Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The Wayne Family.

Every soul in Gotham has heard of their name. They run the city, behind closed doors and public ones as well. The police are well aware of their antics. Every hit they have ordered, every drug trade that has gone through the city of Gotham and every deal they have made. But as long as they were under their payroll, nothing would be done. Everything was hush hush.

Bruce Wayne; Heir to the Wayne family fortune, and everything that came with it. After his parents death, Bruce took on their legacy. Martha and Thomas Wayne seemed like your everyday rich socialites to your average joe. But everyone knew they ran the underground scene. Unlike his parents, Bruce didn’t marry. Instead, he adopted a few strays, and had a child out of wedlock.

Dick Grayson; The oldest of the four. He was the one that met with the public. He made sure their family was clean in the public eye. It was easy for him. All he had to do was charm a few people with his dashing smiles, and easy going personality. Dick loved the spotlight. It also helped that he was dating the police commissioner's daughter. Who would suspect that the Waynes were up to no good, when one of their own was about to marry into a family of well known cops.

Tim Drake; the second youngest. He was the brains behind it all. He never really left Wayne tower. Some of the employees swear he has a secret penthouse in the office. They rarely see him leave his desk. Well, except to go to The Cave. He made sure each drop was timely and was perfectly precise. With his cunning planning and perfect calculations, he made sure money constantly flowed through the Wayne family, both through legal LLCs in the daytime, and the underground trade at night.

Though everything was calculated and operated usually without a hitch, nothing is ever perfect.

Jason Todd; Bruce’s second adoptee. Ever since he was little, Bruce noticed Jason had a darker side to him. In order to keep his anger afoot, Bruce allowed Jason to handle all the “problems” the family sometimes had. Jason dealt with all the nosey do-gooder cops that would try, but always failed, to bring down the Waynes. He also dealt with the so-called canaries that would sing and brag about how much dope they were in charge of moving around for the notorious Wayne family. Jason had the dirtiest job of all the brothers, but he enjoyed it. He was nicknamed, Red, for obvious reasons.

Damian Wayne; Bruce Wayne’s true heir by blood. Damian was still a little too young to get into the game, but that didn’t stop him from watching his older brothers and learning the trade. He wasn’t much for the spotlight, and actual behind the scenes work bored him. So, he often followed Jason around the block, much to his dismay. One day, he would take over and sit in Bruce’s chair as owner of their club, “The Cave”.

Everyone knew who the Waynes were, but not everyone knew them on a personal level. Other than Dick, who was always in a newspaper or two, no one had really seen the boys. Bruce lived a somewhat reclusive life, only showing his face when necessary to prove Gotham’s underground King was still afoot.

So it wasn’t unusual for someone not to know they were in the presence of underground royalty.

**********

“I’m hungry.” Jason complained.

“Tch, not my fault you didn’t grab any of Pennyworth’s breakfast items when we left.” Damian scoffed. The two boys were returning from a “meeting” they had with a supplier. Bruce had forced Damian to go with Jason “learn” a thing or two. Which was Bruce's way of making sure Damian was staying out of trouble.

Jason perked up when a delightful smell flowed from a store ahead. Jason let his nose carry him to the entrance of a small bakery. They had a light up sign that said “Fresh Croissants”.

“Common, let’s go.” Jason said as he opened the door to the bakery. Damian followed unwillingly.

A small bell announced their arrival. The store was small, but it smelled delightful. The shelves were lined with rows upon rows of baked goods. They had everything from French baguettes, some delicious looking pastries with fruit and fresh cream. But what Jason truly wanted at that moment, was one of those croissants that the store was advertising in the front. Jason stepped over to the counter and rang the bell.

“Just a second!” A voice came from the back.

***********
You wiped your floury hands on the front of your apron as you made your way towards the front of the shop. You smiled at the man and young boy standing in front of the cash register.

You blushed when you noticed how good looking the taller man was. He was tall, and built like a house. He had a small white tuft of hair that seemed natural. You wondered how his hair ended up like that. His eyes were a deep blue, with a hint of green. You noticed a few scars lining his face, a normal occurrence when you grew up in the streets of Gotham. But this man clearly was not from the streets. His perfectly tailored suit told you that much. Regardless, the suit was doing wonders for your imagination. You loved a well put together man.

“Hi there. Sorry about that. What can I get you?” You said cheerily.

The man studied you for a second before opening his mouth. His eyes softened as your eyes met. She was cute, Jason had to admit to himself. Your y/e/c eyes looked at him with interest. You had a bit of flour on your cheek, which Jason thought was adorable given where you worked. It was a wonder he had never stepped into this store. The Cave was just a couple of blocks away.

“I-I, can we get four croissants to go?” He spluttered. Jason mentally face palmed. What was wrong with him?

You giggled at his reaction. “Yes of course. There’s a fresh batch in the oven, do you mind waiting a little? I promise they are worth it.” You said with a smile.

Jason nodded, while Damian rolled his eyes. “Yeah sure. We have time to kill.”

“Great! Just give me a few minutes and I'll have them right out to you.” You said preparing a box for the croissants later.

You started to do some prepwork behind the counter while Jason and Damian stepped to the side. Damian studied the pastries around him while Jason continued to watch you work.

“Take a picture, it will last longer.” Damian said loudly enough so that you could hear. He groaned, as Jason elbowed him in the stomach.

You blushed, but continued to go about your business. The sound of the bell at the door made you all look up. You tensed when you saw who was at the door, something Jason and Damian both noticed.

“H-hi can I help you?” You asked, clearly uncomfortable.

The man walked directly to the counter with a smirk. It was the last person you wanted to see today. His name was Randy, a dead beat cop who always came around every once in a while to ask you out. You had made it pretty clear that you weren’t really looking to date right now.

“Hey baby. Miss me?” He said with a grin.

“Can I get you anything?” You asked, mustering up some courage. He wouldn’t try anything in front of two strangers.

“Yeah, your number.”

“Randy, how many times do I have to say no.” You said taking a few steps back as he leaned over the counter.

“Then, I’ll keep asking until you do.”

“Can I get you anything? We don’t allow loitering, so you either buy something, or get out.” You said annoyed.

“I already asked. I would like your number.” He repeated.

“The lady said no.” Jason said, taking a step towards the man.

Randy turned around, ready to fight, but hesitated when he noticed Jason’s size. “Stay out of this, it’s none of your business.”

“It became my business when you walked into this store.” What the man didn’t know was that this part of town was specifically under Jason’s control. Cop or not, he would know soon enough.

Randy balled his hands up into fists. He couldn’t believe this man had the balls to talk to him like that.

You didn’t want any trouble. The owners of the bakery were very nice people and you didn’t want to have to clean up a mess if a fight started in the store. “Randy. Either buy something. Or get out!” You said angrier than you had ever before.

Jason raised his eyebrows. He was actually impressed. He backed off a little, crossing his arms to enjoy the show.

Randy sent a glare your way. He grabbed the nearest bag of bread next to him, and slammed it onto the table. You rang him up, and he threw a few bills and coins your way, before making his way out the door.

You sighed, and bent over to pick up the bills that fell onto the floor. You stood up to see Jason bending over to help you with another bill that fell in front of the counter.

“Thanks.” You said sadly.

Just then, the timer in the kitchen went off.

You jumped up happily. “The Croissants are ready!” You said as you dashed into the kitchen. After a minute or two, you came back with a tray of freshly baked croissants. You quickly put four of them into the box you prepared earlier, and added an extra two on top.

You handed the box to Jason. “Here you go! I added two extra ones as a thank you for standing up to Randy. He can be a lot sometimes.”

You didn’t know this, but Jason was already planning ways to make sure Randy never came by to bother you again.

“Thanks…” He said, looking for a name tag.

“Y/N.” You said with a smile.

“Thank you, Y/N.”

“You’re very welcome. I hope you enjoy them.”

Jason smiled back. Damian’s eyes widened a little as he was sure he had never seen Jason smile before. Sure Jason smirked, all the time, and he laughed while his enemies begged at his feet. But a real smile? Not in front of Damian at least. Jason and Damian left after saying goodbye.

“Close your mouth Todd, you're practically drooling.”

Jason ignored him. The smile never left his face as he thought about the cute girl at the bakery.

Chapter Text

The bell to the front door sounded, and your mood instantly shifted. Every day around this time, a certain tall, dark, and handsome man would come by and buy a couple of croissants. You smiled as you let your fantasies run wild for one second, imagining the handsome stranger whisking you away to a better place. You tried to push away the negative thoughts.

Mr Tall, Dark and Handsome was probably a taken man with your luck.

You weren’t really sure you would see him again after that incident with Randy. In fact, now that you thought about it, you never saw Randy again after that night. You wondered if he found another girl to harass. But it didn’t matter, he was out of your hair.

You quickly ran to the front to greet the customer, hoping it was your crush. You smiled when you saw the man with black hair and a white tuff. Jason was his name. You took a second to admire his suit. You were sure he was very well off. He always came in wearing a different suit, each of them specially tailored just for him. Probably some sort of finance man.

“Hi there.” You said cheerfully. “The usual?”

Jason looked up from his phone, where he was sending a quick message to his driver, and instantly smiled when he saw you. You still didn’t know that you were basically the only person he smiled for. You just assumed he was a nice man.

“Hey Doll. Of course. Can’t get enough of those croissants.”

Butterflies ran through your stomach as you tried your hardest not to blush when he called you Doll.

“Did you have a good day today?” You said making friendly conversation.

Jason tried his best to not flinch. He had just finished a semi intense interrogation with one of their suppliers. The team had intel that this man was feeding shipment info to the Falcones. He wasn’t exactly having the best day. But his mood always picked up when he saw the front of your shop.

“Eh, as good as can be. Can’t complain.” Jason said with a slight chuckle, he didn’t want to bring down the mood with his awful day. “And you?”

You gave a tired laugh.

“Nothing much! Just happy the day is almost over. It’s been pretty busy with the Holidays coming up soon. It will be really busy once Thanksgiving rolls around.”

“Got any plans?”

You shook your head, “No. My folks aren’t around anymore. So it’s just me.” You stopped yourself and looked down for a second. The Holidays were always a hard time, especially nowadays. Jason didn’t say another word.

You smiled, a way to distract yourself from your feelings. “It will be new years before we know it.”

Jason looked at you sadly. He kept quiet, not wanting to pry anymore today. He was secretly hoping that you would open up to him one day soon.

You finished ringing him up when you noticed a flash of red on his hand.

You gasped and pointed to his hand when you noticed it was a large cut. “Jason, you’re hurt.”

Jason’s eyes quickly shot to his hand. He chuckled nervously. There was a bit of glass that went flying when he threw the man into the mirror on the wall earlier. One of the shards must have nicked him. He couldn’t even feel the cut on his hand. His line of work tended to cause a lot of injuries to his body. Especially when they fought back. He had gotten used to the smaller wounds.

He pulled his hand away, trying to hide it. “Oh yeah, some glass broke while I was helping do some dishes at work today. Must’ve cut me and I didn’t even notice. It’s okay.”

You shook your head in disagreement. “No, it looks like it needs some medical attention. Wait here.” You said, quickly jogging into the main office. You turned on the lights and made your way into the back of the room. The red and white first aid kit sat in the corner. You picked it up with ease and made your way back to Jason.

You opened the door that allowed you into the front of the shop and ushered Jason to sit into one of the seats at the front.

“May I?” You asked, gesturing for him to give you his hand.

Jason hesitantly brought his hand up into yours. You examined it closely.

The cut wasn’t too deep. Luckily it wouldn't need any stitches. You turned away from his hand, still holding it in your left hand, and with your other hand, rifled through the first aid kit. After a few seconds you found what you were looking for.

You looked up at him. “This is going to sting a little.”

Jason nodded, merely focusing on how soft your hands were in his. He watched as you gently tore open the alcohol pad and slowly began to wipe it over his cut. He winced slightly, it hurt, but not nearly as much as his other wounds he had sustained over the years. Under his suit were more than a handful of scars from past jobs Bruce had him on. This scratch on his hand was merely another addition.

He looked up from his wound and watched you work. You were hyper focused on making sure everything was okay. After you cleaned the cut, you added some antiseptic to make sure the wound would heal fast. You finished up by gently wrapping up his hand in a fresh bandage.

“All done. It should heal within a few days. Just clean it once a day.”

Jason looked down at his hand, and then up at you. Your eyes met and you looked away once you realized he was staring, hoping you weren’t as red as you felt.

“Thank you.” He said in a gentle voice.

You quickly cleaned up the kit, and made your way back behind the counter after washing your hands. Jason watched you move around quickly, but gracefully. Jason stood up as you closed the lid to the box.

“Here you go. They were fresh when you walked in.” You said with a large grin.

Jason admired you for a second. He had come over a dozen times to see you. Yet every time he saw you, he still got butterflies in his stomach. No woman has ever done that to him before. Girls threw themselves at him constantly at the club. There was something about you he couldn’t shake.

“Thank you. And thank you for helping me with my hand.”

“Of course! Happy to help.” You said looking up at him once more. Your eyes met once again, and the world stood still for that one moment.

“Well I better get going.” Jason said, a hint of sadness in his voice. “I'll see you around.”

You smiled and waved him out the door. You looked down sadly, your favorite time of day over, when the door chime rang once again.

“Wel…” You began to say, when you noticed it was Jason. “Jason, did you forget something?”

“Uh no. There was actually something.. Something I wanted to ask you.” He said, nervously.

You didn’t notice as your heart began to beat faster and faster. Did you cross the line today? Was this him coming in to tell you that he had a girlfriend and to stay away from him? The possibilities were endless. “What is it?” You asked, nervously.

Jason couldn’t believe he was doing this. He could count the number of times on one hand he had ever asked out a girl. That number was one, when he was hitting on Babs for fun when he was younger. He wasn’t even planning on doing this until he walked out the door. Maybe he should just tell her he changed his mind.

“I uh, I was wondering if you had any plans tomorrow night?” The words managed to slip out.

Your eyes widened, you were not expecting that. “Um, no. I work early tomorrow, so I should be done by five.”

Jason’s excitement grew, with that his confidence shot up. He had one of his men follow you around for a bit. He wanted to make sure you didn’t have a boyfriend or husband of some sort. He was relieved when his spy came back and gave him the good news that you were single. It actually came from your own mouth when he overheard you telling the bakery owner that you were “Sadly, going to be single forever.”

Still, even with that information, Jason was nervous.

“Would you want to go have dinner with me? There’s a new restaurant in the diamond district. I got invited to a pre-opening, and I have a plus one.” Jason held his breath waiting for your answer. Just 30 minutes ago he had a man begging for mercy at his feet. Right now, he felt like the tables were turned.

You weren’t sure if you heard what you thought you heard. Was this really happening? Maybe you were dreaming. But if you were, you didn’t want this dream to end. Your lips turned up into a smile as you nodded excitedly. “Yes. I would love to.”

The weight of the world seemed to just disappear off Jason's shoulder all at once. He could not be smiling any harder. The butterflies in his stomach were going crazy. “Alright. Cool. Um, do you live nearby? I can pick you up around seven. That should give you some time to go home and change.” He said as he pretended to not already know where you lived.

He was a Wayne. The Waynes knew everything and everyone in their neighborhood.

“Yeah, not too far. Just a ten minute walk.” You looked around the counter for a notepad. You reached for the large one near the register. You quickly wrote down your address and phone number. “Here.” You said handing it to Jason. You were blushing quite hard now.

Jason took the piece of paper with a wide grin on his face. “Okay, I'll see you tomorrow at seven.”

