(no subject)

[red_lazarus]

She lives in the same building he'd been assigned.

Jason doesn't sleep there. And apart from the first time he'd entered his supposed apartment in the dead of night, Jason's not been back. So far no harm has befallen the people who have chosen to accept their home, but that's no reason to trust that will always be the case.

Parking her bike in the alley, Jason frowns.

She only lives on the second floor. Jason wonders if she likes that. Himself, he'd have chosen higher. The more removed from the streets she is, the safer she'll be, but then, she seems like the kind of girl to figure that out.

He doesn't need a batline to reach the fire escape outside her window, and Jason jumps neatly up, crouched in silence and peering into her empty living room. He knows he saw her go inside...

Hand raised, Jason knocks against the glass.

Comments

[notliketherest]

No part of this place has gotten any less weird since the minute we all arrived. The whole city is still largely empty even though more people keep steadily trickling in, not a one of them having any bigger clue than the rest of us. It feels like we're all just... waiting. But what for, I don't know. I don't think anyone does.

I'm in my own apartment for the third night in a row. I didn't choose it, just got a key for the place that first day. It's at least a little more colorful than the room I got in District 13 and the bed is more comfortable. Not that I've slept in it much.

More than anything, I feel restless. The apartment comes with a television and a computer, both of which look like ancient pieces of shit and neither of which work particularly well in terms of entertainment. Inspired by Triangle, I did at least manage to find some books the other day. So that's what I'm doing now, sitting on the bland couch and trying to read, something I haven't really done in years now that I think about it.

A knock at my window nearly makes me piss my pants, but pure instinct has me grabbing the axe I have on the pillow and taking aim, stopping short only when I see the familiar, masked face on the other side.

"Jason?"

I can't believe I actually remember his name.

[red_lazarus]

Jason's head cocks, expression registering faint approval for the ax. At least she's staying fucking prepared. He rocks back on his heels, but doesn't otherwise move.

"I brought your bike," he says by way of greeting. "It took longer than I thought."

[notliketherest]

My heart is still lodged somewhere halfway to my throat and I'm tempted to throw the axe at his head just for the hell of it.

But then I'd have to replace the glass or find a new apartment, I guess.

I glare at him instead, kicking the book aside as I get to my feet, axe still in hand. "You can't use the door like a normal person?"

[red_lazarus]

Resisting the urge to pick the window latch himself, Jason frowns, considering that. "This was faster." He aims a look down to the ground below.

"And it's a straight shot down to the alley where your bike is. You can see it from here if you want."

[notliketherest]

It's irritating how much sense that actually makes and I let my lips curl into a frown as I walk to the window. "This isn't a trap, is it? Because, I swear, weird Red-Hood-Mask-Boy-Whatever, I will chop your nuts off so fast if you even think about laying a hand on me."

[red_lazarus]

Despite the fact that she's joking - at least, he thinks, - Jason recoils, curling protectively inward. "It's just a bike," he says. "It's powerful, but quiet, that's why it took so long. I can leave if you want." Jason shrugs. "Let you check it out by yourself."

[notliketherest]

Something about the way he physically flinches is both a relief and... I don't know. Something else. I think I actually feel bad, which doesn't make any sense. Because it could be a trap, I feel like this whole place is exactly that most of the time.

And I really didn't expect him to actually get me a bike.

Slowly, I relax a little. I even lower the axe, though I don't let it go - not that stupid. And then I take a step closer and flip open the latch on the window, push it open to peer out, my eyes widening when I see that he's not actually lying. There's a bike down there.

"Where did you find that?"

[red_lazarus]

"There's a lot of abandoned vehicles," says Jason, back pressed to the rails and giving her the space she seems to need. "Took some time to find one your size, and I scavenged for while, getting parts."

Jason's gaze drops downward. "She's quiet. If you wanted to, you could drive her a block close and still be silent."

[notliketherest]

It doesn't look as fancy as the one he'd been writing that day I found him, but it still looks pretty amazing. And it's not pink or sparkly or anything, which is a bonus.

"I really didn't think you were serious," I say, looking over at him where he's pressed against the rails. Then, smirking a little, I add, "Do you find bikes for all your girls?"

[red_lazarus]

Jason can't quite read her smile, though he doesn't think it's unfriendly. "I don't have any girls," he says, brow drawing together. He doesn't understand that anymore than he understands why he wouldn't have been serious, and his hand draws upwards, tracing over the newly formed scar.

[notliketherest]

In the Capitol, gifts are never really gifts. Not even the ones we get in the Arena most of the time. They all come with price tags you just don't know about until later. With interest due.

But we're not in the Capitol anymore (I don't think; sometimes I can still go either way on that) and this isn't a gift. This is his payment to me.

My eyes are drawn to the scar on his neck as he touches it. Looks like it's healing okay and I mentally congratulate myself on a job well done. Prim would be proud.

"Well, maybe if you ever took that stupid mask off, you would. Or do you go for boys?"

