Red Hood: You Only Die Twice (ON HOLD)

Chapter 14: The morning after

Jason awoke at 2 am to the sound of his moblie phone loudly vibrating on the familar side table, it's pale blue light illuminating Katherine's bedroom slightly. Stirring in the sheet, his naked body stretched before cracking one of his eyelids open. With a groan, he lazily reached over for it. Without bothering to check who it was, his thumb slid across the answer button and placed it to his ear. 

"Hello" He groaned quietly, hoping not to wake up Katherine as she shifted under the crisp sheets. Clearly the sound of the burner phone had not awoken her but she was close to if he made any other loud noise. 

"Jason, where are you?" Bruce's dark voice robotically slipped through the phone and into Jason's ear. Jason's eyes glanced over to Katherine's naked spine, her ribs gently rising and falling. He couldn't help but smile to himself at the sight of her, even with the scars that reflected his own. Though her's saw a few years of aging, his was at the stage of almost fading. 

"Guard duty, why?" he answered, turning back on to his side. His icy blue eyes focusing on the bare brick wall, with his free hand, he scratch the flesh above his brow. 

"Are you alone? We need to talk." These word woke Jason up completely. The sleep in his brain instantly clicked away. He leaned up, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. Shifting his side of the duvet out of the way, his bare feet a inches away from his discarded clothing and armour.  The cold floorboards making the layer of skin on his soles turn to ice. 

"What's up?" He asked as calmly and as quietly as he could. Hoping this sudden serious tone wasn't too loud. His grip on the phone tighening. 

"It's the Joker....it seems that he knows who Katherine is and it's possible that he knows where she lives." Bruce explained. Jason's heart sunk to the pit of his stomach. His whole body tensed up. 

"What?" he muttered out slowly "How?"

"I'm not sure, but there's a leak in the Gotham City Hospital. It's how he found her the first time."

Jason cursed aloud. His free hand pushing back the pale white streak in his hair, thoughts rushed through his head at 100 miles per hour. Each one wanting to force their way out from his throar. Where them coming for her? Do they know he was there? Was she safe?

"How long do I have?" Jason asked. 

"I don't know." Bruce said, the whole conversation his tone stayed at that calm, flat, monotone pitch. As if he was completely unphased by the whole situation. "Best case scenarino, 12 hours. Worse, 3 hours"

"I taking her back with me now. She's not staying here anymore."

Bruce went silent for a momment "I'll see you soon." he said finally before abruptly hanging up. Wasting no time, Jason practically slammed the phone down. He turned to Katherine, his hand gripping onto her skinny upper arm.  She sharply breathed in through her nose, slightly paniced. Her wide eyes, her whole body tensed up as if ready to fight back. Upon seeing it was just Jason, her muscles relaxed down onto the matress. 

"Jason? What's the matter?" She asked, her voice almost like a whisper. Her free hand tenderly rubbed her under eye in hopes of waking herself up. 

"We need to go." he said sharply. She sleepily frowned, she stared for a momment. Her tired brain trying to process all the information that she was told. 

"What why?"She leaned up on her elbows. 

"It's not safe anymore. I'm getting you out of here"

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As I slipped on a plain white t-shirt, I walked out into the open longue area. My eyes scanned for Jason as I lazily buttoned up my jeans, stepping into the unlit kitchen, I could just see Jason standing on the fire escape ledge. His armour completely on display in the moonlight. Despite still being barefoot I wormed my  way out through the still open window. He sharply turned his head to me as the fire escape rattled quietly under him. 

"What are you doing out here?" I asked. My skinny arms coiling around my waist, the cold winter air biting at the pale strips of scars.  Jason glanced back a me but quickly turned back to adjusting his utility belt. 

"Getting ready to leave" He said, it was more of a statement than a order. I frowned. 

"From the balcony?" I stuttered out, Jason slowly turned to me from over his broad shoulder. 

"Yeah." He said simply. "Grappling hook should be able to take us there."

I blinked, shocked. "Now? I haven't packed anything." I said, he didn't turn back to me he simply turned his attention to the arm guards. This perked his ears, he turned to me with a expression that clear read 'seriously?'. 

"We have no time for that." He turned on his heel towards me, as if the ledge ment nothing to him.

"but-" I began, my voice sounding like a child whinning but Jason cut me off. 

"No buts." Reaching down to me, he offered his gloved hand. "Come on." 

"What? You crazy?" I snapped sarcasically. My eyes wide in shock. "You're seriously wanting me to jump off of a building with you"

"Crazy? maybe. Wanting you to jump with me? Yes. Incrediably handsome genius? Most defiently." he joked. He wore a prideful smirk at his remark but my anxiety had stopped me from wearing any expression other than an unamused look.  "Come on.... it's the quickest way to get you to the safe house" he explained. The quickest way to Wayne Manor. I nervously glanced around the thick railing. It would be thick enough and strong enough to hold us both but i still didn't want to stand on it. 

"Do i have to?" I whined. His hand still lingered where it was, just waiting for me to take it. There was no way of avoiding this. I sighed bitterly. "If you drop me, I will drag you to hell with me". 

"I'm already going to hell." He joked "Won't make a difference if I 'accidently' drop you a couple of time". I shot him a playful glare, he was finding too much asumement out of this. Bititing my bottom lip, I tapped my foot nervously. Catiously, I took his hand. Pulling myself up, my legs instantly started to shake. Jason held me by elbows in an attempt to stablise me but it did little to silence my fear. The freezeing stale metal felt like needles stabbing into my bare soles. I dared to peer over the ledge, the height of my apartment seemed to be alot taller than I had remembered. "Okay, I'm going to need you to hang on here" He said, his head nodding down to his chest. nodding to myself I hooked one arm over his broad shoulder and the other under his arm. My hands clasping onto one another on his back, my chest pressed against his as his right hand grippied onto my hip. I tried to squint through the heavy wind blowng against my face, the freezeing tempature almost completely blinding me. My nails dug deep into the leather of his jacker as our feet reached the edge. The height building sickingly calling me down to the side walk.  I could just hear Jason snicker at me, i sharply turned my attention up at Jason. My eyebrow arched. 

"What?" I asked. I could see his familar sly smirk riding up his lips. 

"Nothing." He said, his dark voice dripping with a layer of ego. "Just never seen you cling on to me so tightly." 

"Don't flatter yourself." I lied " I'm not scared Jason". Jason stretched out his left arm out, with a quick clench of his fist a grappling hook shot out. Within a matter of seconds it had landed and struck a building somewhere out of sight. 

"You're going to regret saying that." He said followed by a dark chuckle, as if trying to scare me, Jason sharply stepped off the edge before I could say anything more. Gravity harshly pulled us down to earth. My whole body instinctively grabbed onto Jason as tightly as I could, my nails tingeing with pain as I gripped onto his cold leather jacket. I couldn't help but let out a loud scream, my head falling under his chin. Jason was calmly silent as he focused on grappling us through the city streets. My  eyes instinctivley snapped shut, as the ground came closer. If it wasn't for Jason my body would be dragged like a rag doll in the wind. My hair blew away from my face, swinging at 100 miles per hour. Jason retracted the grappling hook, as we were free falling he shot it out again. I felt a sharp yank from my waist as the grappling hook pulled us upwards. Pulling us up to the top of a skyscraper to make a giant leap over the loud streets.