“Sounds good. See you then.” You waved Jason goodbye once more. Once he was out of sight, you pinched yourself to make sure you weren’t dreaming.

“Did that really just happen?” You mutter to yourself. Your mouth twisted up into a smile.

The smile on your face never faltered. Not as a rude customer threw a tantrum at the fact that you ran out of sweet cream horns two minutes before closing. Not as you spilled the leftover whipped cream all over the floor before locking up. Not as you walked home that night.

Jason, the handsome man you had been crushing on for weeks, just asked you out on a date. Nothing could tear you down. At least, for now.

Chapter Text

You were so excited about your date with Jason that the universe decided the day would go by as slow as possible. You looked up at the clock for what felt like the hundredth time that day: 3PM.

“What's the matter Honey? Why do you keep looking at the clock? Are you not feeling well?” The shop owner asked you.

You turned around to face her. Pam was her name. Her and her husband Jim owned the store. They were the nicest couple you had ever met. They made working easy.

“No! It’s just..” You blushed at the thought. Your parents weren’t around anymore, so Pam was like a mom to you.

“I have a date tonight. After work. I’m just excited, that's all.”

Pam’s face lit up, a large smile on her face. “Oh sweetie. Do you want to go home early? I can watch the shop for a little bit.”

“No, it’s fine. Time would go even slower than it already is if I went home now.”

Pam couldn’t stop smiling. She hadn’t seen you this excited over a date in a long time. “So tell me about him.”

*************
“Hey, Jaybird. I ate the last croissant you brought home yesterday. It was delicious by the way, where did you get them?” Dick said, a bit of mischief in his voice.

Jason got up from his seat on the couch, as Dick nonchalantly plopped down next to him. He walked to the bar car and began pouring himself a drink.

“No problem, I'll just go get some more tomorrow.” Jason said, without a care in his voice.

“You know, Carl told me about the job you had him do.” Jason tensed. Damn Carl and his big mouth. He knew he should have chosen someone else to do the job.

“I had him follow a girl that I thought might have some useful info. What about it?”

Dick smirked when he saw Jason rub the back of his head. It was his one tell. He knew there was something going on. “Oh is that so. Is that why you had him follow her around to see if she was single?”

Jason gripped the glass tightly. He was going to kill Carl.

“I needed to know if she was dating one of Roman’s crew. You know, for intel.”

“Mhm hmm.” Dick said sarcastically. “Is that also why you have been loading up on pastries everyday and paying a visit to said girl?”

Jason paused. Damn him. Dick had eyes everywhere. Jason wasn’t sure how he managed to do that.

“Does Jason Todd have a crush on the neighborhood baker?” Dick teased.

“Shut up. It’s none of your business.” Jason downed his drink, and turned to face Dick.

“If you say so.” Dick shrugged. “When can we meet her?” He asked.

Jason ignored his question and began to walk out the door.

“B wants to see you.” Dick said, right as Jason was going to slam the door in his face. “Says he has a job for you.”

**********

“Of all the days, why did it have to be this day?” Jason muttered angrily to himself.

After his encounter with Dick, Jason went upstairs to meet Bruce. Bruce told him to show up at one of their hideouts. Apparently, they had managed to finally get their hands on someone who had a lot of info on their rival gang, the Falcones. Bruce needed Jason to get some info out of the man. Jason told him that he would handle it in the morning, but Bruce insisted that it be tonight. Jason wasn’t quite ready to tell Bruce about your date, so he agreed.

He quickly texted you, letting you know that he would be a bit late to your date. But said you could wait for him at The Cave as it was closer to the restaurant.

You texted back, “No problem! It’s all good. I’ll be there. (:”

Jason sighed in relief. Just then, he felt the car come to a complete stop.

“Sir. We’re here.”

Jason sighed in annoyance. “Let’s get this over with.” He said, stepping out of the car and through the alley way.

*********
You had never really been down this part of town before. It was in the nicer part of Gotham. A richer area, which is likely why you never frequented this area. The Cave wasn’t hard to find, with the bright lights and multitude of fancy cars pulling up to the front. A number of well dressed men and women stepped out of those nice cars. You looked at all the fancy dresses and jewelry the women entering the bar had, and suddenly you felt very out of place.

You wore your fanciest dress. It wasn’t much, just a red dress with glitter. Being a baker at a small mom and pop bakery didn’t exactly pay very well. Your purse was old, just a knock off of a fancier brand. You were very hesitant to step into a place like that. A place where everyone was dressed to the nines.

You took a deep breath, and started to walk towards the door.

The man at the door greeted you. You could have swore you saw him around before. You had noticed people who arrived had to give a name, or show ID. So you reached into your purse to pull out your ID, but the man spoke first.

“Ms. Y/N. Welcome. Mr. Todd sends his condolences and said that he would be arriving as soon as possible. In the meantime, make yourself comfortable at the bar, and let us know if you need anything.” The man said, holding the door open for you.

You just looked at him in disbelief. How did this man know who you were? Did Jason tell him? You wondered for a moment how Jason was able to get all of this done so fast. He texted you only an hour ago. You thought it was odd, but quickly thanked him and walked through the door when you noticed a couple people behind you staring.

Your jaw dropped when you stepped through the large black door.

The outside of the building gave you no foreshadowing of the inside.. You felt like you had just traveled back in time. The entire bar reminded you of the speakeasies you saw in your school textbooks. The inside was dimly lit, the black walls plated with gold trimmings really brought a sense of mystery to the place. Each table was surrounded by velvet couches, chairs, and stools. On each table was a bat-like creature that served as an ashtray of sorts.

You looked up at the chandelier that filled the room with just enough light, a chandelier you knew cost more than your entire life. The people within the bar certainly matched the vibes. Men with tailored suits, with young women hanging off their arms, fake laughing at a joke they made as a waiter filled their champagne glasses. Everyone here was someone important, and you knew that instantly.

You turned and saw your reflection reflected back. You certainly did not look like the other young women in this bar. They were all covered in jewels that you would never be able to afford in your lifetime.

You kept your head down, not looking to draw any attention to yourself, and made your way towards the bar, hoping no one would pay any attention to the girl who was clearly out of place.

Even though you tried your hardest to make sure no one noticed you, one pair of eyes were instantly drawn to you.

“Do you see the girl that just sat down at the bar?” Dick said in a hushed whisper.

“Yeah, what about her?”

“That’s Y/N.”

“Wait what?!” Tim said, turning to face the bar.

You could feel a number of eyes on you. You wanted to wait outside, but you knew better than that. It was Gotham after all. You shivered slightly when a breeze came through as someone came into the club from the front door. You wrapped your arms around yourself as a man stood next to you. Even without looking at him, you knew he was watching you. You didn’t acknowledge his presence, but the man didn’t seem to care as you felt an arm wrap around your waist.

“Hey beautiful. You new around here? Never seen you before. You want a drink?” He said, leaning closer to you. You could smell the alcohol on his breath. This was clearly not the first bar he had been to tonight.

Just as you were about to say no, his arm was yanked off of your waist, and in an instant, the man was on the floor. He was clutching his face as if he was struck by something. You could see the bartender tense as he looked behind you.

“Get him out of here before Jason finds out.” A voice from behind you said.

Before the man even had a chance to get to his feet, a group of men grabbed him by each arm, and practically dragged him out of the club. They stopped as the younger boy who was with Jason the day you met, who Y/N noticed was standing by the entrance when she got here, raised his hand. The boy glared down at the man, before punching him hard in the face. You could hear the sickening crack echo through the room through the music.

The boy looked down at the now terrified man and said loud enough for you to hear, “You're lucky it was us and not him. Stay out of this neighborhood, or next time you will be leaving in a body bag.” As he finished his sentence, he gave the man another kick in his legs for good measure. You turned away as he looked over in your direction.

As you turned back, another man sat next to you. You noticed the bartender was unfazed by what just happened.

“Sorry about that. People like him normally don’t frequent The Cave.” A voice next to you said.

You turned to see a very handsome man sitting next to you. His hair was slightly long, but it was just long enough to frame his perfect features. His dashing blue eyes looked apologetic. He was wearing a blue tie that was tucked into his gray vest. There was not a wrinkle in sight.

“But don’t worry. We’ll take care of it. You’ll never see him again.” Another voice said from your left this time.

You turned to face a younger man. He was a tad bit shorter than the man on your opposite side, but he was still taller than you were. His hair was even longer, bangs framing his face nicely. He seemed a bit more nervous than the other man. His fit was more formal. He had on a full pinstripe suit with a red, a black striped tie, and a fedora.

You were about to open your mouth, when a woman’s voice broke the silence first.

“Wow, good thing the meeting ran long. Or we would have to close early again.”

“Yeah, if Jason saw that, we would have another mess on our hands.”

You turned around to see three girls behind you. There was a blonde who smiled mischievously at you, a girl with short pixie hair that eyed you suspiciously, and the girl in the middle in a wheelchair who smiled at you like she knew you.

It was at this moment that you realized you were surrounded by a group of people who seemed to know exactly who you were.

The loud slam of a door near the back of the bar brought all of the eyes that were previously on you, to the tall figure who slammed said door. His eyes quickly scanned the room, and his shoulders relaxed when his eyes landed on you.

In a few quick strides, he was next to you. You suddenly realized, the group of young men and women surrounding you were now all sitting together on the opposite side of the room.

“I’m so sorry Y/N.” He said, slightly out of breath. Jason’s hair was a tiny bit disheveled and his tie was undone. He looked down at the floor and noticed a few tiny blood spatters on the floor. His gaze floated over to where Damian was standing. Damian scoffed, and walked towards the table with the rest of the gang.

You smiled as you hopped off the barstool. “No, it's fine! I get it. Work stuff.” You said, shaking your head with a laugh.

Jason’s mood instantly shifted as he saw your smile. “You ready?” He asked.

You nodded, and he wrapped his arms around your frame, and started to walk towards the private exit.

As you two made your way out of the club, Jason could feel eyes on him. He turned around to see his siblings all watching him with devious smiles. He merely glared at them, and opened the door for you both.

“She's cute.” Steph said.

“A bit out of his league yeah?” Tim asked.

“Common guys. Let him have this.” Dick said, trying his best to gain the group's attention. He tried his best to get the group's attention off of you and Jason. Dick knew Jason was always a private man. He was happy for him. He just hoped that you wouldn’t break his already broken heart.

Chapter Text

“I’m sorry I was late. Did you find the place okay?” Jason asked as you walked down a dark hallway. You could barely see in front of you, so you wrapped your hand around Jason’s wrist as he seemed to know where he was going, even in the pitch black. Jason could feel the blood rush to his face. He was suddenly grateful for the darkness.

“Yeah. It was no problem. I don’t really come out to this area, but it was easy enough to spot with all the fancy cars up front.” You willed your body to not trip over anything invisible.

Jason slowed down and opened another door to reveal a fancy black car sitting in front of it. If it were any other scenario, you would have had second thoughts about getting into a strange black car with a man you had only met a few weeks ago. But you felt safe with Jason.

The driver of the car quickly got out of the car and opened the back door for you. You thanked him, and stepped in. You knew Jason was well off, but you didn’t know exactly how well off he was. You turned to face Jason as he got in on the other side of the car.

“You hungry?” He asked as the car started moving.

“Starving. Where are we going?”

“La Grande.”

Your eyes widened at the name. La Grande was a restaurant that was the talk of the town for years now. People were talking about it for miles. The chef was renowned, and they only served around 20 tables a night. You were looking at possibly going as a group with some of your friends, but the price of each meal priced you all out. You knew it was opening soon, but didn’t realize it was tonight.

“Like the La Grande?” You asked in disbelief.

Jason nodded.

“How did you get a seat there? The wait is like 2 years out.” You said excitedly.

Jason smirks. The butterflies in your stomach flutter. “I know the owner.”

Your jaw nearly drops to the ground. Jason chuckles at your reaction. “He’s an old friend of the family. Loves the restaurant biz.”

You smile in excitement as the car speeds down the streets.

*********

Dinner service was in full swing when you arrived. It was nearly 8PM. Everyone was already on their fifth course. You were surprised when you were sat down by your host. Normally if you were an hour late to these kinds of restaurants, they wouldn’t serve you as it ruined the flow of the food coming out of the kitchen.

You looked around the restaurant in awe. The lighting was dim enough so you could still see the menu that was placed in front of you. You were seated in a more private area, away from prying eyes. The small corner table you were seated at was hidden towards the back of the restaurant. A red curtain separating you from the rest of the crowd. It was private enough so no one could hear you two talking, but the sound of a busy restaurant could still be heard from the outside.

You were so distracted by all the beautiful things around you, you didn’t notice Jason admiring you in awe.

You snapped back to reality when the waiter came by asking for your drink order. You weren’t really sure what to order, so you asked Jason to pick something.

“Your best red.” He merely said without looking at the waiter. The waiter nodded and was quickly off to fetch your drinks. Jason never kept his eyes off of you.

You turned to look at Jason. In your haste to get to the restaurant, you didn’t notice how absolutely handsome he looked tonight. His hair was disheveled, in a bad boy way. You had to resist running your hands through his soft locks. He was wearing a perfectly tailored suit as always. It was a dark red, so dark it was almost black. You could see his muscles underneath his suit when he moved around. You blushed at the thought of what was underneath all that fancy clothing.

“You look beautiful tonight.” He said, looking you in the eyes.

You were grateful for the dim lighting as you were sure you were as red as a tomato at this point.

“Thank you. Not so bad yourself.” You said as you ran your hand down his bicep.

Jason smiled and reached into his suit jacket to pull out a small, but long, box.

“I got you something. I saw it at a store today. I thought you would like it.” He said handing it to you.

You were a little shocked. First this fancy restaurant, then a gift? You couldn’t remember the last time someone treated you so nicely. You took it from him and thanked him. You opened the box and gasped softly. Inside was a beautiful gold bracelet with a single charm attached. The charm was shaped like a Croissant. You laughed as Jason grinned at your reaction.

“Jason!” You laughed. “This is the best thing ever.” You couldn’t stop laughing.

“Thought you would love it.” He said with a laugh. “Here, let me put it on for you.” You handed him the box and he put it on your wrist. You could feel the warmth from his hands as he fiddled with the clasp. Once it was on you brought it closer to your face to inspect it. You couldn’t help but giggle.

“You’re the best.”

Jason smirked. “I know.”

The rest of dinner went very smoothly. You learned that Jason was the adopted son of Bruce Wayne, a name every man, woman, and child in Gotham had heard of. You never knew he had children. You weren’t much for celebrity gossip. Once you learned just exactly where and how Jason got all his money, it all made sense.

It had been a while since you connected with someone like this.

You told him about Pam and Jim, the bakery owners and he told you about his day job managing the bar. He didn’t tell you about his actual job. It wasn’t something he liked to tell people about. He also wasn’t sure how you would feel about him once you found out what he and his entire family actually did for a living.

You ate and drank until you were nearly sick. You had never had a dinner so delicious before your entire life. Just as you were finishing up with dessert, a man with orange hair and two girls on each arm came up to you.

“Jason Todd. Glad you could make it.” He said taking his arms off the women to grab Jason’s shoulder. He quickly turned his attention to you once your eyes met.

“Hi there. I’m Roy.” He said, extending his hand out.

“I’m Y/N.” You said, extending your hand out to shake his. As you started to pull away, he held your hand gently, and bent down to place a soft kiss onto it. You blushed, as you pulled away.
You didn’t notice Jason roll his eyes in annoyance.

