it swirl in the wind before disappearing.

"Because it's who I am. I'm a doctor working at Metro Emergency Room." I tell him.

"You're missing something out." He whispers as if he's listening to my lie.

"A few weeks ago, cops bring in three men. They were attacking some tourists. Apparently, a man in a black mask did something to stop them. Between them, nine broken bones, I counted them myself." I tell him, filling in the whole story.

"A few days after, EMTs bring in a 19-year-old waitress. Some creep waited for her, and when she yelled for someone to save her. A man in a black mask heard her." I continue.

"And he saved her life. So yeah, that's why I helped you." I sneer before looking at the man still tired up.

"And here I thought it was for my devilishly good looks. Listen Daeva, he's an assho-" He voices jokingly. I shake my head and look back at him.

"I do not want to help you do this. He an asshole, I get it! But I can't go to jail because I decided to help someone other than myself again. I need to finally look after me." I plead, my memories of my homeland filling my mind as I look the man in the mask in the face.

"You can't give into the fear. Because then...men like him, win." Maxim whispers as he starts to walk up to me.

"And they're going to win. They always win!" I speak loudly, tears striking my eyes. Maxim puts a hand on my shoulder, rubbing it slightly with his thumb.

"Not if you let them." He whispers, still full of hope of stopping them.

"You are so optimistic," I say under a low chuckle as I sniffle slightly, wiping my nose with my long zip-up sweater's sleeve.

"I think it's my faith." He tells me as he tilts his head to the side with a smirk.

"Shut up." I groan as I roll my eyes.

"You need to change so he doesn't recognize you. That is if you want to make a change in this city." He whispers into my ear before walking away, letting his hand fall off my shoulder.

I sigh and shake my head, not believing what I'm about to do.

"Fine. But don't think it's because of your 'devilishly good looks." I tell him as I make my way to the ladder, slowly climbing down to my apartment. Maxim follows behind me chuckling loudly at my response.

"Wouldn't dare to." He says with a low voice before grabbing onto one of my dark grey pillowcases in my bedroom, holding it up for me to see.

𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊

Y'all see what I did there. With the "devilishly" and "dare" *smirks*.

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Word Count: 727