Jason curses under his breath when he hears the key in the lock, glancing at his watch.
He’d completely lost track of time.
Not that he isn’t always happy to see Dick, but this isn’t the first time he hasn’t been ready on time. And he hates disappointing Dick.
“Hey,” Dick says with a cheerful smile, holding up a couple of brown paper bags as he closes the apartment door behind him. “Brought food.”
“Hey.” Jason returns the smile and gives the older man a kiss. “Thanks. I’m so sorry I’m not ready. I was looking through some case files and completely lost track of time. Just gimme two minutes-“
“Don’t worry about it, Jay.” Dick’s voice is soft. “No big deal. Take your time. I’ll get some plates.”
They haven’t been doing this long, but Jason still feels giddy when he hears that slight hint of authority and protectiveness in Dick’s voice. He still gets excited, knowing that Dick is coming over and knowing what they’re going to do.
Jason can’t keep the smile from his face as he quickly undresses, stripping himself naked while he listens to Dick pottering around in the kitchen. He fumbles around under piles of papers that he’d left spread out all over the floor, sighing with relief when he finds his collar.
“There he is,” Dick says warmly when he appears from the kitchen, placing the plates of food in his hands on the coffee table. “There’s my good boy.”
Jason grins bashfully. “Shut up, Dickhead.”
Dick laughs and swats Jason’s bare ass playfully. “Talking back already? You wanna be punished before we even get started?”
Jason rolls his eyes, but he’s still smiling. “No, sir.”
He hands the collar to Dick, his heart pounding as his boyfriend fastens it around his neck.
“Good.” Dick kisses Jason’s neck right above where the collar sits. “You’ve had a good streak going lately. It’s been a while since I’ve had to punish you. You’ve been brilliant.”
Jason feels shy again, but he’s beaming, melting beneath the praise.
“I’m serious, Jay. You’ve been so good for me. Not just when it’s just us. It hasn’t gone unnoticed. I’m really proud of you.”
“Thank you, sir,” Jason replies, trying to keep the wobble from his voice.
Dick takes a seat on the couch, which Jason knows is his cue to take a seat on the floor at Dick’s feet.
They eat together with the TV on in the background, and Dick lazily strokes Jason’s hair.
It feels so good. It always does.
It’s not just the sex part. Jason knows Dick will have him on all fours later, and will fuck him on every surface in this apartment (and he really can’t wait for that), but it’s this stuff he loves too. It’s just sitting and being with each other, and knowing that Dick will take care of him. It’s knowing that he doesn’t have to think for himself for just a little while.
Jason has never trusted anyone else enough to do this with. He loves that he’s so compatible with Dick in this way; he loves that Dick understands his needs and is always clear on boundaries. He loves that even though Jason spends a lot of his time naked and on his knees with a collar round his neck in front of Dick, Dick always treats him so respectfully. Everything is on Jason’s terms.
“So,” Dick says through a mouthful of burger. “B was telling me the two of you had an argument the other day.”
Jason’s shoulders slump. He’d known three weeks without a punishment was too good to be true.
“Hey.” Dick’s voice softens as he notices the shift in Jason’s mood. “This doesn’t change what I said earlier. You really have been good. I just wanna talk about it.” He pats the empty couch cushion next to him. “Will you come up here for a sec?”
Jason lets Dick take his hands and bring him up to the couch. Couch conversations are always serious conversations. Conversations where Dick would prefer them to be on equal footing, with no power imbalance, and where Jason can’t hide behind his submission.
Dick squeezes Jason’s bare knee gently. “So tell me why you were mouthing off to B. I wanna hear your side of it.”
“I wasn’t mouthing off,” Jason mumbles. “It was nothing. You know how he is. We just had a disagreement about how to deal with some lowlifes, that’s all. It’s the first time we’ve argued in like three months, which I think is pretty good. All things considering.”
“All things considering.” Dick hums. “And how are you feeling about it?”
“I’m fine, Dick. It was a stupid fight.”
Jason doesn’t want to talk about it, and he can tell Dick can sense it.
“Okay,” Dick says softly. “I just wanted to check. I’m not looking for things to punish you for, Jay. I just want to make sure you’re okay.”
Jason doesn’t know why he deserves this sometimes. Someone like Dick is too good for him.
Sometimes Jason fears that Dick will disappoint him. Dick will push him too far, or ignore his boundaries, or laugh at him and all his twisted fantasies. He had a nightmare once where Dick told the whole family about their little arrangement, and he showed them all Jason’s collar, and Bruce looked at him with disgust while Tim and Damian laughed and laughed-
But lately those fears have bled away from a crushing wave to a trickling stream. They’re still there, but they’re not as frequent. Dick has only ever shown Jason love and affection and respect, and Jason’s starting to see now that maybe he’s not as worthless as he once thought he was.
“Jay?” Dick brushes his fingers through Jason’s hair. “Color?”
“Huh?” Jason blinks. “Oh. Um. Green.”
Dick smiles and kisses him. “Okay. Just checking. You wanna sit up here with me for a bit or go back down on the floor?”
Jason blushes and his gaze drops to his lap. “Back down on the floor.” He swallows. “Please, sir.”
“Okay,” Dick chuckles. “Down you go then.”
Jason feels that weight lift from his shoulders once again as he returns to his place on the floor. He feels so comfortable and free here, and he loves Dick so much for indulging him like this.
Jason rests his head against Dick’s knee, closes his eyes, and imagines all the ways Dick will fuck him later.