“Haven’t seen you around here before. How do you know Todd?” Jason nudged Roy in the ribs with his elbow. Roy merely laughed. He loved messing with Jason. He had been watching you two from the camera’s in the back. He knew you weren’t one of his usuals. Jason never bothered to even give the time of day to the women that Bruce made him go out with. It was obvious you weren't just some arm candy when he noticed Jason couldn’t stop smiling all throughout the night.

“I never thought I would be able to be here actually.” You said with a soft laugh.

“We were actually heading out. Thanks for the invite.” Jason said as he got up from his seat. He gave Roy a quick one armed hug. He turned to you and reached out his arm to help you stand up.

“My pleasure bro. Come back anytime. Always have a table for you and your lady.” He said as he wrapped his arms around the two women he came with and started to walk away. “Nice to meet you Y/N.” He said loudly as he walked away to greet other customers.

You followed Jason closely out of the restaurant. He gently placed his hand on your lower back as he led you through the door. The car was parked right outside the entrance. As soon as Jason’s driver noticed you two, he opened the door for you to step in. You quickly climbed in, and to your surprise, there was a huge bouquet of red roses sitting in the middle seat. Jason climbed in on the other side and picked them up, pushing them towards you.

“For you, as an apology for being late.”

“You didn’t have to.” You said, admiring the beautiful red roses in front of you. You looked at Jason lovingly. Jason’s heart skipped a beat. He had never felt this way about anyone before.

The car ride was relatively quiet. You were a little bit tipsy, so you tried your best not to embarrass yourself in front of Jason. Before you knew it, you were in front of your apartment. Being the gentleman that he was, Jason walked you all the way to your front door.

You pulled the keys out from your bag and opened the door. “Do you want to come in for a bit?” You asked, a part of you not wanting the night to end.

Jason nodded, secretly happy you asked him to stay.

Jason stepped through the small apartment door. He followed you closely, still holding the large bouquet of flowers he had Charles pick up while you two were eating dinner. You stopped in front of a small blue couch. You leaned against the arm and took off your heels, stretching out your legs as the relief was instant. You stepped forward and turned on the lights.

Your apartment was a small one bedroom. The living room looked unused. You were often working, so you never really had time to enjoy yourself at home. You took the flowers from him and went to the kitchen to find something to put them in.

“Make yourself at home. It’s not much, but it’s home.”

Jason looked around. Your entire apartment could fit inside one of the manor’s bathrooms. The couch took up a majority of the living room, and he quickly noticed you didn’t have a television. Instead, in front of the couch was a table, with a laptop sitting on top, and next to it was a large bookcase with an array of books. Jason took interest immediately.

“Jane Austen?”

You looked at him from the kitchen with a smirk. “Of course.”

Jason nodded in approval and continued to look at your collection.

You suddenly started to feel very nervous. Throughout the night, you were so enamored by the food and where you were, you forgot about what Jason had told you that night.

He was a Wayne.

Suddenly your tiny apartment felt 100 times smaller. Jason was probably used to huge penthouses and mansions. You instantly felt very self conscious of everything you owned. You still couldn’t believe someone like him wanted anything to do with someone like you.

“Sorry.” You said out of nowhere. “You’re probably used to much fancier places.”

You paused and looked up to see Jason was on your couch. Sitting down, with an open book. He had taken off his suit jacket and it was currently draped on the arms of the couch. It was strange, but it looked like he felt right at home. You watched him for a little bit, until he looked up and met your eyes.

“Have you finished this one yet?” He asked, holding up the newest book you had just bought.

“Not yet. I got through the first chapter and haven’t gotten around to it.” You put the flowers into a large vase, and made your way back to Jason. You took a seat next to him and leaned into him, peering at the page he was on, the alcohol in your system calming your nerves slightly. “Have you read this one?”

Jason nodded. “A little while back. It’s a good one.” He said, turning slightly to look at you. Your eyes met, and the butterflies fluttered once more. Just as you were about to open your mouth to ask if he wanted another drink, Jason’s phone went off.

Jason sighed in annoyance. He had a special ringtone for Bruce so he knew he couldn’t just ignore this one. “I'm sorry.” he said, as he pulled his phone from his pocket and stood up to take the call.

You watched him pace around your tiny living room. You tried not to eavesdrop, so you looked down at the book Jason had picked up and started to read a few lines. He was only on the call for less than a minute. But you knew the night was over when he looked at you sadly.

“I’m sorry.” He said with a sigh. “There are some issues back at the bar and they need me.”

“It’s okay.” You said with a small smile. You walked him to your door and opened the door for him.

Jason stopped in front of your doorway to turn around and look at you. “I had fun tonight. Do you want to do it again sometime soon? I promise not to be late this time.”

You blushed, and looked up at him, leaning against the doorway. He towered over you now that you weren’t wearing heels anymore. “I would love to. And thank you for the bracelet and the flowers. And of course for dinner too. I can’t wait to tell the owners of the shop tomorrow!” You said excitedly. You tiptoed up and pressed a quick kiss onto Jason’s cheek. You looked up at him with a happy grin.

He smiled, and leaned down to press a real kiss onto your lips. You of course, kissed back. It was quick, but nice. He tasted like peppermint.

You leaned against the doorway as you waved him goodbye. You watched as he disappeared down the hallway before you closed your door and leaned back against it.

If this was all a dream, you hoped it would never end.

Chapter Text

“What time does your shift end today?” Jason asked through the speaker phone.

You were currently in the back working on getting the cupcakes prepped for the morning rush.

After your first date, things started moving pretty quickly with Jason. You found it hard to believe as you rarely let anyone in so easily. You were known to dump men who were super pushy in your relationships. With Jason however, everything felt natural. Instead of visiting you at work everyday, he now met you after work. He was always there to walk you home once your shift ended. You often wondered what his job entailed. You often had sporadic closing hours, so you were curious how he was able to step away from work so many days in a row. On the day’s where he was unable to walk you home, he would have one of his men pick you up. You told him it was unnecessary, but deep down, you enjoyed not having to walk home in the rain.

Plus you had really gotten to know Charles. He was a nice, ex-navy seal. He was a big fan of your cupcakes. So you brought him one every time he picked you up.

You two spent most of your time together reading books. Jason started bringing brand new books to you on a weekly basis. You would sit down on your couch and curl up with him, a book in each of your hands. Jason often brought over some takeout for dinner, and you would bring home dessert you made earlier that day. Jason was more than happy to be your guinea pig. Pam and Jim didn’t mind that you experimented with recipes during your free time. Jason was often the person to try them. More often than not, he loved everything you made. Except for the one time where you mistakened sugar for salt and came home with a very salty brownie.

To your surprise, Jason loved fast food. Occasionally, he would bring over new menu items from a few different restaurants around the city. Very well known restaurants in fact. Turns out, Roy owned over a quarter of the five star restaurants in the city, as well as Star City. Jason promised he would take you to one of the two Michelin star restaurants there one day.

Jason didn’t flaunt his wealth in front of you. He would make sure you always had food in your fridge, and if anything was broken, it would be magically fixed the next day. But other than that, he made sure you were comfortable around him. He noticed the first night that you were very conscious of the stuff you owned. So he made sure never to overdo it with the fancy stuff. All he wanted to do was take care of you.

You enjoyed your relationship, away from prying eyes. You were glad Jason wanted to keep things private. You wouldn’t be able to stomach the press following you around everywhere. You knew the media loved stories about the high society folk in Gotham.

You found out pretty quickly that Jason liked to keep to himself. You would often hear about the Wayne family through whispers and tabloids, but none of them featured Jason. You were just lucky that Jason’s brother, Dick, was able to take the limelight off the two of you. He never really liked to talk about his family, so you never pried. You found out through a customer that Jason apparently had 3 brothers. Dick: The socialite, Tim: The Business Man, and Damian: The Youngest.

You were curious why Jason preferred to hang out in your place. He once let it slip that his bathroom at home was about double the size of your apartment. When you asked him, he merely told you he liked how cozy it was. He didn’t care where you two hung out. As long as he was with you, it was all okay.

In a blink of an eye, 8 months had gone by.

“Um, Probably 5:30 today. The weather said the rain would be coming down hard today. I doubt we will get that many people walking by.”

Jason sighed sadly. “I won’t be able to make it till late tonight. I’ll have Charles pick you up. He's been dying to have another one of your Red Velvet Cheesecakes.”

You smiled at your phone. “Okay. Should I wait for you to eat?” You finished frosting the last cupcake, and grabbed your phone, placing it back onto your ear.

“Not tonight. There’s a new shipment of fancy wines coming through tonight, and Bruce wants me there to make sure everything is accounted for.”

Jason felt bad lying. He was really going over to interrogate one of Falcone’s men. Jason leaned back in his chair. He would much rather be spending the night with you rather than torturing a man for info. Just then, there was a knock on his door.

“Hey doll, I gotta go.”

“Okay. Be safe today.”

“Bye Doll.”

“Bye Jay.”

Jason hung up the phone, and placed it face down onto his desk before yelling. “Come in.”

The door swung open slowly, and Jason internally groaned when he noticed who it was. Bruce rarely came into Jason’s office. It was never good news when he showed up.

“You got a minute?”

“Yeah.” Jason said, as if Bruce wasn’t going to stay anyways.

Bruce closed the door behind him, and locked it. Jason tensed as he could feel the slight tension in the air. He sat up straight and watched Bruce take a seat on one of the couches in the room.

“I heard you found someone.” Bruce said, straight to the point.

Jason sighed. He knew this day would come. “Yeah, it's nothing.” He tried to say nonchalantly.

Bruce pursed his lips, not believing his answer. “Does she know?” He asked. Again, Bruce wasted no time.

“No. I haven’t told her anything, don’t plan to.” Jason said. He never wanted you to find out what he really did for his family. You would never look at him the same way.

“Jason…”

“What's it to you anyways? I'm not doing anything out of line.” Jason said, his patience waning.

“She's a civilian.”

“Yeah. And?”

“You don’t want to drag her into this life.” Bruce said seriously.

“I’m not dragging her into anything.” Jason said angrily, standing up from his chair. “Why don’t you just leave me alone and go watch over Grayson’s personal life. The tabloids know everything about him, don't they?”

Bruce could feel Jason get angrier. Not wanting to start another fight with his son, he got up.

“Just be careful with her. The Falcones are getting impatient. I wouldn’t put it past Carmine to strike soon. A turf war would be beneficial to them, and you know it. And unlike us, they don't care who gets hit in the crossfire.” Bruce said darkly, before walking out the door.

Jason threw himself back onto his chair, the wood creaking slightly at his large frame.

There was a reason he was keeping your relationship a secret. It was less about being in the tabloids, and more about keeping you away from becoming a target. He knew the Falcones wouldn’t dare set foot in his turf during the day. Which meant they wouldn’t go near the bakery, unless they had to. He always had his men patrolling around the area. There hadn’t been any activity as of late. There was a reason he was sending Charles to drive you home everyday. And it definitely wasn’t for convenience.

He looked down at his lock screen and saw a text came through. He opened it to find that you had texted him a selfie of you holding a cupcake you had just made. He smiled down at the image. He knew He was putting your life at risk just by being with him. But he would make sure that nothing could happen to you.

*******

You were just about to close up shop for the day. Your shift had ended a bit later than planned. The rain let up halfway into the day, and a flood of customers came in looking for bite to eat as many of the shops around you had closed early that day, thinking the rain would not let up. So you stayed a few hours behind to help Pam with closing.

You had texted Charles to let him know you would be late. Unfortunately, he texted you back letting you know he had gotten pulled into something and that he was unable to take you back that night.

At first you were bummed. But since the rain stopped, it really wasn’t too bad. A nice walk would be nice after a long hectic day. So you helped Pam close up, and waved her goodbye as you made your way back home.

The streets were empty at this time of night. You never really worried about walking home by yourself as the neighborhood was relatively quiet. So you enjoyed the silence.

Suddenly out of nowhere, you had a sinking feeling something was not right. You knew there was something wrong when you saw an odd vehicle parked on the block where your apartment was. The usual vehicles were very old, and worn, but you instantly noticed this vehicle was brand new. The car had no license plates and the windows were completely tinted black. Something inside you told you to turn around, and find a different direction home.

You crossed the street, and noticed the car roared to life as the lights turned on. You were getting scared now. You quickly turned around and started to walk back towards the shop, where you knew there would be some people around. You peered behind you and noticed the car was doing a U-Turn. You started running in the opposite direction. You were just about to cross a street, when a blue sports car pulled up in front of you.

The windows rolled down to reveal none other than Dick Grayson. You recognized him from the night at the cave as well as the many tabloids he was in.

“Get in!” He yelled.

Chapter Text

You wasted no time in getting in. You had read enough books in your lifetime to know that going with Dick was a lot safer than dealing with whoever was in that suspicious black van back there. As soon as you closed the door, Dick peeled off. You looked back to see three men step outside the van. They all had ski masks on and had the side of the van open. Your heart was pumping as you realized what just happened.

“Are you okay?” He asked, turning to look at you.

“Y-yeah.” You said, still trying to catch your breath.

“It’s okay. Charles told me that he was supposed to drive you home tonight, but that he got caught up with something. I was in the neighborhood, and wanted to make sure you made it home safe.” Dick said.

You looked over at him. Confused.

Dick laughed. “I’ve never seen Jason so wound up over a girl. I was curious.”

You just looked at him in disbelief. “Where are we going?” You asked.

“The Cave. You’ll be safe there.”

********

After sitting in silence for about five minutes you finally felt your heart calm down. You turned to look at Dick, who was totally unfazed by what just happened. You took a deep breath, ready to address the elephant in the room.

“Who were those people?” You asked, your voice still a little shaky. You were not 100% sure what they were trying to do, but you had an inkling.

“I have a hunch, but I can’t say for certain. Jason does have many enemies. It could be anyone.”

You turned to look at him fearfully, “Enemies? Why would Jason have enemies?”

Dick cursed internally. He should not have said that. He wasn’t sure if Jason had told you what his real job was. Your reaction gave that away. “Just some people who don't like us. The Wayne family name isn’t exactly clean. They probably figured a ransom for you would be a big payout.”

You held your breath. You didn’t want to admit to yourself that you just escaped an attempted kidnapping. You had heard stories of kidnappings before around Gotham. Criminals love to take advantage of rich folk. Money was no problem for Bruce Wayne. It was likely Jason shared the same sentiment, being his son and all.

But how did they know? You and Jason kept your relationship pretty low key. In public you two never acted like a couple. It was only behind closed doors and in private locations where you two shared loving touches. But it looked like the tabloids were not the only people you two needed to hide your relationship from.

You spent the rest of the ride in silence.

You took the underground entrance. You noticed the wall to wall fancy cars that were down here. This was definitely a private entrance. You were so enamored by the number of cars down here that you didn’t notice the passenger door was open.

“Y/N?” A voice snapped you out of your trance.

It was Charles. You were actually really excited to see a familiar face. You could see the tension in his face.

“Don’t worry about it C.” Dick said to him as he got out of the car and shut the door. “I’ll tell J it was my fault. I really don’t want to have another tense night between him and Bruce.”

Charles instantly relaxed. He quickly helped you out of the car and you both followed Dick into the club. Charles was apologizing over and over again to you. You kept telling him it wasn’t his fault. None of you were expecting something like this.

It was a Tuesday night, so the club was not as packed as it usually was. There were a few folk here and there, but it was mostly empty. Dick made his way towards one of the tables in the back. You recognized the group that was sitting there as the group that introduced themselves to you the first day you were here at the Cave.

