Revenge (Batfamily) - Sequel to Brother In Arms

Chapter 22 ~ Everybody's Fool

Kyle couldn't sleep. He had been turning around in the bed, trying hard to find the perfect position without waking up Emily, but sleep seemed determined not to come to him. He laid there in the dark, feeling extremely uncomfortable on the too soft new mattress, and tried to close his eyes to force sleep to take him.

But to no avail.

He sighed, raked his hand in his hair, and tossed the blanket away from him. He sat up on the bed and envied Emily for being able to sleep so soundly. Kyle sighed. Wearing only the bottom of his pyjama, he walked out of the bedroom, silently closed the door behind him and headed to the small, empty looking, living room. He cringed at the sight of the sofa, deciding to sit instead on the wooden dining chair.

He listened to the noise around him. The City That Never Sleeps truly lived up to its name. Gotham was somehow a bit like that as well. There was always something happening. Police sirens would always be a part of the background noise, as if the city was trying to remind itself that it was alive.

Kyle wondered what kind of catastrophe had potentially occurred in Gotham during the day. He couldn't help it and reached for the backpack he had abandoned next to the entrance door. He pulled out his laptop and turned it on. Kyle looked up the news of the day for Gotham and was almost disappointed to see nothing major had happened. It was almost worrying, as if the city itself was holding its breath in anticipation of something terrible coming its way.

Sighing, he violently closed the laptop. Nala appeared from behind the couch and padded up to him. She sat down in front of him. "Can't sleep either?" Kyle outstretched his hand and Nala took one step forward to let him pet her. She sat down again. "Yeah, neither can I." Nala cocked her head to the side. She closed her eyes as he caressed her. However, after a few minutes of silence, she got up and jumped on the couch. She stared at Kyle once again, as if expecting him to come next to her.

So, with a smile, he did.

The leather squeaked loudly as he sat down. It was cold against his skin and Kyle truly regretted not having a t-shirt on at that moment. He hated that couch. It was too stiff and he missed the one at his and Jason's apartment. It may have been old and a little bit worn, but it was comfortable and he didn't feel like he would slip off it at any moment because of how slippery the leather was.

Kyle imagined being at the apartment he and Jason shared. He liked it there. It truly felt like his home. Jason wasn't a bad roommate to have, mainly because he wasn't often there. Between being Red Hood and having to travel around the country for various reasons, Kyle was often alone at their apartment. He enjoyed being alone, that was true, but he also liked it when Jason was there. Jason had a presence, a stature that instantly called for respect no matter what. Kyle liked observing the easy way Jason could communicate with other people. Jason was also extremely tidy. Nothing was out of place, but it wasn't like the apartment Kyle was currently in.

"Goddammit, I'm on break and all I can think about is Gotham," Kyle muttered under his breath. One week suddenly felt like a long time to take his decision.

***

"Who the fuck is Jill?" Emily screamed, startling Kyle awake. He hadn't planned on falling asleep on the stupid couch, but he had. Confused, he blinked a few times.

"What?"

Emily held Kyle's phone in her hand, the screen lit on and turned towards him. "I said, who the fuck is JILL?" Kyle quickly glanced at the phone in his girlfriend's hand. There was a text, rather long, underneath the last one he had seen the night before. Emily was furious. Her hand was shaking, her nostrils flared. She looked like she was about to explode.