The second half of the second chapter!

A yawn broke free of Ash’s mouth, emitting a drowsy blast of breath into the wind. Though the sirens Ash had heard half an hour ago excited him briefly, his sleep deprivation was kicking in. The same roofs, windows, stairs, and streetlights began blurring together into a slurry of colorful spots. The chatter of the police radio was turning into a staticky buzz, a starting and stopping of chirps akin to morse code. Twice now, Ash caught his head nodding into his lap. The city ambience was just so peaceful now, and his body felt warm and still.

All of a sudden, the blast of a new siren rang out, startling him out of his stupor. Ash jerked up in his seat, gripping the armrests. The wail filled the street, echoing up to his balcony. Ash stood slowly and looked over the railing. He saw the flashing lights approaching up the avenue.

“This could be it!” Ash squeaked. He gave the grayish-black sky a glance out of instinct, then set about gathering his materials.

A fingertip of flame spurted from his lighter with a few squeezes of the trigger, and Ash grabbed two sparklers, then set them alight. Two small fireworks burst from the tips, scattering shrapnels of light in every direction. Ash raised them above his head and began to wave them about, as though he was guiding a plane down the runway. His eyes traced the rooftops again. He had six sparklers left, though he prayed he wouldn’t need them.

…

Brooke didn’t know how to feel when she saw the sparklers gleaming below. Once again, her resolve and dedication to heroism was being tested. This latest crime was a mere block away from Ash’s apartment, and she couldn’t ignore his signals again. Not in good conscience, anyway.

Landing on a nearby roof, she looked out over the street to find several police cruisers parked outside of a modern apartment building, its face awash with blinking red and blue lights. To her slight disappointment, it seemed she was late to the crime, as the police gathered outside were already leading a figure in handcuffs away from the building. They pushed the suspect into the back of a cruiser, and without incident it rolled away from the crime scene.

Brooke pursed her lips. Now she truly had no excuse.

It seemed even the criminals tonight wanted her near Ash’s balcony and without obligations. She glanced at the apartment across the street one more time, making ABSOLUTELY certain she was not needed. With a sigh of what felt like relief, she jumped several hundred feet into the air.

The wind roared in her ears as she leaned backwards, flipping upside down at the peak of her leap. Below, the city was a switchboard of lights, and Brooke scanned the lines of glowing dots for her target. After a moment she spied Ash, still waving his sparklers about. Steering through the air, Brooke positioned herself directly above his balcony before flipping again. She held her arms out against the wind, slowing to a steady glide and readying to land.

“Just a minute more,” she whispered internally. Just a minute of gliding and they’d be together again.

As she finished her thought, however, the two sparkling lights went out. Brooke squinted a bit at the now darkened balcony, and from what she could make out, Ash appeared to be packing up! He was reaching for his equipment now, tucking whatever he could under the arms of his bright red coat and fitting the rest into his hands. Brooke still had a hundred feet left to glide, and she didn’t want him to go inside without seeing her.

“Gotta pick up the pace,” she panicked, dropping her arms back to her side. The wind grew quiet around her for just a second, then whooshed and rushed again as she picked up speed. The balcony was growing ever closer now, larger and larger beneath her feet as she approached. She was so close now, she could practically make out the used up sparklers strewn across the balcony table.

…

KA-THUMP!

“Jesus!” Ash cried out as his heart nearly leapt out his throat. His arms flew up to cover his head, flinging his equipment everywhere. Ash whirled around to see the Night Hawk kneeling before him, one of her fists pressed into the floor.

“Owwww…” He heard her groan. The Night Hawk rose to her feet slowly, rubbing her knees.

“That’s the last time I try a superhero landing,” She grunted, reaching her full height. “Absolute hell on the knees.” She stepped forward, revealing more of herself in the dim aura of the streetlights.

Ash caught himself gawking. Here she was. Just as he’d hoped. He didn’t know what to say; all he could do was stare.

She was taller than he remembered, beating his height by a few inches. Other than that, however, she appeared the same as before. She still wore only jet black clothing and a black mask, contrasted by her blonde hair. Her very presence exuded a kind of power and magic that could only come with her legendary status as a hero.

Not one to stand by and wait, Brooke spoke first.

“Good evening,” she said, trying to make her voice sound normal and deeper at once, achieving neither.

Ash gathered himself with little success. “You came,” he said.

Brooke didn’t really know where to go from here. “Indeed,” she stated.

An awkward moment passed.

Unfortunately, Ash’s fatigue began to surpass his excitement, and he could feel it slowly pulling him out of the present. He discreetly pinched his thigh to stay awake.

“I have something for you,” Ash said before yawning.

“Please,” he waved a finger to the Night Hawk and beckoned her into his apartment. “Follow me.”

Wordlessly, she entered.

…

In the darkness, she could make out very little of Ash’s room. The vague outlines of dressers and doors shone in the streetlight, but only the bed was fully illuminated by the world outside.

It was a modest, queen-sized bed, its covers neatly folded and tucked in. Ash’s body obscured his gift, though.

He spoke softly. “I made this on my own time at the boutique. It took me about twelve hours, I think.” He lightly chuckled.

He turned and stepped aside. “I hope you like it.”

She could see it clearly now: A costume made from the darkest of fabrics, a silhouette visible amongst the shadows of the room. She pinched a bit of fabric on the sleeve, noting its surprising thickness. Squeezing it, she could feel the resistance of some kind of armor plate. Brooke pressed her palm into the chest and felt a similar sensation. This wasn’t some skin-tight spandex. Ash had created an outfit for stealth and protection.

A glint on the chest piece caught her eye, and she ran a finger over it. Just barely visible in the dark, she could make out a circular symbol: A front-facing hawk flying beneath what could only be a moon.

As soon as Brooke found the words to express her gratitude, she turned back, only to find Ash asleep on a nearby chair.

With a small laugh, she wordlessly walked over to his slumped figure and lifted him. Gently, Brooke put Ash to bed.

“I’ll thank him in the morning,” she smiled.