Dick gestured for you to sit in the seat at the middle of the table. You weren’t sure where else you would go, so you obliged. Dick took a seat on the arm of one of the chairs, next to the redhead in the wheelchair. He bent down to press a soft kiss onto her head, and wrapped his arm around her. Everyone was watching you with interest. You shrank down in your seat to make yourself smaller.

Dick sensed your nervousness, and cleared his throat to bring the attention of the table to him. “Everyone, this is Y/N. Y/N, this is the family.”

Dick went around pointing at each person. “We have Tim, my third youngest brother, Damian: the youngest in the family. We also have Cass and Steph who are basically our adopted sisters, and this here is Barbara, my fiancée.”

You recognized Barbara from the newspaper, she was with her father, James Gordon. James Gordon was a detective who had just been promoted to commissioner last month.

“Hi Y/N, its sooo nice to meet you.” Stephanie said excitedly. She could not stop grinning at you.

Cass watched you with interest. She was nursing a martini in one hand. She merely watched you with interest as she took a ship of her drink.

“So Damian here tells me you run a bakery? Are you the one who makes those amazing croissants Jason keeps bringing in?” Tim asks.

You nod shyly.

You notice Dick bend down and whisper something into Barbara’s ear. A look of concern instantly washes over her face. She quickly looks down and types something into her phone.

“I don’t see what Todd sees.” Damian says. Tim shoves him and Damian shoves back. They went back and forth until they are interrupted by a gentle voice.

“Ms. Y/N, can I get you anything? Charles tells me that you have been through quite a night.”

You turn around to see an elderly gentleman in a butler suit. He looked at you with kind eyes. He reminded you of your grandpa. You shook your head. You were too wound up to eat.

“Alfred, do you know when Jason will be back?” Dick asked, somehow sensing the burning question you had on your mind.

“He should be back soon. I’ll give him a ring to let him know we have a guest.” Alfred began walking away from the table.

“I’ll come with you Alfred. I have something I need to tell B.” Dick quickly got to his feet and followed Alfred to the back room.

“Oh! Did I tell you all that I was able to snag one of those backpacks from Chanel today?” Stephanie started. You listened to the group talk about how their day went. Stephanie bragged about how she finally managed to buy a backpack from a fancy store she had been hunting down for months. Tim talked about how he was able to secure the deal with the software company that they were looking to take over. You listened as the group recapped their day. It was certainly interesting listening to how a bunch of millionaires spent their day.

“I’m gonna kill him.” A loud voice echoed through the room. You turned around to see Jason stepping in through the front door of the cave. He looked angry and was not wearing one of his usual suits. He had on a pair of slacks and a black tank top. He saw you and instantly made his way towards you. You stood up and ran into his arms. The rest of the crew watched you two with interest. It was odd to see Jason affectionate with another person. Usually he just sat at a corner booth by himself, slamming down drinks.

Jason quickly looked you up and down, scanning for injuries. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?” He asked. You shook your head and buried yourself in his chest. He wrapped his arms around you tightly, afraid to let go.

“Jason. We need to talk.” Said a voice from the back of the bar. You pulled away slightly to see the one and only Bruce Wayne in the doorway of a back room. Jason clenched his fist in anger, but calmed down a bit knowing you were here. He didn’t want to start a fight with Bruce in front of you.

He looked down at you. “Sorry, I'll be right back.” He said, placing a gentle kiss onto your head.

“Don’t let her out of your sight.” Jason said to the group.

You reluctantly let go, and sat back down in your chair, watching Jason disappear into the doorway.

*********

As soon as the sound proof door slammed behind Jason, he let it all out.

“Why did you have to request for Charles tonight?!” He screamed, walking up to Bruce so that they were face to face. “Out of everyone here, you knew he was MINE tonight.”

Bruce didn’t even flinch. He just watched and waited till Jason was finished. “Tell him.” Bruce said nonchalantly.

Jason glared at Bruce, but turned to look at Dick, who was looking into a tablet.

“They made their first move tonight.” Dick said, showing the screen to Jason. On the tablet was a photo of a dead body. Jason knew instantly that it was one of his men. Specifically, the man he had follow Y/N. “That’s how they got the intel.”

Jason looked at Dick. He calmed himself a little, knowing Dick was the one to save Y/N tonight. “Bastard. I knew I never liked him.” Jason huffed.

“I asked Charles to come because he had intel on where Carl had been all week. He also knew the most about Y/N.”

Jason tensed at the mention of your name. “What do they want with her? She doesn’t know anything.”

“They think she does.” Bruce said, as he poured himself a glass of whiskey. “I told you there would be dangers to dragging her into this life.”

Jason scoffed. “I had it under control. Until you took her security away. Charles would have protected her tonight.” He glanced at Dick. Their eyes met, and Jason bowed his head. Dick knew without any words, it was Jason’s way of thanking him.

“Keep your head up. It’s clear Carmine knows about you two. The easiest way for them to get to us is through her.” Bruce knew what this girl meant to Jason. He had never seen him act like this with anyone else. Jason may have eyes in most places, but Bruce had eyes everywhere.

Jason scoffs, and turns away from Bruce. He made his way to the door, but paused in front of it. “It’s done. The bastard squealed. Next drop is Friday, down by the docks near Amusement Mile. It’s their last shipment before the holidays.” Jason says without turning around. He opened the door, but before he could slam it shut, Bruce spoke.

“Watch your back. They will stop at nothing to get to us. They are desperate.”

With that, Jason slams the door shut, and makes his way back towards the front of the house. His heart warms up when he sees you laughing at something Barbara said.

You turn to look at him when the group's attention moves towards him. He quickly takes a few strides towards you. “Ready to go? Alfred told me you didn’t eat anything yet. You must be hungry.”

Now that you were relaxed, you did feel a pang of hunger. You nodded. “Okay.” You said happily. You turned to face the family as you got up from your seat. “Thanks for having me.”

“Of course! You are welcome any time!” Stephanie half screams. “And next time, could you bring some pastries? I only got to have one because these fools here ate them all.”

You laugh at her statement, and Jason wraps his arms around you, leading you out through the front of the bar. You see the familiar black car up front. Jason opens the door for you to get in, and slides in after you.

“Going back home Y/N?”

You were about to say yes, when Jason chimed in.

“Not tonight. We’re going to my place.”

Chapter Text

Charles nodded, and started to drive.

You looked at Jason confused. In your time together, Jason had never once mentioned his place. He talked about growing up in the manor, so you assumed he just lived there seeing how it had about 30 bedrooms.

“You might want to avoid going home for a while. We don’t know if those men are still watching it.” Jason pulled you closer into him. You instinctively leaned your head into his chest.

You hadn’t thought about that. For just a second you forgot about what almost happened a few hours ago.

“Charles can go grab some of your stuff tonight.” Jason said to you, and Charles at the same time. He then spoke directly to Charles. “C, do you know if my fridge is stocked at home?”

“Yes sir. Alfred paid a visit just a few days ago. You should have the standard items.”

“Thanks.” Jason said as he pulled out his phone. He typed a few things into his phone as you watched the city fly past you two outside the car.

The drive took longer than you thought it would. It was starting to make sense why Jason usually stayed over at your place. It was much closer to The Cave than his place. You started to nod off a bit; the adrenaline finally wearing off. You closed your eyes for a few minutes.

“Baby? Jason said in a whisper.

You opened your eyes and blinked a couple of times. “Are we here?” You asked, your voice a little croaky.

“Sorry to wake you. C is going to head to your place to pick up some stuff for you. Do you need anything specific?” Jason said as he opened the door to step out of the car. You could see you were in an underground parking of sorts.

“Just some clothes would be nice. And my laptop. Maybe the new book you got me last week? I haven’t finished it. It’s the blue book on my coffee table” You said as you got out. Jason closed the door behind you as Charles rolled down his window. You handed him the keys and he took them with a reassuring smile.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He said, before waving goodbye and pulling out of the structure.

“I also gave C our usual order at Adam’s. The doorman downstairs will bring it up when he's back.” He said, leading you towards an elevator. The door opened as soon as Jason scanned a key card. You stepped in, and noticed there was only one button on the door. “Private elevator. No one can use it without my authorization.” He said as he noticed your demeanor.

You would never get used to Jason’s lifestyle.

The elevator moved quickly up, and in a few seconds the doors opened to reveal a large entryway. From the length of the ride, you two were pretty high up. The entryway was wall to wall black marble. The stairs leading to the second floor were also the same material. There were a bunch of hidden lights that ran through the walls, dimly lighting up the room. Jason bent over to take off his shoes, and slipped on a pair of loafers that were by the door. He gestures to another pair next to them.

“Sorry if it feels cold here. I haven’t been here in a long time. I’ll make sure Charles drops by the store tomorrow to get you a pair of slippers too. The marble can be cold.” Jason waited for you to put on the shoes before stepping further into the penthouse. You looked in awe around the room. You two made your way down a long hallway to reveal the living room. The first thing you noticed was the view. You were definitely very high up. You instantly gravitated towards the large corner window. You looked outside at Gotham. It was beautiful from this height, where you weren't able to see all the crime going on.

Your eyes twinkled like a kid in a candy shop. “I can’t believe you have this place and chose to hang out in my tiny box of an apartment.”

Jason chuckled as he watched you enjoy the view. He didn’t really like coming here by himself. It was a constant reminder of how alone he was up here.

After a few seconds, you turned around to see Jason was already sprawled on his couch. He had his arms up, and feet onto the table. The carpet in the middle of the modern black couch was crimson red. They matched the socks Jason was currently wearing.

“The food might take a bit. Do you want to shower while we wait?”

You nodded, excited to see what the shower was like.

You followed Jason up the set of stairs in the living room. You were quick to notice, Jason didn’t seem to have many personal photos or decorations up around. They were mainly abstract art pieces that were purchased for the sake of needing something to fill the space. “When we are done with dinner, I can show you the library.”

Your eyes widened in excitement. Of course he had his own library.

You walked down another hallway that led to a pair of double black doors. Jason pushed it open to reveal a beautiful corner bedroom. The large king sized bed filled up most of the space. The high ceilings made the room seem even bigger than it was. You laughed internally at the length of the curtains. You wondered where you would even buy curtains that long. The bedroom looked as unused as the rest of the place.

There were two doors on the left side of the room. You could guess one of them was the closet, and one was the bathroom. Jason opened the door on the right to reveal a needlessly large bathroom. He was right, it was definitely larger than your entire apartment. There was only one sink, but it stretched along the wall. A single black toilet sat next to the sink. To the side near the windows, was a large bathtub. It was certainly large enough to fit more than 2 people comfortably. In the back of the room was a large walk in shower with a giant rain shower on the ceiling.

“Be right back.” Jason said.

You were too busy admiring the bathroom to even realize how long he was gone for.

So this is what money can buy? You asked yourself.

Jason came back with a large black t-shirt and a pair of silk PJ bottoms. “These will be too big, but Charles should be back soon with a pair of your pajamas.” Jason said, handing you the clothes.

“What about you?” You asked, a glint of mischief in your eyes.

Jason tilted his head in confusion. You giggled. He was adorable.

“You’re not going to let me shower alone are you? The tub is big enough for both of us.”

Jason smirked, closed the door behind him, and started to remove his top. You licked your lips at the sight of his body. You yelped as he threw you over his shoulder and carried you into the large shower.

***********

After spending longer than you should have in the shower, you both came out clean and relaxed. You felt like the entire day of stress was washed away. Jason went to grab the food from the front, while you made yourself comfortable on the large couch in the living room. The clothes that Jason lent you were super comfortable. The towels were so fluffy you just wanted to sleep in them.

“You want to watch some TV?” Jason said, walking into the room with a huge bag of food. It smelled so good you were practically drooling.

“I can’t eat anymore.” You said rubbing your stomach. You powered down an entire bowl of ravioli and three breadsticks. Jason watched you lovingly as you laid back and sank into the couch. “Can I sleep here tonight? So comfy.” You said pulling one of the cushions into your face.

“If you want. Do you still want to see the library?” Jason teased.

At that mention, you jumped up. “Show me!” You said with glee.

Jason laughed at your excitement, and leaned forward towards you. He slid his arms under your body and easily lifted you up bridal style. You laughed out loud as he carried you down a large hallway. You were vibrating from excitement. It felt very much like a beauty and the beast moment, without the stockholm syndrome.

You two passed many doors on the way there. You swore this place was bigger than it actually looked. You were sure Jason owned a majority of the building with his place alone. After what felt like a couple minutes, you finally reached a pair of double doors. Jason gently put you down, and you gravitated towards the door. With a light push, the doors opened, to reveal a library that was bigger than Jason’s bedroom. It was no beauty and the beast library, but it was still larger than most library’s you had been to.

Instead of the black marble that lined the rest of the penthouse, the library was oak brown. There were intricate patterns etched into the top of the book shelves. Gold trim lined each shelf. The shelves were all filled to the brim. There were several long couches in the middle of the room, with a coffee table stationed in the middle. Towards the back was a large fireplace. With the click of a switch, the fireplace roared to life. A classic spiral staircase led to the top floor, which had even more books lined up against the walls. You stepped forward to admire all the books in the room.

Jason leaned against the doorway, admiring your wonder. “The ones on the top are my favorites that I have already read. The ones on the bottom I still haven’t gotten to. Once I finish one, and it doesn’t make it to my favorites, I donate them to a library in the city.”

You looked up at the books on the top shelf. There were hundreds if not thousands of books on the shelves. You turn around to look at him. “Wow.” You said nearly breathless.

You were interrupted by the sound of Jason’s phone. He pulled it out of his pocket and picked it up, while you stepped forward to pull a random book off the shelf.

“Charles is here with your stuff. I’ll be right back.”

*******

After Charles dropped off your stuff, you and Jason stayed in the library for a while. You quickly went upstairs to see which books Jason called his favorite. You were delighted that you two seemed to have similar taste.

After looking through about 30 books, a yawn escaped your lips.

Jason chuckled. “Common. It’s been a long day. Let’s get you to bed.” He said, gently taking your hand and leading you out of the library. You turn off the switch to the fireplace, and leave the room.

You didn’t bother to change into your pajamas. Jason’s were plenty comfortable. You jumped into the soft and plush bed and quickly snuggled under the covers. Jason sent through a couple of text messages, before placing his phone face down on his dresser, and climbed in after you. You cuddled up against him, and laid your head on his chest. The bed was gigantic compared to yours. You often felt bad as you knew it was barely big enough for Jason’s long legs. But here, Jason felt right at home. You leaned up to place a soft kiss onto his lips. You looked down to meet his turquoise eyes.

“Night Jay.”

“Night doll.”

You laid back down onto his chest, and listened to his heart beat. After a few minutes, you let sleep take over.

Chapter Text

Jason never slept well. Not even when he was exhausted. Especially not in his own bed.

So he was surprised when he opened his eyes, and there was some light peeking out from behind the blinds.

He tried to sit up and reach for his phone, when something moved next to him. He quickly turned over to see you asleep next to him. He smiled as he watched you sleep for a moment. It had been a while since Jason felt this kind of peace in his life.

But as usual, his peace never lasted as his phone started to vibrate on the nightstand. He quickly picked it up and gently got out of bed, being very careful not to wake you.

He looked back to see you were still fast asleep. He tiptoed out of the room and quietly closed the door behind him. As soon as he was far enough away from the room, he answered the phone. Without saying a word, Dick’s voice came through.