[red_lazarus]

Taking her meaning all at once, Jason gapes at her beneath his domino. "I - " he says and stops, because he's never had room for it, had time for it between all his plotting and goals. The one night he'd spent with Talia had been because she made him slow down just long enough, gave him a new mission and then she -

She did things Jason doesn't like to think about. However much he'd enjoyed them at the time, remembering always leaves him aching and confused, wanting something he has no idea how to get.

"I don't know," he says, beginning to color before he flips right off of the railing. Landing next to her bike, he calls, "I need to show you a few things."

[notliketherest]

The way his mouth drops open and his eyes go wide behind that mask is fucking priceless and I can't help grinning at his stuttered, fumbling response.

I watch him jump to the ground like a damn acrobat before shoving the window open the rest of the way and peering down. "Hey!" I call down to him. "You gonna catch me if I jump?"

[red_lazarus]

It's like that movie, Jason thinks, looking up from below. Except it's a bike, not a horse, and she's not in a white dress and has a weapon.

"Only if you lose the ax," he calls back.

[notliketherest]

I actually consider it for half a second, estimating the distance between my window and the ground below. If he misses, I'll probably only break a bone or two, but I'm not giving up my axe.

Stairs it is.

"One minute," I yell down at him before I grab the keys to the apartment and head out, jogging down the few stairs to the main level and then outside. "Okay, hot shot. Show me," I say when I find him still standing below my window like a stalker.

[red_lazarus]

Producing the keys from his belt, Jason looks between them and Johanna. "You ever ridden before?" he asks, wondering how many of the basics he can skip. "A bike like this, or one you pedal?"

[notliketherest]

"Not like this," I tell him, remembering the few machines I handled before becoming a tribute. They weren't bikes, but I'm betting the idea is pretty similar.

Reaching out, I run my hand along the seat, testing the give of the leather. It's nice. And I still can't really believe it's mine.

[red_lazarus]

"It's a balance thing," says Jason. "It'd be easier if you'd've ridden a pedal bike," he adds, frowning. "You should probably take a ride with me, get used to the way you shift your weight so you don't fall over. And always wear pants, leather if you can find them. Road rash fucking sucks."

[notliketherest]

"So I shouldn't ride naked," I say, fighting a smirk. "Well then, what's the point?"

I'm kidding - mostly - but after seeing his reaction to my earlier remarks, I'm eager to see how he responds. I've always enjoyed fucking with people, and he just makes it so easy.

[red_lazarus]

"Getting places faster?" Jason ventures, but it comes out high and a little distracted, Jason's brain going places with that image before he has the presence of mind to stop it.

He shakes his head, trying to ignore the way the heat soaks up from his collar, and swings a leg over her bike. "C'mon."

[notliketherest]

Oh, well that is just adorable. Definitely worth it.

I don't miss the way his neck is a little pink as he climbs onto the bike and, for a second, I hesitate in joining him. He probably could've killed me that first night, even with blood pouring from his neck. But he didn't.

And I still have my axe.

Eying him warily for a second longer, I tuck the weapon into a pocket along my leg and then climb on behind him. "Well, isn't this intimate," I murmur, ignoring my own genuine anxiety as I settle my hands on his sides.

[red_lazarus]

It's strange to feel her settle behind him. Jason rides alone, he always has, but for a few short trips with Talia. The body at his back is unnerving, and for a moment, Jason wishes she'd left the ax.

The hum of the bike when he turns the ignition helps to steady him, the rumble of it soothing, and not nearly as loud as most. "Muffler's what took so long," he says, plucking the helmet that dangles from the handlebars and handing it to her. "I'll start slow. You want to lean into the turns, but not too much. Trust the bike. It wants to stay upright as much as you do."

[notliketherest]

The bike grumbles to life beneath us and I tense instinctively, gripping him a little tighter even if we're not going anywhere yet. I only let go to take the helmet he hands me, frowning at it for a second before putting it on. I'd ask if he needs one too, but I figure if we're going to crash, I rather it be his head that bursts like a melon than mine.

(I would feel bad, though. Might even miss him. A little.)

"Okay," I tell him, still more than a little unsure as I rest my hands on his sides again. It's an awkward position and I'm not entirely sure I like it, but it's better than him being behind me, at least. "Trust and lean. Got it."

[red_lazarus]

"It's only scary the first time," says Jason in a sudden burst of reassurance. "Promise. You, uh." He looks forward again, uncomfortable. "You probably want to hang on tighter, just for the first run. When you get used to it, you can ease up."

[notliketherest]

Somehow the uneasiness I can hear in his tone makes me feel a little better. Which is probably fucking stupid given that he's the one driving this damn thing, but I have the feeling it's not the bike that makes him nervous.

Doing as instructed, I lean in to wind my arms tighter around him, basically hugging him from behind. I can't remember the last time I hugged anyone much less someone who's basically a stranger.

"I'm not scared," I tell him and... well, it's mostly the truth.