Please read all warnings before consuming my work. Majority of my work is NFSW, 18+.
I do not consent to having my work reposted, copied or translated.
~*~
ALL THE WORLDS A STAGE
Jason Todd x CamGirl!Reader Series (Complete)
Summary: Deciding to try something new, Jason heads over onto a Cam Girl website finding something he never expected.
MASTERLIST
HOUSE ALWAYS WINS
Hades!Jason Todd x Persephone!Reader Series (Complete)
Summary: Modern twist on the Greek Mythology story of Hades and Persephone.
MASTERLIST
TRICKS OF LOVE
Hermes!Dick Grayson x Reader Series (Complete)
Summary: Spin off series to ‘House Always Wins’ - Dick has never had a problem finding someone but he’s never really connected, until he met her soul in the Underworld.
MASTERLIST
THE INTERN
CEO!Roman Sionis x Reader Series (Complete)
Summary: Finally landing your dream job at Janus Cosmetics, you catch the eye of the CEO, Roman Sionis.
MASTERLIST
FAMOUS
Bodyguard!Jason Todd x Singer!Reader Series (On-going)
Summary: Your agent decides you need a bodyguard after your surge in popularity. There is only one man for the job. Jason Todd.
MASTERLIST
PRINCE OF GOTHAM
Summary: Finally landing your dream job within The Iceberg Lounge, you catch the eye of the CEO, Jason Todd.
You and Steve have a long-standing ritual: horror movie nights every Friday. You’re best friends in the way that fools absolutely nobody. Too much eye contact. Too much history. Too many almost-confessions swallowed with popcorn and sarcasm.
Then one freak storm hits.
The power goes out.
Everything dies except the TV.
The screen starts humming. Flickering. Breathing…
You both end up down the rabbit hole.
📼 🎥 🎞️ 📼
Is this something you guys would be interested in? 👀👀👀
“You ordered already?” you ask, leaning your shoulder against the frame.
Steve glances over his shoulder, one hand braced on the counter, the other tapping his phone. “Of course I did. You think I’m waiting until you get here and then sitting through your whole ‘I don’t mind, you pick’ routine?”.
You huff a laugh. “That’s not a routine.”
“It absolutely is,” he says. “And then I pick, and then you go, ‘Actually, I was kind of in the mood for something else,’ and then we have to—“.
“I do not—”.
“You do,” he cuts in, pointing at you with the hand holding his phone, grinning like he’s already won. “Every time.”
You narrow your eyes at him, but there’s no real bite to it. There never is. “So what did you get, then, since you apparently know me so well?”
He turns back to the counter, tapping the screen once more before setting the phone down. “Half pepperoni, half that weird one you like.”
“It’s not weird.”
“It’s goat cheese on it…it’s weird.”
“It’s good,” you insist, pushing off the doorway and stepping into the kitchen properly now, moving to stand beside him. “You just don’t have taste.”
“Yeah, yeah,” he says, but there’s a flicker of something softer in his voice, something that sounds a lot like familiarity worn smooth over time. “Drink?”
You and Steve have a long-standing ritual: horror movie nights every Friday. You’re best friends in the way that fools absolutely nobody. Too much eye contact. Too much history. Too many almost-confessions swallowed with popcorn and sarcasm.
Then one freak storm hits.
The power goes out.
Everything dies except the TV.
The screen starts humming. Flickering. Breathing…
You both end up down the rabbit hole.
📼 🎥 🎞️ 📼
Is this something you guys would be interested in? 👀👀👀
I Don't Hate You - Remastered - Chapter 2 (Jason Todd x Reader Series)
You're the meanest girl in school. Everyone is terrified of you. But when you're sentenced to ten weeks of detention at the school's library with another brooding troublemaker, Jason Todd, you find out there is, in fact, at least one guy on earth who isn't afraid of you.
And you hate that.
IDHY REMASTERED EDITION: GENERAL REVISIONS, NEW DIALOGUE, BONUS CONTENT, AND EXTENDED SCENES.
A/N: We start to take a few liberties from the original in this one, folks. chapter 2 might have been my least favorite chapter in the old version, which is why this one is almost a complete revamp with lots of new scenes and dialogues, being written in Jason's perspective instead of Y/N's, and their chemistry being completely different. I hope you like this version better because I definitely do!!
WORDS: 4596
WARNINGS: VIOLENCE, GRAPHIC DESCRIPTIONS OF INJURY
MASTERLIST
----
“You don’t understand, Alfred.” The whispers thundered. “I’ve never seen a boy so young… do that to a human being.”
