Present Day

They had told him part of his larynx had been severed. They had given him stitches but told him that their attempts to help him were only temporary; he would need a far more complex surgery. 

A total laryngectomy was usually used to treat advanced laryngeal cancer. The operation involved removing his entire larynx. That thought terrified Ravi. Not only was he supposed to get a stoma- a gaping hole- in his throat, he would have to have his vocal chords removed as well. They said there were ways of helping him speak again; communicating was a better word. Nobody could speak with no vocal chords but they were trying to be nice, he could tell, so he just sat and quietly listened. There was a mention of surgical voice restoration but that sounded complicated and a long process... and he wouldn't sound the same afterwards. 

His career was over. He wasn't good for anything anymore. His life, everything he had worked for... Gone. 

Looking down, he kicked a stone across the pavement, watching as it skidded along the pavement and into the road. He just wanted to scream. He wanted to just throw his head back and feel all the anger and pain he was feeling tear themselves from his throat. He was soaked through from the rain, it making small murky pools on the ground and even soaking through his boots. 

However, when he looked up, he found his eyes becoming glued to the top of one of the many skyscrapers in the area. A sudden feeling of serenity washed through him and he look down again, raising his hand to his neck. He suddenly found himself aware of every movement around him- the odd person walking past, a car or two. He shivered, glancing up again.

His company building... How appropriate.

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He pushed the steel door open, gasping at the numbingly cold gust of wind that hit his face and bare arms. It had stopped raining just before he had entered the building, leaving large puddles everywhere .He had discarded his jacket on the street; pretty soon he wouldn't need it anyway. He stepped out onto the rooftop, feet crunching on the gravel as he made his way to the edge, keeping his gaze downcast. Part of him, the rational part, couldn't believe he had even contemplated this. He had his family, his freinds... but his work was what he lived for. He couldn't go on without it- it was like losing a part of himself. 

It was only when he heard a small shuffling did he look up. 

He couldn't hold back a loud gasp at what he saw.

It was a man. 

His arms were outspread wide and his head was tipped back slightly as the wind blew the thick, black fabric of his coat around wildly. He looked more like a bird than a man from where Ravi was stood. His stunned eyes trailed down the man's body, stopping when he spotted his toes hanging dangerously off the edge of the roof. Oh...

Ravi looked around and cleared his throat awkwardly. He didn't want to interrupt if he was going to... you know. But he couldn't just watch without the guy knowing- that was a little creepy, wasn't it. After a few moments, he took a deep breath. "E- Excuse me?"

The man whipped around with a startled squeak, stumbling slightly to keep from plumeting over the side. "What?!" He snapped as he spun round, an agitated frown twisting his pale features. Ravi had to admit, he was handsome, if a little gaunt looking. His dark hair hung in trails round his chiselled, pale face, h