(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]

He reaches across me to grab one bar and then does the same with the other. I squeeze the one on the right and the bike growls beneath me and I can't suppress the shiver that runs through my spine.

When he steps back, I carefully try to do as he'd instructed, lifting my feet off the ground, but not too far. I gradually loosen my hold on the left bar and squeeze the one on the right and the bike lurches beneath me, sending my stomach hurtling into my stomach before I quickly grab the front break which sends me jerking forward.

"Shit!" I'm laughing even as I say it, though, feeling a brand new rush of adrenaline as I reposition on the seat. "Okay, let's try that again."

[red_lazarus]

"Back brake," Jason repeats, but he's laughing, moved now to reach and check the strap on her helmet to see that it's tight.

"Ease into it. It doesn't take much to get it going."

[notliketherest]

"Back break," I echo, half laughing and half scowling as I nudge it with my foot, reminding myself of where it is.

I try again, releasing the one on the left slowly as I ease into the one on the right. And this time I'm prepared for the jerk, one feet grazing the the ground when I lean a little too much to one side. "Okay," I say again when I get up a good, slow pace. "Okay, yeah. I got this."

[red_lazarus]

"Looks good," says Jason, jogging alongside her, just in case she overbalances. There's nothing like the weight of an entire bike falling on you to make a bad crash worse, even at these speeds. "Now try taking a corner."

[notliketherest]

I'm tempted to squeeze my right hand a little tighter, just to see how fast he can run, but the potential of running myself into a building stops me.

Instead, I focus on the intersection only a dozen or so yards away and hunch forward. It's harder than I would've thought, my balance going shaky as I try to slow down, leaning a little too far to the left. "Whoa whoa whoa. Shit."

[red_lazarus]

Jason grabs the handle before it can tip, holding her upright a few more feet before he lets go again. “Try and relax,” he says. “I won't let you fall over, so just concentrate on finding your balance. Once you get it right, you won't forget.”

[notliketherest]

"Yeah, whatever you say," I tell him, but I don't fight it when he holds the bike upright and I squeeze the accelerator again.

I pull in a breathe and release it slow, thinking back to those stupid exercises my head doctor in District 13 tried to hammer into me. It actually works though, making it easier to focus on the way the bike rocks and sways as I figure out how to balance it out with my own body weight.

"I think- I think I've got it," I tell him. "Maybe."

[red_lazarus]

"Let's find out," Jason grins, because he thinks she does, too, already sitting straighter and more confident in the seat. Jerking his head at the next alley, he says, "Take a corner again."

[notliketherest]

"Just so you're aware, this will be the only time I ever let you tell me what to do." I'm grinning as I say it, but I mean it too, and I take another breath when he lets go, riding forward a few yards, focusing. The turn is definitely better this time, the bike wobbling only a little before I manage to find that balance again and I let out a whoop of victory when I reach the other side, punching my fist in the air as I slow the bike to a stop.

[red_lazarus]

"Looks good," Jason grins, more elated than he should be by one successful ride, but he can't help but smile as she punches the air.

"You'll be ramping shit in no time."

[notliketherest]

"Damn straight," I tell him, his smile only making mine grow wider. It feels a little weird, actually, to feel this happy. But, hell, I'll take it while it lasts.

"Give me a week or two and you'll be struggling to keep up. Promise you."