Human beings. Killers. Criminals who deserve more than what they get. Bruce decides to overlook the bad when it comes to the pests who don’t matter and never sees the good in those who do.
He could try a lot harder to whisper in a house that big. But if he wanted Jason to overhear, he was doing a fantastic job.
“It’s his first few months with his identity, Master Bruce. The boy will learn.”
“Dick never pulled a man’s jaw out of his head, Alfred. I never worried he would.”
“It might have been an accident.”
Like his fist landing on a jaw that many times would be an accident.
He walked up the staircase out of the cave. He’d heard it all before. Darkness in his eyes, Bruce always says. Barbara mentioned it. Dick’s seen it. It’s all they see in Jason.
“No, Alfred. I don’t think it was.”
He didn’t care if they heard when he slammed the door out of the cave.
---
Jason might have been the first in school to send another kid to the hospital, but the emotional torment you left behind were like footprints from your combat boots.
Already by the first ten minutes in the library, you’ve messed up another shelf just shoving whatever you could into whatever space you could see.
Jason had never seen you wear anything that wasn’t in the depressing end of the color spectrum. You hid a piercing in your lip, too tiny for the school to notice. And the combat boots, heavy enough to break a skull, he believed were what you’d use to break into flesh if you didn’t have anything sharp in you.
A boy started to approach you.
He made sure you wouldn’t hear his feet come up from behind and waited until you’d turn and take notice of him. Smart kid.
“E-excuse me, Y/N?”
He was squirming like a mouse. “Uhm, I’m Jake. From Math c-class.”
Jake’s hands looked like they’d fall off his wrists. You haven’t said a word, and he looked like piss was about to run down his leg. You had a whole cart of yellowing books to place in the wrong shelves. This was not the time to be bothered.
“You, uhm, borrowed my notes.”
You tilted your head to the side, eyes narrowed.
“Can I have them back, please?” Jake squealed.
The only other time Jason had seen a person so afraid to talk to someone else was a henchman telling Joker news he didn’t want to hear. And it was followed by a bullet.
It looked like that was exactly what you were about to do. Your nostrils flared like a dragon’s snout, and Jake frantically backed away.
“I-I’m sorry. I just… You can keep them! Oh fuck!”
Then he backed away too hard, your stone glare locked into him, and slammed into Jason’s chest.
Jason didn’t flinch, but Jake looked like he was on the verge of imploding the minute he caught Jason’s eyes. If he was frightened by you then, he looked absolutely terrified now.
“Jason!?” The boy went white. “D-don’t kill me. I’m so sorry. I’ll go now.”
He could be nice. This school was the most normal thing he had since he was born.
He could put some effort into repairing his reputation.
“Here.”
You looked like you wanted to hit him with a hardbound when Jason grabbed your schoolbag from the seat and took out a dark red notebook.
Jake’s brain must’ve told all his muscles to freeze in place to survive. He stood motionless, only moving his head to look back at you. But you were no longer looking at Jake. Your eyes were on Jason.
Jake clutched the notebook to his chest, pushed everyone out of his way, and ran out of the library before you could do or say anything about it.
You looked like you were about to set him on fire.
Just to piss you off even more, Jason grabbed a book you just shelved and shoved it into the correct section. He made sure you were watching.
“I will make sure these books end up in your stomach by the end of the day, Todd.”
Ms. Peterson’s shrieking shush rang painfully into your ears. Your black nails dug into the covers of the books, and your jaw looked like it hurt from gritting so much. Jason took the book from you before you’d tear it apart.
“The next time you stick your hand down my shit, I’ll stick my hand right up your—"
“Wherever you stick your hand in, Y/N, how are you sure I won’t end up liking it?” He let his face close enough to yours so you could smell his breath. Anyone else, even Brandon, would have flinched to some degree. You didn’t.
“You fucking disgusting piece of dog shit.”
“Does it absolutely kill you that I’m not shaking at your gracious presence like that poor guy just did?”
“Maybe for your sake,” you spat.
He laughed. “Do whatever the fuck you want.”
“Watch me.”
“That’s torture enough as it is.” Jason grabbed another book you placed in the wrong shelf and waved it over your face.
“Conan Doyle isn’t True Crime,” Jason retorted.
“I fucking know about Sherlock Holmes, smartass.”
“I’m getting really tired of cleaning after your mess.”
“Well, what we’re doing is cleaning up after everyone else, so really what difference does it make?!” Your hiss was hot against his face.