“Hey Jason. How is she?” He asked.

“She's fine. Still sleeping. Probably from the overuse of adrenaline last night.” Jason said, making his way into the kitchen.

“I know you’ll be mad. But open the door. I’m here.”

Jason groaned. Dick loved to show up unannounced. He used to show up at Jason’s door every night at the manor. The man loved annoying the crap out of him. Normally, Jason would just tell Dick to go home. But he was curious why Dick felt the need to come over today. With everything that was going on, especially with Carl, he wanted to make sure everything was okay.

Jason quickly, but quietly, made his way to the front door after giving the doorman permission to let Dick up the elevator. He waited by the door and in a few minutes, it opened, and a very well dressed Dick Grayson stood at the door. Even at 8AM, Dick was dressed to the nines. Today it was a full royal blue three piece suit. The blue really made his eyes pop brighter than usual. Dick opened his mouth to speak, but Jason shushed him immediately. Dick only had one volume: Loud.

“She's still asleep.” Jason said as quietly as he could, ushering Dick to come inside. They could talk in the kitchen where the sound didn’t travel upstairs.

They quietly made their way into Jason’s giant black kitchen. Without saying a word, Jason started to make an espresso. As soon as Dick sat down on one of the kitchen stools, he started to speak. “You really care about her, don't you?”

Jason didn’t answer at first. Instead, he turned his attention to the bar, rather than the espresso machine. He needed something stronger than just a coffee today.

“Why does it feel like everyone suddenly cares about my life now. No one cared when I dated before. Why now?” He asked, annoyed. He popped the top off of his favorite whiskey and poured a large shot. As the coffee finished dripping, he took the mug and handed it to Dick. He quickly took a sip of his own drink to brace himself for the real reason Dick was here.

Dick looked at him sadly. “We’ve always cared, Jason. It’s just… you never actually cared about any of the previous girls.”

Jason scoffed. Dick was right, he just didn’t want to agree. His love life was non-existent. He only ever had one night stands. He couldn’t even tell you the first name of the last few girls he’s slept with. Not that he cared about any of those girls at all. Most of them didn’t even care about him either. They were there for his pleasure, that was it. This was his first real relationship of actual substance. He smiled as he remembered you were upstairs in his bed of all places. None of the other girls had even seen the inside of Charles’ car let alone stepped foot into the parking lot of his building. But his smile quickly faded as he remembered who was currently standing in his kitchen.

“We both know you’re not here to talk about my love life Dicky. Why are you really here? What does Bruce want?”

Dick sighed. His intentions were good at first. He really just wanted to make sure Y/N and Jason were okay. But halfway into his card ride here, Bruce called.

“The gala.”

Jason rolled his eyes immediately. Any mention of a gala always annoyed him. The Wayne family lived and breathed galas. How so many of those outrageously expensive galas were planned was beyond him. He had hated them when he was a kid, and he hated them now. He was always bad at fake socialization.

“Which one is it now? He remembers what happened last time right? Does he really want another Jason Todd headline to deal with?” Jason said, quickly downing the rest of his drink and pouring himself another one.

“This ones different. Alfred is throwing it. He wants you there.” Dick handed Jason an envelope. It had the words: “Jason Todd”, written in perfect cursive on it. Jason took it, and put it on the counter.

Jason sighed. Alfred was always Jason’s weakness. He saw the man like a father more than he ever saw Bruce. He would do anything for that man.

“Is it really for Alfred?” Jason asked, looking Dick right in the eyes. He knew Dick’s trick’s. He basically had to make up a lie every time he wanted Jason to do something. But Dick was also a bad liar, especially to his family.

Dick looked him right in the eyes, and nodded. “Yes. I’m not lying this time. Swear on Barbara.”

Jason rubbed his temple in annoyance. He was telling the truth. Alfred never got involved with the Wayne Family crimes. So if it really was a gala he was throwing, it would be for a good cause.

“Fine. I’ll show up. When is it?”

“Next Friday. He asked you to bring Y/N.”

Jason’s head snapped up. “Why?”

“He really likes her J. He thinks she’s good for you.” Dick paused. “We all do.”

Jason watched him closely. There was more to this.

“Bruce thinks it's a good idea to make your relationship public. The Falcones already know about her. If you two are public it would make more sense to up security around her. After All, she is dating a Wayne.” Dick said, taking a long sip of his coffee. His eyes stayed on Jason.

Jason stared at Dick for a while. He was meaning to up security around Y/N. Especially after what happened yesterday. He never thought about how weird it would be for her to suddenly be traveling around with bodyguards all day. Dick’s next question broke him out of his thoughts.

“Sorry Jason, but I gotta ask. Have you told her yet?”

Jason scoffed. “No. Of course not. How do you think she would react?”

Dick shrugged. “Barbara took it pretty well.”

Jason scoffed. “You’re the face of the group. The one who talks to tabloids and flirts with reporters. Of course she took it well.”

Jason poured himself another shot. He looked down at his drink and sighed.

“I’m the one who does the dirty business. I wouldn’t even know how to tell her. Hey Y/N, whenever my family needs information, I torture it out of people. Or better yet, sometimes I end up killing them. My kill count? I don't even know at this point. How do you think she would react to that?” He said sadly.

Dick got up from his seat, and put an arm on Jason’s shoulder. “You’re not just a killer J. All the info you get from those dirtbags help us. You know that. It’s not that you enjoy doing it, you’re just very good at it. Remember that one time I tried and the guy just laughed at me?”

Jason continued to look down. “I’m a bad guy Dick. That’s what she will see when I tell her. A monster.”

Dick wasn’t sure what to say. He knew the business was rough. It wasn’t always clean and they all knew it. To the outside world, they were all criminals.

The sound of a pair of feet walking into the kitchen startled the two boys.

“Hi Dick!” You said cheerily. “I didn’t know you were here.” Your instincts were correct. Something inside you said that you should put some clothes on before getting out of bed. And you were glad you did. You were wearing one of Jason’s extra large t-shirts and a pair of pajama tights. The shirt was like a dress on you.

Jason’s mood changed immediately. Dick could practically feel it. He smiled when Jason got up from his seat and hugged Y/N. He looked away when you went up for a kiss.

“That’s my cue to leave. I’ll be out of your hair soon lovebirds.”

You laughed and pulled away. “No! Stay as long as you want. We don’t have anything planned today.” You said with a smile.

Dick shook his head and started to make his way towards the elevator. “Nah, Barbara and I have breakfast plans. I’ll be late if I stay any longer. You don’t want to see her mad.” He said as he made his way to the elevator. You both followed him out. The elevator opened and Dick stepped in. He turned around and waved. “Nice to see you again Y/N. Lets do brunch next time!” He said as the doors closed, Dick disappearing behind them.

You turned to Jason. “Is everything okay?” You asked, inquiring about Dick’s presence.

Jason nodded as he took your hand in his. “Yeah, he just wanted to make sure you were okay.” He smiled down at you and led you back to the kitchen. You sat down at one of the stools and watched Jason start to prepare breakfast for the both of you.

Just as he finished plating up the scramble eggs, the doorbell rang.

“I'll get it. It’s just Charles.” Jason said as he made his way towards the door.

You grabbed your fork and took a bite of the eggs in front of you. You moaned in pleasure. Jason was a fantastic cook. It didn’t make sense as he had access to some of the best restaurants in the world and enough money to go to those restaurants every day. But you weren’t going to complain.

Jason got back quickly, with a small box in his hand. You watched him as he took a seat in front of you and pushed the box towards you on the table.

“For you.” He said with a small smile.

You took the box and opened it, curious at what it could be. Inside the box was a small black card. It was attached to a keychain. You looked up at Jason, confused.

“It’s a key. To this place.” He said. “ He reached out and took your hand in his. “Y/N. I’ve wanted to ask you for a while now. There was just never a good time. But after everything that happened last night, and everything that could possibly happen in the future when more people find out about us, there is no better time.”

You looked at him. Still not sure where he was going just yet.

The security is top notch here. No one can come up unless they have a key or they can be let in by security, which is staffed 24/7. We can also go buy you some stuff to redecorate. I know it screams single bachelor in here. I didn’t even do any of the decorating, it was all Alfred. But I have to admit, he knows exactly what I like. Oh and Alfred comes by every once in a while with supplies so you dont have to worry about that anymore. You can let him know the type of stuff you like and he can bring you some.

Jason went on and on about the amenities of his penthouse. You stopped him before he kept going. “Jay.” You said as you squeezed his hand. “You’re babbling.” You said with a laugh.

Jason stopped speaking, and took a deep breath. “Doll, will you move in with me?” Jason said nervously, looking down as he was afraid of your answer.

You knew the answer right away. You couldn’t believe this was happening. A big smile began to form on your face as Jason finally had the courage to look up at you.

“Are you kidding? I get to live here? I mean I would love to bring some life in here. Maybe some pictures of us or some less abstract paintings.” You said as you started to walk into the living room. “We could get a tree and put it here for christmas! I never got one because I was never able to lug it up the stairs by myself.” You said excitedly, running through the living room. Jason followed you as you began to spin in circles, trying to admire every square foot of the house. You finally stopped spinning and looked at Jason, who was laughing at your reaction.

“So I take it that's a yes?” He said.

You stopped and realized you had never given him an answer. With a few steps forward, you wrapped your arms around Jason’s neck, and tipped toed up for a kiss. Jason wrapped his arms around you. After a few seconds, you pulled away, and looked up at his large teal eyes.

“Yes Jason Todd. I will move in with you.”

Jason beamed, his face painted with the largest smile he could muster.

Your face dropped for a second, as you suddenly remembered how far you were from work. “But how will I get to the bakery?” You asked. You didn’t have a car. Never needed one. But now, public transportation from this far into the city would be a nightmare.

“Charles will drive you.”

You looked at him quizzically. “But doesnt he have another job to be at? You know, for Bruce?”

Jason shook his head. “Not anymore. As of today he is your fill time driver and bodyguard.”

“Bodyguard?” You asked. Confused.

Jason’s grip around your waist tightens a bit. “After yesterday, Bruce suggested that we have Charles take on a new role as your bodyguard. He will be there when I am not. Just as a precaution. Just in case.”

You thought about it for a minute, you never in a thousand years would have thought that you, Y/N, an average girl, needed a bodyguard. The idea was far beyond your understanding, but it didn’t seem so bad. Plus, you really like Charles.

“Okay.” You said with a smile. “But it's going to be a bit difficult to explain to Pam and Jim why I have a large man following me at all times.” You said with a laugh.

“Oh, and one more thing.” He said, turning around to run into the kitchen to grab the invite. He handed you the envelope and watched as you opened it.

Your eyes lit up. You had heard about the Wayne gala’s. Everyone in Gotham has. They were always the most exclusive events of the year. Only the best of the best were invited.

“Alfred invited us. He’s doing a charity for the children’s hospital for Christmas this year. But only if you want to.”

“Of course I want to! But, I don’t have anything fancy enough to wear to this.” You said sadly.

Jason smirked, and wrapped his arms around you. “Well then let's get you a new dress today. I faintly remember you telling Dick we didn’t have any plans today. We do now. Oh, and…” He said taking out his wallet and grabbing a sleek black card. “It’s all on Bruce.” He said with a smirk.

When you woke up that morning, the only plan you had was to finish up reading the book you had started last week. But now, not only were you moving in with Jason, into a penthouse no less, but you were about to go shopping for a brand new dress paid for by none other than Bruce Wayne. All for a gala hosted by the Wayne family.

You turned to look at Jason. “If this is a dream. Don’t wake me.” You said with a laugh.

“That makes two of us.” Jason said smirk as he leaned forward to capture your lips into his

Chapter Text

You couldn’t stop fidgeting in your seat. You have never been so nervous in your entire life. The dress you picked out was suddenly feeling super tight and uncomfortable, even though Jason had it tailored to fit you like a glove. It was a crimson red gown, with a pair of off shoulder straps that flowed gently down the side of your shoulder. You had never worn anything like this before. The store you went to didn’t even have prices on their items.

You could either afford their stuff, or you couldn’t.

Jason prepaid for everything, so you weren’t able to see the total for the dress and the shoes he had picked out for you. You knew one thing, it probably cost more than a year of rent based on the clientele you saw in the store.

You glanced over at Jason who had been on his phone for most of the night. He gave you the heads up work was going to be a bit crazier this month and that he would be semi distracted most of the time. You understood. He still tried to give you as much undivided attention as he could with you. You appreciated that.

You look out the window at the large buildings of Gotham that raced by you. The gala was taking place within Wayne Manor. You had never been to this part of Gotham before. Never really left the city. The buildings slowly started to be replaced with rows of trees. Soon, you were at the gates, your driver checking in with security.

“Nervous?” Jason asked, pulling you out of your thoughts. You turned around to face him. His full attention was on you now, his phone face down on his thigh.

“A little.” You admitted. You had never been to a gala before. Let alone a gala hosted by one of the richest men in the world at his own home. You stuck out like a sore thumb at the clothing store. You were sure the rich and powerful of Gotham would notice when lesser being was among them.

“What if I don’t fit in?” You say as you look down at your lap.

Jason took one of your hands and brought it up to his lips. He peppered soft kisses from your fingers up to your wrist. You blushed. Jason was a magician with his lips.

“You’ll be the most beautiful girl there.” He said with a grin. “Those Gotham socialites have nothing on you doll.”

Your nervousness lessened as you focused your attention on Jason’s soft touches. He had let go of your hand and placed it onto your thigh, squeezing it with reassurance. His attention turned right as you felt the car come to a stop. You looked out the window and saw the entrance to Wayne Manor in front of you.

One of the butlers opened the door for you. Jason stepped out first, and turned around to offer his hand. You took it, and took a deep breath before stepping out of the car. As soon as you left the car, thousands of camera flashes went off. It all came so suddenly, so you closed your eyes. Stars flooded your vision, even with your eyes closed. You felt Jason’s arm wrap around your waist and lead you forward. You opened your eyes slightly as you both made your way up the red carpet that lined the floor to the entrance of the manor.

“Sorry.” He said as he kept moving forward, away from the paparazzi. “I should have warned you. Those people are like vultures.” Jason knew that at least one of those photos was bound to make the front page. Once they find out that he was in a real relationship with Y/N. They would be the talk of the century. “Jason Todd, reckless Wayne heir, dating mystery girl.” At least now they would have a better excuse as to why Y/N would need a driver and a personal bodyguard.

Once you made it through the front door, your vision cleared up. In front of you was the most beautiful entrance you have ever seen. You had seen pictures of Wayne manor, with its beautiful architecture, in magazine articles. But those pictures had not done the home justice. It was beautifully decorated with thousands of flowers. It was only one month away from the holidays, so there were a bunch of what looked like elegant Christmas decorations strung around the foyer.

Everyone around you was dress to the nines. You caught the attention of a few older gentlemen as you and Jason made your way into the main ballroom. Jason didn’t miss those longing stares from those old creeps. He pulled you closer next to him and kept his hand on your waist as you two walked forward. But not before sending death glares to any and all men that looked at you for longer than a second.

Jason had a reputation. Everyone knew about his anger problems. Ever since he was little, he was in and out of the principal's office for starting fights. That reputation carried on into his adulthood as he was known to throw punches when the paparazzi got too close.

You were soon walking through the doors that opened up to the ballroom. You had to stop yourself from letting your jaw drop as you saw the beautiful ballroom. You mentally pinched yourself to make sure you weren’t dreaming.

The theme was white winter. The snow outside had not yet stuck, the fake snow within the ballroom looked so real. Hundreds of wealthy men and women gathered around. Some were already on the dance floor, elegantly doing the waltz. Others were mingling with each other, champagne in hand. You quickly noticed, almost all the attention in the room turned towards Jason whenever he made his way through the crowd. Standing at 6’4, he was one of the largest men in the room, especially given his stature. Charles trailed behind you, making sure no one bothered you two.

“Jaybird!” You heard a voice call towards Jason. You scanned through the crowd and saw a happily waving Dick Grayson on the other end of the room. Jason quickly turned towards a different part of the room, as you gave Dick a friendly wave. He laughed at Jason’s reaction, already knowing that Jason would turn away from him. He turned his attention to the woman next to him seeking attention.

You spent the next hour or so walking around meeting people. A few people were brave enough to introduce themselves to you. Most merely admired you two from a distance. Everyone was curious who you were. It was not everyday Jason Todd brought his girlfriend to a Wayne Gala. Jason never brought women to these events. This was the first, so it caught everyone's attention.

After eating a bit of food from the buffet, Jason took your hand and led you to another direction.

Jason made his way towards the bar, leading you through the crowds of well dressed people. As soon as he made his way towards the bar, he gestured to the seat in front of him. You took a seat, and he stood behind you, acting like a shield between you and the people around.

“The good stuff. Don’t skimp.” He said to the bartender who quickly ran towards you two. The guy smirked and quickly noticed Jason’s protective demeanor.

“Well well Todd. So the rumors are true.” He said.

Jason rolled his eyes. “Yeah yeah. I’m sure Roy told the entire world by now.” Jason said in a friendly tone. It was clear he knew this bartender. Jason acted differently around the people he knew. His tone said it all.

The bartender reached out a hand towards you. “I’m Andrew. Jason’s favorite person at any of these parties.” He said. You took his hand and shook it.

“I’m Y/N.” You said. Andrew smiled a friendly smile. One that made you feel safe.

“Some good stuff, coming up!” He said quickly, turning and disappearing into a door behind the bar.

Jason looked around the room, keeping one hand on your waist. His plan was to make sure he was seen with you, say hi to Alfred, knock back as many shots as he could, and head out. The longer he stayed, the more people tried to talk to him. He didn’t want to be here long enough for people to gain liquid courage from the free drinks.

As soon as Jason finished scanning the room, a voice broke through the crowd.

“Master Jason. So glad you and Y/N could make it.” Alfred said, Jason quickly turned around to see Alfred standing behind him. “It’s been a while since you attended one of these.” He said, a slight sense of joking in his voice.

Alfred turned his attention to you, and you put your arm out. “Nice to see you again Alfred.” You said with a smile. You had only met Alfred a few times, but his name floated around every so often. You knew he was the one who had his hands behind the scenes of Jason’s life.

Alfred took your hand and pressed a quick and polite kiss onto the top of your palm. “The pleasure is all mine. I am so happy you could make it.”

Just then Andrew returned. He made you jump a little as he did announce his return. “Ah Alfred. The man of the hour. Do you want a shot of the good stuff as well?” He asked, two bottles in his arms.

Alfred shook his head and chuckled. “Maybe later Mr. Andrew. I still have many guests to greet.” He turned to look at you once more and smiled. “It was very nice to see you again Ms. Y/N. Please do let me know if you need anything for your new home. Master Jason keeps his hope pretty empty. So let me know if you need something to make it more comfortable.” His comment was most sincere. You could feel a bit of warmth on your cheeks. You had still not gotten used to the fact that Alfred was a butler that took care of the Wayne family.

“Thank you Alfred.” You said with a grateful smile.

You could hear his name being called from a different direction. Alfred quickly bowed, and excused himself as he headed towards the direction his name was called.

Meanwhile, Andrew was in the middle of preparing two different drinks. One was in a champagne glass, which he handed to you. “My lady.” He said.

You took it and thanked him. Just a few moments later he handed Jason what looked like a glass of whiskey with a large ice ball in the middle. Without skipping a beat, Jason finished the glass. You knew he didn’t like social events. The drink was just to help with the nerves.

You took a sip of your drink. It was sweet, with a hint of bitter orange. It was some sort of bubbly champagne. You knew it was some sort of expensive alcohol.

You spent the next few minutes making small talk with Andrew. Jason knocked back more than a few drinks and was finally less tense. You could feel the muscles in his body loosen up as his grip on you soon followed. You understood his fear. You tried your best to help relax his body with a few light touches.

Jason’s phone buzzed a few times. Each time he would try to silence it, but after the fifth straight buzz, he reluctantly unlocked it. You could see him tense up again.

With a huge sigh, he turned to whisper something in your ear. “Sorry doll. Something came up. I have to make a quick phone call outside. Stay here for a bit yeah? It’s a little cold out there for you.”

You looked him in the eyes and nodded. He left after placing a gentle kiss onto the top of your head. As he walked away he met eye contact with Charles, who was standing a few feet away.

You turned your attention back to Andrew as you watched him prepare a medley of cocktails.

You were so immersed by Andrew’s tricks, you didn’t notice a pair of eyes that had been watching you all night. You had caught his eyes as soon as you walked in. That bright red dress that made you his target that night. What caught his eye even more was the man that was with you.

Mario Falcone. One of Falcones sons. One of the more unhinged children of the Falcone family. He always got what he wanted, and would stop at nothing to get it. Even if it meant starting a turf war. One of which he had always wanted to do with the Wayne family. As soon as you stepped into the picture that night, he had his eye on the prize. Even if he knew the prize belonged to a Wayne.

He watched you and Jason close. He knew which one of the men was your body guard. The man stood close and always had his eye trained on you. Just one. The Waynes were slipping, he thought to himself. Just one body guard for such precious cargo? This was going to be easy. He watched you for a while, and as soon as Jason stepped away he made his move.

He whispered into the ear of one of the many girls around him. The girl nodded and went straight toward where Charles was standing. Out of nowhere, the girl pretends to trip, and spills her drink right onto Charles. Mario began to move as he was distracted.

Andrew was in the middle of preparing a flaming cocktail. As he lit up the drink, your eyes did too as you watched the blue flame dance above the orange drink. You felt a pair of arms snake across your waist. You leaned into it, thinking it was Jason. But when a voice that wasn’t his said something into your ear, you jumped.

“Hey beautiful, can I get you a drink?” He asked.

Immediately you hopped off your seat, nearly falling to the floor. But you caught yourself before you fell flat on your butt. The heels weren’t doing anything for you right now. You turned to look at the man you thought was Jason. He was a regular man, dressed nicely in a dark gray suit. His accent you could make out was Italian you thought.

“Sorry. I thought you were someone else.” You said as you scanned the room for Jason. When you couldn’t find him you started to look for Charles. You noticed that he now had a bright red stain on the front of his shirt, and a girl was in front of him apologizing. He tried to push past her to get to the bar, but she kept dragging him the other way insisting on helping him clean up the mess she made. She had a few other girls with him, all directing him away from Y/N.

Just as you were about to turn and run towards Charles, you felt a hand grab your wrist. You turned around to pull away from the hand, but he held firm.

“Relax. I don’t bite. Let’s have one drink. Thats all I ask.”

You looked down at your hand, still pulling as hard as you could to get away from this stranger. “No thanks. I have a boyfriend.” You said. Hoping deep inside you that Jason was finished with his call and on his way back.

You turned around and this time met Charles’ eyes. He could see that you were in need of help, but he didn’t want to hurt any of the girls that were currently swarming him. Though after a few seconds, he began to use his brute strength to push them away.

“Y/N!” He called out, pushing through the crowd now. You could see people giving him dirty looks as he pushed through the group of girls surrounding him. He pushed so hard one of them fell on the floor. He didn’t look back.

You pulled towards Charles as he made his way towards you. As fast as the encounter had started, it ended just as quick. Charles was now gripping Mario’s wrist. It didn’t take much of Charles’ strength to get Mario to let go. Mario hissed in pain and took a step back as his men started to surround him. The room around them went silent as everyone knew who the two parties were.

Out of nowhere, Dick jumped in between Charles and Mario. “Hey now! Let’s not let this bring us down. Common! The music is playing, let's all hit the dance floor!” He said pushing Charles towards you as he tried to separate everyone before things escalated. You didn't even get a chance to turn back as you felt a tiny pair of hands take your hand. Damian grabbed your hand and started to lead you out of the ballroom. You quickly followed him down another set of halls past the door you had entered through. You turned around to see Charles following you both, his arms tucked into his jacket pocket. Behind him you noticed Step and Tim, who followed closely behind Charles.

Tim sped up to match Damian’s pace. “Steph is going to go find Jason. Let’s take her upstairs.” He said loud enough for you to barely hear.

Damian nodded, and kept dragging you forward. Charles turned around, and caught up with you. “Apologies Ms. Y/N. I am afraid those girls were in on it.” He said, shaking his head in disappointment. He should have seen it coming.

The four of you rounded a corner, and were soon met with a set of stairs. Damian let go of your hand, and went up the stairs. Tim stopped, and gestured up, letting you go up before him. He followed closely behind Charles.

After a few moments, Damian stopped in front of a large pair of doors. He pushed them open and the room lit up. It was a library. It was twice the size of Jasons. You were too confused to be excited about the sheer number of books inside these walls. You followed Damian inside, where he pointed to one of the large couches in the room. “Sit. Todd should be here soon.”

You took a seat, and looked around the large library. The fireplace tucked in the back was one of the largest fireplaces you had ever seen in your life. It looked like it could heat this whole house on its own. You felt Charles take a seat next to you. “Did he hurt you?” Charles asked nervously.

You looked up at him and shook your head. “No. Annoyed me is more like it.” You said nonchalantly not realizing who he just rescued you from. Charles let out a breath of relief, and stood up to guard the door. Tim took a seat on one of the couches across from you and pulled out his phone. “They’re coming.” He said to Damian. He turned to Charles who was still at the door. “Jason said get the car ready.” Charles nodded, and stepped through the large doors, closing it quietly behind him.

“Who was that guy?” You asked. Confused. Everyone in the room around you seemed to know who he was, except you.

“No one you need to worry about.” Tim said. “Just some creep.” You could sense their was a hint of hesitation in his voice. But you shrugged it off and went back to admiring the beautiful room you were in. You stood up from your seat, and started to read the names of the books around you. Damian watched you. His gaze going from you to the door.

After about 10 minutes, the door swung open, and an angry, but also worried Jason stepped through the door. Once he made eye contact with you, he rushed towards you and hugged you close.

“Sorry I was gone for so long. Something came up, so we are leaving.” He said. You nodded. You have had enough action for one night. You put the book you were looking at back on the shelf and followed Jason towards the door. Jason grabbed your hand and led you down the hall. He led you down a different set of hallways, away from the entrance it seemed. The manor was huge, and you would certainly get lost within its walls. At least Jason knew where he was going. He stopped in front of what looked like an elevator, and pressed it. The door opened to reveal none other than Bruce Wayne. Bruce stepped out of the elevator.

Jason didn’t even want to look him in the eyes right now. “Are you happy now? They know.” Was all he said before he pushed past Bruce and practically dragged you into the elevator.

The doors closed on a confused looking Bruce, and you two started to descend.

You could feel the tension in the elevator radiating off Jason. You shivered as the adrenaline was wearing off and you noticed it was freezing in the elevator. You moved closer to Jason and wrapped an arm around his waist. Jason instinctively shrugged off his jacket, and wrapped it around your shoulders. He rubbed your shoulder as he pulled you closer to him.

“Charles should be down with the car. I’m sorry we have to leave so early. I know you were having fun.” He said sadly.

“It’s okay! You said voice with relief. It was nice to see everyone tonight. Even if that creep did ruin the night.” You saw Jason’s jaw clench at the mention of the man. But he said nothing of it.

The elevator dinged and you stepped out into a large carport. Dozens of fancy cars surrounded a small driveway. A familiar car stood waiting for you two. Charles had the back door open, and helped you get in as Jason went in the other side.

The drive was quiet. Jason kept his arms around you as always. You could tell he was calculating something in his head. You wondered what came up that was so urgent you had to leave the gala without saying goodbye to Alfred.

As soon as you arrived home, you noticed a few more black SUV’s in the parking lot. You knew they all belonged to the Waynes as they had the signature Wayne family crest on their cars. The car came to a stop and soon the door on your side opened. You started to get out, but Jason’s grip on you tightend for a second. You turned around to face him.

He looked at you sadly. “You go up first tonight okay? I have some quick business at The Cave and then ill be back in a couple hours. Charles is coming with me, but I have some of my men here tonight to stand guard. Just in case.”

You were slightly concerned, but said nothing of it. You merely nodded, and leaned forward to kiss him. You stepped out of the car and he rolled down the window. “Go straight up and lock up. I’ll bring back some snacks and we can watch something before bed.”

“Sounds good.” You said cheerfully. “Love you Jay. Please be safe.”

Jason smiled back at you. “I will doll.” He said and blew a kiss towards you. “Be back in a jif.” He said as the car pulled away. You noticed there were several men in the parking lot with you. Some of which you recognized from The Cave. You scanned the necklace that contained the code to open the elevator, and the doors opened. One of the men followed you in, but the rest stayed behind.

“Would you like me to help you with anything?” The man asked.

You shook your head. “No, thank you. I think I am just going to take a shower.” You said as you made your way down the hallway. The man nodded, and stayed near the entrance of the penthouse. He turned to face the elevator door.

You made your way to the bedroom to pick out some sleeping clothes. You quickly decided that you would need to take a bath to soak your aching feet. You never wore heels, so being in such tall heels did a number on your feet. You sat in the tub for a while, looking out into the city. Thousands of lights shone brightly against the window.

You were once one of those tiny specs of light. Looking up at the tall buildings wondering how the other half lived.

This was your life now. Paparazzi, fancy galas, body guards. Every day you wondered if this was a continuation of a dream you never woke up from.

Chapter Text

“It’s been super dead lately.” You said into the phone. “I kinda wish more people came by. I feel bad wasting all these cupcakes.”

Jason chuckled. You were at the bakery, waiting out the last few hours of your shift. Winter had finally hit, so there were less people out and about. The bakery had some delicious items, but not delicious enough for people to trek through 3 feet of snow for.

“Hopefully no one comes by tonight and you can start your end of shift duties sooner. “I can come pick you up tonight. I’m almost done here.”

You smiled happily. Jason had been working so much lately, you were sad that he hadn’t been able to pick you up for a while. This was the first night in months he was able to meet you after work. “Yes!” You said happily into the phone. “Well that means I should get started on closing duty now. See you in a couple of hours?” You asked happily.

“See you soon doll. Love you.”

“Love you too Jay.” You said making a kissy noise into the phone. You hung up and began to clean up the shop.

The final few hours dragged on.

The streets were nearly empty now. There hadn’t been a person in sight for at least 30 minutes. It was a nice kind of quiet. Charles sat in front of the shop, his eyes trained on the empty streets outside. The sun was starting to set behind the buildings, casting long dark shadows onto the street.

You started your ending shift duties a bit early tonight. You knew you likely wouldn't get any more customers tonight. You glance at Charles, whose eyes were still fixated on the streets. Ever since the situation with Mario at the gala, you noticed Charles was more attentive of your surroundings. Not that anything happened after that. There was some slight tension amongst Jason’s men, but not much more than usual.

As you were cleaning out the last baking sheet, a loud crash from the alleyway made you jump. Charles instantly got to his feet. You made your way back to the front and saw Charles look around the front of the building with caution. He looked back at you, his eyes wary and concerned. “Stay inside, and make sure the door in the back is locked. I’ll be right back.” He said.

You nodded and quickly made your way to the back of the shop. The door in the back was usually locked during opening hours, but you went back to double check anyways. You felt a small sense of relief as you saw the lock was indeed engaged.

You returned to the front and went back to cleaning up. You made your way towards the rows of bread at the front, ready to put them into a bag to give to the Wayne crew back at the Cave, when the sound of a bell notified you of a figure in the doorway. You were expecting Charles, but it was someone else. Someone you were hoping you would never see at the bakery.

Mario stepped into the bakery. His presence quickly fills the small space. You could feel your heart race as he made his way towards the counter. A smirk quickly painted his face. He looked you up and down like a piece of meat waiting to be slaughtered. You looked towards the front door, hoping Charles would show up any second now.

“Hello, Y/N.” Mario said, a small hint of seduction in his voice. “What a nice place you have here.”

You hesitated, but answered with a steady voice. You knew better than to show him any sign of fear. You kept glancing at the door, praying Charles would be back. You also glanced at your cell phone sitting next to the cash register, which was currently behind where Mario was standing.

“Thank you. But I am afraid we are closing for the night. So I will have to ask you to leave.”

You tried to turn around and made your way towards the rows of bread once more, hoping he would take the hint and leave.You tensed a bit when the sound of the front door closing filled the room.

“Well it's a good thing I'm not here for the food now am I?” Taking a step closer to where you were and reaching out to touch your arm. You pulled away, and looked him dead in the eyes.

“We are closed. Please leave.” You pushed passed him and made a beeline towards your phone on the counter, but you felt a hand grab your wrist. You had a sudden flashback to the gala. Except this time, you were alone. You looked at the door once more. Where was Charles?

“I told you. I’m not here for the food”, he said, his voice raising a bit in tone.

A wave of fear overtook you, but you pushed past it. “Let go of me!” You shouted, trying your best to fight his ever tightening grip.

“You’re a feisty one, I'll give you that. Todd has good taste in women.” He said pulling you closer to him. “Common, one night with me and you’ll forget all about that nasty old Wayne.”

Your eyes started to fill with tears, but you put on your bravest face. “No. Let go!” You shouted.

He quickly let go, and you were relieved for half a second. Until you felt him push you backwards into one of the tables at the front of the shop. You lost your balance and fell, knocking over the table and glass vase that sat at the top.

The glass shattered upon impact as it fell right alongside the table. You instantly felt a sharp pain run up your arms as you tried to brace your fall with your hands. The broken glass shards quickly cuting into your hands.

Mario looked down over you, a predatory grin painted on his face. You tried to push yourself up, but the pain from the glass was too intense. “Not so feisty anymore.” Mario said before you felt a hand wrap around your throat. He brought you onto your feet and pushed you against the wall, hand still wrapped around your throat. You tried to pull him off, but that only made the glass go deeper into your hands.

“It would’ve been more fun if you were awake. But I can still have fun with your body.” His hands began to squeeze, cutting off your air supply.

Tears flowed heavily down your face now. You clawed weakly at his arm, but it was no use. Your vision started to blur as stars filled your vision due to lack of air. You could feel the darkness slowly take over. Just as you were about to lose consciousness, you could hear the door burst open.

You felt Mario’s grip loosen as you fell to the floor, quickly gasping for air.

The next few minutes went by in a blur.

You could hear the sound of flesh hitting flesh as Jason’s fists connected with Mario’s jaw. The force of the punch sent him flying into the display case up front, but Jason didn’t stop there. He pounced onto Mario, his fists connecting with his face over and over again in a flurry.

You were in too much shock to realize just what was going on. The stars lessened and your vision started to clear as oxygen reached your lungs once more. You could see from behind, Jason was perched on top of Mario, still throwing punches to the man’s face.

Just as quickly as it all happened, a flash of blue and red entered the party. They quickly made their way towards Jason, trying their best to pull him off of the other man.

“Jason! Stop! You’re killing him.” Dick shouted, grabbing one of Jason’s arms. Jason was much stronger than dick of course, so Tim had to step in on the other side.

“Stop, this isn’t going to solve anything!” Tim shouted. With both their might they managed to pull Jason off of Mario. Jason’s chest heaved, his breath coming in angrily. For a moment, it seemed like he might push past them both, but a small whimper from the side of the room caught his attention.

He quickly turned and, with two large strides, knelt in front of you. He noticed the blood instantly, and for a moment, he considered turning back to finish what he had started. But the sound of your whimpers erased every trace of anger in his body, replacing it with something entirely new.

The fury in his eyes softened as he gently took your trembling hand. Your eyes were closed, and you recoiled at his touch, unsure of who was reaching out to you. But recognition dawned when a soft voice asked, "Doll, are you okay?"

Slowly, you opened your eyes. You hadn't realized you had backed yourself into the corner of the room, next to the counter. Your entire body was shaking uncontrollably. You had pulled your legs into yourself and tried to do the same with your arms, but the pain in your hands prevented you from moving them. Voices murmured behind Jason, but you paid them no mind.

The ringing in your ears from the overwhelming fear gradually subsided, and your vision cleared slightly. Although the tears filling your eyes blurred parts of the room, you knew one thing for certain: you were safe. Jason hesitantly leaned closer, and you rested your head against his chest. Your whimpers turned into sobs as he wrapped his arms around you, holding you tightly. Your body trembled even harder as the sobs wracked through you, but his presence brought a measure of calm amidst the chaos.

“It’s okay princess. I’m here.” Jason’ whispered into your ear so only you could hear his words. You buried your face into his shoulders as he wrapped his arms underneath your legs and effortlessly picked you up off the floor. You could feel the cold air touch your skin as Jason left the building. He barked a few orders at his men. Two familiar voices behind you did the same. You never took your face out from his shoulder. You didn't want to see what was going on around you.

The cold air soon vanished as you could feel yourself entering a car. The familiar smell of leather and sandalwood in the air. A small heat source quickly heating you back up. Sobs still racked your body as the sudden realization of what just happened continued to pulsate through your body.

You could feel the vehicle begin the move. Voices were talking over each other. You recoginzed one to be Dick’s, but that was it. You tried your best to just focus on the sound of Jason’s heartbeat.

“He’s… alive…” You heard.

“Charles… okay…”

“Tim…cleanup… blood… no trace….”

Jason’s grip tightened around you as the men spoke in serious tones. You could feel yourself slowly calming down now that you were surrounded by familiar people. Now that you knew you were safe.

The car came to a halt as Jason carried you out and in through the doors of the cave. The familiar darkness washing over you both as you entered its halls. Your sobs were light sniffles at this point. You willed yourself to stop, but your body said otherwise. You took your face away from the safety of Jason’s shoulder for just one second.

You had never seen the bar like this before. It seemed busier than ever. Only, most of the people here were not employees or guests as far as you could tell. The dim lighting cast long shadows over the polished wooden tables, where groups of men in sharp, tailored suits huddled together, their faces set with grim determination. The low murmur of tense conversations filled the air, followed by the occasional clink of glasses and the metallic snap of gun holsters being checked. Many of the tables had weapons on them. Pistols, submachine guns, rifles, and more. If you didn't know any better, you would have thought The Cave was a gun shop at this point. Cigarette smoke filled the room, adding a hazy veil to the already charged atmosphere.

These were no ordinary patrons. Each of them wore a small pin on their suit, the Wayne family crest. These were all Bruce’s men. Each one preparing for the turf war that had just erupted, their eyes cold and calculating, ready for the violence to come. The entire room turned its attention to you and Jason once you made it through the doors.

You didn’t even realize it, but your whole body was still shaking. You felt Jason’s grip tighten around you.

“Where’s Bruce?” Dick asked one of the men.

“In his office. He has all the Lieutenants in there.” The man said before walking quickly away from the three of you.

Jason quickly hurried past the large group of men gathered at the bar. Dick opened the door in the back and Jason stepped through. You had never actually been back here. You usually stayed at the front of the bar. You never really had a reason to come back here.

The hallway led to another set of hallways, until you reached a pair of large black doors. Dick knocked a few times before stepping through. All eyes fell on the three of you once the doors opened. All except Bruce.

Bruce was sitting at his desk, busy looking down at the tablet in front of him. The men quickly brought their attention back to Bruce. Dick broke away from the group, joining the group of men surrounding Bruce.

Out of nowhere, a woman dressed in a black stepped in front of Jason.

“Is she okay?” She asked, looking over at you. You had never seen this woman before, but you quickly recognized her as Selena Kyle.

Aka, Bruce Wayne's wife.

Selena kept out of the limelight. It was rare she went out to events with Bruce. He invited her to Gala’s but she often declined. She wasn’t one for the rich and snobby. She always stayed behind closed doors and was rarely ever in the tabloids. Some people even believe that her relationship with Bruce was just a hoax. Every once in a while, she would attend one gala with the family. But then she would disappear from the lime light once more.

Her eyes softened as your eyes met. “It’s going to be okay.” She said in a whisper. She then focused her attention onto Jason. “Go jump in the shower and wash the blood off. I’ll take care of her while you’re gone.” Jason nodded as Selena led you two to a door in the back of the room. Jason stepped through first as Selena locked the door behind you.

The door led to another room. The room resembled a living room. It was just as fancy as Bruce’s office. Black leather couches with gold trim surrounded a beautiful oak table. There wasn’t much in the room. Just a few books here and there and a single wine cart tucked away into the corner. You noticed quickly there were no windows in this room.

Jason gently sat you down on one of the couches. He kneeled in front of you and you looked down at him. You could still feel the adrenaline running through your veins as you noticed all the blood that covered Jason’s face and body. He lifted his hand to cup your cheek.

“She’s hurt. That bastard pushed her into some glass. Can you make sure to check to see if any of her cuts still have fragments before you patch her up?” Jason said, still looking at you, but clearly talking to Selena.

Selena gently places her hand on his shoulder. “Yes. I’ll take it from here. Go wash up kitten.”

Jason sighed in frustration, then you met eyes once more. He stood up, and pressed a kiss onto your head. “I’ll be quick.” He said, addressing both of you before disappearing behind another door.

You looked down at your knees. You had unconsciously curled up around yourself, trying to make yourself smaller. You could hear the sounds of some cabinets being opened. You closed your eyes to keep yourself from crying again.

The room was silent, except for the sounds of some rifling. After what felt like hours, a soft voice made you open your eyes.

“Y/N?” Selena asked gently. You opened your eyes to see her kneeling in front of you. She had a first aid kit sitting on the table behind her. She smiled softly. “I’m going to get the glass your wounds okay? I don’t want you getting an infection.”

You looked down at her and nodded.

Selena spent the next few minutes gently picking glass out of your cuts. She used a pair of tweezers and dropped each piece into a small bowl. You were surprised at how much glass was present. You didn’t realize the extent of your injuries. You were too out of it to notice just exactly how much you were bleeding. Your eyes started to glaze over as you saw your arms were covered in your own blood. After a few more minutes, Selena finally put down the tweezers and began cleaning your wounds.It stung a little, but your body was numb from the shock so you didn't feel much. None of them were deep enough to require any stitches, but she cleaned each and every one of them before wrapping your hands. The white wraps were a stark contrast from the dark red that stained your arms. The adrenaline was still pumping, so while you didn’t feel much pain right then and there, you knew you would later.

She turned away, grabbing a bottle of painkillers. She took one out of the bottle and handed it to you. You took it, and held it in your hand for a second. Selena came back and handed you a glass of water. You took the pill without hesitation.

Selena looked down sadly at your tiny frame. She remembered the first time she found out the truth of the Wayne Family. It’s a lot to take in at once. She didn’t exactly have a clean past herself, but what the Wayne’s had done made her rap sheet look like a post it note. But she adapted quickly. She didn’t expect you to take it as easily as she did.

At first, you spoke so quietly Selena didn’t hear you through her thoughts. You only caught her attention when she noticed you were watching her. She tilted her head in confusion. “I’m sorry honey, can you say that again?” She asked, gently kneeling down in front of you.

You took a deep breath. “Is he dead?” You asked again, this time slightly louder.

Selena pursed her lips. Her silence spoke volumes. After a few moments of awkward silence, she finally spoke up. “No.” She said curtly. But he should be. That part she kept to herself.

Just then, the sound of a door opening caught both your attention. Jason stepped through, freshly showered. All the blood was gone. His wet hair stuck to his face. He was wearing a plain white tee and a pair of black slacks.

Selena looked at you one more time, before reaching out to gently squeeze your wrist in reassurance. “I’ll leave you two alone for a bit.” She said getting to her feet. “Bruce will want to move soon, kitten. I’ll buy you some time.” She said, placing a hand on Jason’s bicep, before stepping out the door you both came through.

You were so busy watching Selena walk through the door you didn’t notice Jason take a seat next to you. “You okay?” He asked quietly.

You turned to look at him. He was half expecting you to walk out the door with Selena after what he just did. Jason looked down at his hands. They were bruised, a few pieces of broken skin here and there from when he connected with that assholes face. The blood was washed off, but nothing could ever wash off what he did in front of you. He was a monster.

You nodded slowly, and scooted closer to him. He instinctively wrapped his arms around you.

You both stayed like that for a few moments. Not yet ready to discuss the elephant in the room.

Jason wasn’t sure where to begin. He wasn't sure how much you had put together yet. Hell he wasn't even sure if the bastard was dead or not. The only thing he knew for certain was that Charles was okay. He was knocked out by one of Mario’s men. But he would be alright the next day.

The Falcones would pay for this.

“C-can we go home?” You asked quietly.

Jason was surprised for a moment. Somewhere in his heart he still felt like this was the last straw. How could you stay with him after what he just did in front of you?

“Not yet. They’re fixing up a place for us to stay in the manor. We need to make sure the Falcones aren't already getting ready to raid the penthouse.”

“Okay.” you whispered softly. You curled your legs up, resting them gently on Jason’s lap. He responded by enveloping you in his strong, protective embrace, his other arm wrapping around you with a tenderness that spoke volumes. In that moment of silence, surrounded by the echoes of recent turmoil, you both found solace in each other’s presence. The world outside could wait; right now, nothing could break the spell of this perfect, tender moment you shared.

One thought echoed in your mind: When did this dream turn into a nightmare?

Chapter Text

You could feel the adrenaline wear off. It started with the burning pain coming from your hands. The painkiller was doing its best to help, but you could feel the pain through its effects rather quickly. Almost all at once you could feel your body fight against you. The pain in your hands was obvious, but the aching around your throat soon started to reveal itself. Like a burn from a hot iron. You felt your eyelids start to drop. They were heavier than usual and you tried your hardest to fight off the exhaustion. So far, you were losing. Your head started to drop as the last of the adrenaline left your body.

You could feel Jason’s arms tighten a bit more around you. A squeeze of reassurance.

“Don’t fight it princess. You’re safe now. You can go to sleep. Once we get the okay from Alfred, we can head to the manor.”

You didn’t respond. Your throat all of a sudden felt like it was closed up. You didn’t really have the energy to fight it anyways.

Jason made it easier by leaning back onto the couch. You followed suit, resting your face against his chest. He began to slowly stroke your hair, a familiar and comforting gesture. This was your ritual, one that had formed on nights when he returned from work late and accidentally woke you while trying to slip into bed. It wasn’t his fault you were a light sleeper. Every time, he would wrap his arms around you and stroke your hair until you drifted back to sleep.

His gentle strokes were calming. You knew you were slowly losing the battle to sleep. This feeling always makes you relax. The feeling that nothing else mattered only, you and Jason.

You weren't sure how much time had passed. You only knew that when you woke up, you were being carried through the doors of Wayne manor. You weren’t even sure how you ended up here. You blinked through the blurriness and saw that Jason was carrying you up the stairs and down a long hallway. You wriggled around in his arms a bit, letting him know you were awake. You were vaguely aware someone was behind you two, Alfred probably. After a few moments, Jason stopped, and stepped through a pair of double doors. You closed your eyes again. You could feel your head start to pound, no doubt a migraine forcing its way out of your skull.

“I had one of the maids run a bath for Miss Y/N. It should still be hot.”

Jason hummed in approval. “Thanks Alfred. I’ll ring if we need anything else.”

“Jerry and Paul are stationed at the door. We have a dozen other men patrolling the gardens. Two are stationed right beneath the balcony. Jim and Pam have been alerted to the situation and are grateful for our help.”
The names of your bosses brought your attention. You opened your eyes to look at Alfred now. You saw worry etched on his face. It was very different from the happy smiles he was giving at the gala.

He looked at you with sadness. “Please let me know if you need anything Miss Y/N. I have moved some of your clothes from the penthouse into the closet here. I have also left a new set of bandages and some stronger painkillers on the bathroom counter. I suggest taking one before stepping into the shower.”

You nodded and thanked him. He stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him. Jason carried you into the bathroom, gently setting you down in front of the steaming tub. Your legs wobbled a bit, but you managed to keep yourself standing.

You let Jason help you out of your work clothes. All of which were covered in dried blood. He threw them straight into the trash can. There was no saving those clothes now. Jason tested the water before helping you into the hot bath. It was hot at first, but as soon as your body understood the need for the heat, a sense of relief washed over your body.

You sat down, raising your hands above the water level, careful not to get your bandages wet. Once you leaned back and started to relax, Jason began helping you clean the blood off your body with a soft washcloth. He gently unwrapped your bandages, and cleaned around them, careful not to get any soap into the wounds. The water quickly turned a light pink as all the blood began to melt off your body. Jason scrubbed gently around your body, making sure to get every last bit of blood off your body. You winced a little when he got to your neck. Jason tensed a bit when he studied your bruises, his eyebrows furrowing. You hadn’t had a chance to look at yourself in a mirror yet, but you were sure you would be able to see a hand mark around your throat. It was painful enough that you knew it was there. You tried to calm him down by placing your hand on his cheek. He sighed deeply, and continued gently scrubbing your chest, careful to go around the harsh bruise that was darkening as time passed.

The small cuts on his hand stung as the soap penetrated into the wounds. But he ignored the pain. He deserved every second of it.

Once he was satisfied with his job, he drained the tub and used a small shower head attached to the tub to rinse off the excess soap. You watched the pink water slowly finish flowing down the drain. How much of that blood was yours and how much of it was Mario’s you did not know. But it was all gone now.

Jason wrapped you up into a fluffy towel and helped you get dressed. He rewrapped your wounds and he handed you one of his shirts. You took slow steady steps and you sat on the couch directly in front of the fireplace. Jason sat sheepishly next to you.

You could feel the tension flowing off him. You two hadn’t really talked since the phone call you had a few hours prior. You sat in silence for a bit. The sound of the fireplace cracking was the only noise in the room. After a few more tension filled moments, Jason finally spoke up.

“Y/N…” Jason said softly.

You looked at him. He looked scared. An emotion you had never seen on him before.

“I’m not sure if Selena told you or not. But the family… My family.. W-we… Aren’t the good guys in the story.” He finally finished.

You gently placed your hand over his. Silently urging him to continue.

“Y/N, the Waynes. My family, the rumors of the underground mob we run? That’s all true. Bruce runs the whole thing. Dick, Tim, Cass, Steph and even Damian sometimes are a part of it all. The activities I manage at the bar, they’re not your typical run of the mill bar manager activities. In fact, I'm almost never at the bar.”

He took a deep breath for this one.

“I'm the muscle of the family. I torture people for information whenver the family needs it.”

You continued to watch Jason, but he wasn't looking at you anymore. His eyes were fixated at the red of the flames as he continued with his story.

“I’ve killed many times Y/N. Sometimes by accident. Most of the time Bruce asks me to. The men are as good as dead anyways after they squeal. It’s a mercy killing at that point.”

You stayed silent. You knew he wasn’t done.

“There’s blood on my hands… And tonight some of it was yours. And it's my fault. I tried to keep you as far away from that life as I could. But Bruce was right. Our lives are dangerous. There’s no running away from that.” He sighed sadly, looking down at his shoes this time, unable to look you in the eyes just yet.

“I’m a monster. And I understand if you don't want to see me or my family again after tonight.” Jason could feel tears brim his eyes. He couldn’t remember the last time he cried. It was probably back when we found out his mom had died of an overdose. Ever since then, he wasn’t sure he could feel sadness.

Your heart was breaking watching Jason confess everything to you. You placed your hand on his chin and turned his head to face yours. His eyes were brimming with tears now. The thought of losing you was almost too much for him.

Instead of walking out on him like he thought you would. He turned to look into your eyes. Instead of an angry or disgusted look he was expecting, he met your soft gaze instead. You smiled once your eyes met and Jason was stunned.

“Oh Jay.” You said happy tears falling from your eyes now. “I would never leave you. Not after what you just did for me back there. You saved me.”

Jason stared at you, speechless. You wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him close for another hug. He returned the embrace instinctively, both of you crying openly. The thick walls of the manor provided privacy for this moment of raw emotion; you were grateful, knowing that in your old apartment, neighbors would have been knocking by now.

It was you who pulled away first. You pulled back enough to look him in the eyes, but he kept his arms around your waist. You were both covered in tears and snot, but you didn’t care. You pushed yourself up to press a quick kiss onto his lips.
"Let's go to bed, okay? We can talk more in the morning," you said softly, your voice filled with tenderness and reassurance. Jason nodded, a sense of relief washing over his face. He gently helped you to your feet, his hands steady and supportive. As you made your way to the bed, the weight of the night’s events seemed to lift slightly, replaced by a comforting warmth.
Jason carefully pulled back the covers and helped you into bed, his movements gentle and attentive. You snuggled up to him, feeling the strong, steady beat of his heart against your cheek. His arms wrapped around you, instinctually. Your breaths fell into a gentle rhythm.
The pain and fear from earlier in the evening seemed to melt away, replaced by a sense of peace. You closed your eyes, listening to the soothing rhythm of Jason’s breathing. The world outside ceased to exist, at least for one night.
That night, your dreams were shadowed by a tinge of red.

Chapter Text

The morning light filtered softly through the curtains, gently waking you from a restless night. As you stirred, a sharp pain shot up your neck and hands, a cruel reminder of the night before. You groaned softly, and blinked away the haze of sleep. You gave yourself a minute before trying to sit up, wincing at the stiffness in your muscles.

The room was slightly chilly. You reached out instinctively seeking the warmth Jason often provided to you, but the bed beside you was empty. Panic filled in your chest for a moment before you heard the door creak open. Jason walked in, balancing a tray full of breakfast items. His eyes met yours, and he smiled.

"Good morning Doll," he said softly, setting the tray down on the bedside table. "How are you feeling?"

You tried to smile back, though the pain made it difficult. "I've had better mornings," you admitted, your voice hoarse, barely coming out in a loud whisper. It hurt a bit to talk.

Jason's expression filled with concern as he sat beside you, gently helping you sit up against the pillows. "I brought breakfast. I know we didn’t get a chance to eat last night." he said, lifting the tray onto your lap. The smell of freshly baked bread, eggs, and fruit filled the room, momentarily distracting you from the pain.

"Thank you." you whispered, happily.

Jason sat next to you while you both enjoyed a little bit of everything. You noticed his hands were wrapped with fresh bandages, but you didn't say anything about it. He told you everything was fine at the bakery. They cleared out all the damage, and by the time Pam stepped into the shop the next day, it looked as if nothing happened the night before.

After breakfast, Jason made sure to redress your wounds, and gave you a pain killer to further wash away the memory of last night.

A light snowfall had begun. The grounds of the manor were always paved, so the new snow did not cling to the ground. You asked Jason if you two could take a walk in the manors gardens. Most of the plants were all dead at this point, but it was always nice to see the white snow on the grass. Especially when walking paths have been made by the staff. It was cold, but nothing a few layers and a scarf couldn't fix.

The morning air was cool and refreshing against your skin. The view was breathtaking, with the garden bustling with activity. Guards patrolled the grounds, their movements planned and precise.

As you walked hand in hand deeper into the grounds, you watched the guards in the garden, their presence a comforting reminder of the protection that surrounded you. Jason gave your hand a reassuring squeeze.

You two made your way into the large greenhouse that sat further back into the garden. One of the guards stationed near the area, opened the door for both of you to enter. You stepped in first, Jason following close behind. The air around you instantly warmed. While everything outside of the greenhouse was a stark white, everything inside was a vibrant green. There was a large koi pond sitting at the end of the greenhouse. A small man-made waterfall flowing into it from the other end.

You two decided to stay for a while. It was nice to see some greenery after seeing so much snow for the past few days. It was a nice place to rest from the cold winter air. There was some outdoor furniture placed near the edge of the pond. You both sat down on the small bench looking over the koi that had gathered near the chairs.
For a few minutes, only the sound of running water could be heard. It was nice.

You sat closer to Jason for a second. You were the one to break the silence.

You looked at him guilty. “Jay, I have a confession.”

Jason looked down at you, confused.

You bit your lip, nervously. “Do you remember everything you told me last night? About your family?

Jason nodded.

“I’ve known for a while now.”

Jason tilted his head in confusion, like a lost puppy at its owner.

“Remember the day after the gala? When our pictures were all over the tabloids?”

Jason nodded, intrigued at your story.

“That was the day Jim finally had a face to the name. I hadn’t given him much detail other than your name really. He pulled me aside at work that next day and told me everything.” You paused to stare at him for a second. “He has a close friend that is one of Bruce’s lieutenants I think? So Jim was always well protected thanks to Bruce’s control over the city. He told me what your family really did. Who the Waynes are to the city of Gotham. And it was easy enough for me to put two and two together.” You said shyly.

Jason just stared at you. Unsure what to say at first. But the burning question inside him finally came out. “But, if you knew what I did for a living, why are you so okay with everything? I’m a murderer…” He said sadly.

You take his hand into yours. “Jay. Do you remember how I told you I grew up in the system?” Jason nods. It was one of the reasons he fell in love with you. You two shared the same history.

“Well there was this old man who used to visit all the time, at the house in Bludhaven. He would come and bring all the kids pastries every day. I was always fascinated by the many things you could make with a few eggs, flour, and sugar. So I asked him many questions, and he loved answering them. He would take me to different dessert shops and even paid for some of my classes when I left the home when I was 18. He really helped put me on my feet.”

Jason listened, never once letting his attention waver.

"He was the nicest man I had ever met," you began, your voice filled with a mix of nostalgia and sadness. "I still remember the day I said goodbye to him when I left for Gotham. Before we parted ways, I asked him why he was always so nice to me."

You paused, the memory filling your mind as if it was just yesterday. "He looked at me with those kind eyes and said I reminded him of his granddaughter who had passed away in an accident when she was little. That broke my heart and yet, it made me smile. The feeling was bittersweet as I was a constant reminder of his granddaughter. But it also brought me comfort knowing that I could help him relive those memories."

Your eyes softened at the memory, your gaze moving to the fish in the pond. "When I got my job at the bakery, I was so excited to tell him. I couldn't wait to share the good news. But a couple of days later, I saw his face in the newspaper.”

You paused again. Taking in the memory of the moment you saw the news. “He was dead. The headline caught my eye first, but the story beneath it was even more shocking."

Taking a deep breath, you continued, "The article revealed that the kind old man who had taken care of me was actually the head of the local mob in Bludhaven. He had secretly run an underground weapons smuggling ring for nearly 50 years. On his deathbed, he confessed everything."

You shook your head slightly, thinking back to how naive you were. "It was like discovering a hidden chapter in a book I thought I knew so well. But regardless of what he did for a living, I couldn't forget the kindness he showed me. It's a strange feeling, knowing that the man who made me feel safe and cared for was also capable of such things. God knows how many people were killed by the weapons he sold. But in the end, I choose to remember him for the good he did in my life."

You looked up, a small smile painted on your lips. "Life is full of surprises, and people are never just one thing. He was a mob boss, yes, but to me, he was also a kind man who gave me a sense of family when I needed it the most."
“I went to his funeral. Didn’t know anyone there, but there sure a hell a lot of powerful people there. It was there, standing over his casket, that I made a vow. To never judge a book by its cover. My deadbeat dad taught me that much. Cops are often more corrupt than your local mobster. At least the mobster doesn’t pretend like he was a law abiding citizen.”

Jason just stared at you in awe. You had known all along who the Wayne family was and what they did. And yet, here you were, still by his side, even after he had essentially beaten a man into a coma right in front of you.

You finally met his eyes, your voice soft but resolute. "And that's why I don't care if your family is a mob family. Because as long as you are in that family, I will love them just the same. I don't care that you do what you must to help your family. That's what family is, a group of people willing to do anything for each other. And that's what you did for me last night. Nothing more."

Tears began to well up in your eyes. "I love you, Jason. For you, and nothing more. I don't care about your past. I just care about the man who was willing to start a gang war for me."

For a moment, the world stood still.

He just stared at you. For how long, you didn't know. Time froze in a way he couldn't explain. And just for one moment, everything felt like a dream.

"You knew.” Jason finally said, his voice trembling slightly.

“You knew what I was… and you stayed." A pause. He blinks like he’s trying to pull himself out of something deep.

"You sell warmth and sweetness to strangers. I sell pain to the people who cross me." He chuckled.

"And still. You stayed" He said. Almost in a whisper.

He stood so suddenly the bench creaked beneath him.

You watched him, breath caught somewhere in your throat, your heart knocking against your ribs like it knew something was coming.

Then he turned and dropped to one knee.

Your hands flew to your mouth. Your lips parted in a silent gasp as your eyes brimmed over.

"Y/N," he began, his voice trembling with emotion, "I’m not a good person. I never was and never will be. I was born to hurt people and protect secrets. That’s all anyone has ever wanted from me.”

He paused, reaching into his pocket, not for a weapon, for once, but a small velvet box.

“You’re the only thing I have ever wanted. And the only person that has ever wanted me.”

His eyes found yours; unguarded, scared, but certain.

"You stayed. So stay mine. Let me spend the rest of my life proving why you were right to."

He opens the box. A ring, simple, yet breathtaking. The diamond, way bigger than anything you have ever seen before, sparkled. Even in the dim Gotham sun.

“I’ve bled men dry for looking at me wrong. And somehow, all I want is to be good enough to kiss the ground you walk on.”

His throat worked around the next words like they were carved straight from his bones.

"Marry me. Not because I’m safe. I’ll never be. But because when I touch you, the world finally goes quiet. And I-I” He stutters. “I don’t know how to live without that silence anymore."

You didn't give him the chance to be scared of your answer. You launched yourself into his arms, breathless and sobbing, pressing your mouth to his.

"Yes," you whispered between kisses. "Jason—yes."

The pain that shot through your body upon impact was proof that this was real life, but you ignored it. You ignored your injuries and focused solely on the happiness you were feeling.

He held you like you were the last piece of peace in the world.

And maybe, to him, you were.