“Do it right. And do it faster.”
“If I promise to shelf these stupid books right, do you promise to get off my ass?”
“If I could waste a birthday wish on that, Y/N, I would.”
“Okay, asshole. Wish granted.”
You snatched the book harsh enough to sting his still bruised wrist and wheeled your cart over to the other side of the shelf. He knew it wasn’t an accident when the wheel almost slammed itself against his toe.
“Agatha Christie isn’t on True Crime, either.”
You looked at him through the gaps of the shelves and flipped him off.
---
You were far enough away that you couldn’t tell he could overhear, but it would’ve taken halfway across the whole library hall just for him not to catch your hiss of a voice that always found its way to violate his ears.
You only had one friend—the ditziest girl in the whole school and the only one who could deal with your shit, probably because every word you say to that girl would be gusted away by the wind in her ears. Penny, with her sweet voice, whistle-noted her way past the shelves until she was prancing in circles around you. Jason had seen this girl sing at a pep rally a few times. One time, he also saw Penny running down the hallway, screaming as you chased her down the school after you let her to wax your eyebrows, and Penny accidentally tore every pluck of hair off your face. Jason remembered you having to go through a month with no eyebrows on.
“Y/N, why are you arranging books?” Penny asked. It was comical how you were friends when Penny was a human daisy and you were a human cactus.
“Because it’s fun, Penny,” you scowled. “I’m in detention.”
“Is it because you stabbed Maxwell with a pair of scissors?”
“I didn’t stab him!”
“Okay!” The girl looked down at her fingers, curling her wildly red hair. “But you must've done a lot of damage, because you're here with Jason Todd."
“I didn’t do—whatever.”
“I saw the fight he was in.”
“No way, dammit, I really fucking wanted to. What happened?”
Penny’s voice lowered. “I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but I saw Jason punch Brandon in the face and almost knock him out. He tried to fight back, but Jason was really… something. He just kept beating him down to the ground and didn’t stop until Jerry stopped them.”
“Cool,” you laughed. “Why do I always miss out on fights?”
Everyone in school was repulsed at the sight of Jason since that day.
The only repulsion he felt out of you, a seventeen-year-old gorgon spawn, was your resentment over the fact that you weren’t there to watch it.
“Brandon just came back from the hospital. He got a nose job and everything,” Penny squealed. “I’d be careful around Jason, Y/N.”
“Please. Have I ever been afraid of anyone?”
“No. But he probably isn’t either.”
“He doesn’t seem that scary to me.”
Jason stared at the empty gap where he was meant to put the book in his hand.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Penny said. “Good luck with the shelving.”
She skipped her way down the bookshelves, then stopped when her eyes locked onto Jason.
A normal life. From 9 am to 5 pm every weekday, his life could actually normal.
Take care of it.
“Hi,” he said.
Penny swallowed. “Hi.”
“I’m Jason.”
“I know,” Penny nodded frantically. “I’m Penny.”
He looked her up and down, jumping on her toes. “You a friend of Y/N’s?”
She quickly nodded. Her eyes met everything but Jason’s own.
“I’m not gonna hurt you.”
She looked back at Y/N, who watched the exchange with her sharp fingers, making dents on a book’s hard cover.
“Okay, uhm, nice to meet you, Jason.” She shook his hand. “Y/N said you were cool.”
“PENNY!”
She squealed like a puppy and ran out the door.
---
Ten minutes to closing time, just when he’d gotten used to this silence away from each other’s unmarked territory, you came up to him again. And he thought he could get through this day without hearing another god-awful word out of your mouth.
You handed him a book, looking everywhere but at him.
“I don’t know where this goes.”
You looked exhausted. Your hair was a mess. You looked defeated by your library cart and your pride must’ve shriveled away into coal. He, too was exhausted to make fun of you for it anyway, so he grabbed the book and placed it into the right shelf for you.
“What did Brandon say to you before you punched him in the face?”
He almost slammed a book into his forehead.
“I thought we agreed to leave each other alone.”
“Just tell me what happened.”
“So you can gossip to your little friend?”
“No. I’m just naturally curious about all things violent that happen in school.”
“It’s none of your business.”
He took the last five books in his cart and started shelving them while you uselessly trailed behind.
“I told you what happened to me. Now it’s your turn.”
He wouldn’t look at you and focused on the shelves.
“That fucker deserved it.”
“What did he say?”
“Does it matter?” he snorted. “Everybody saw me throw the first punch, but apparently, everyone was blind and deaf when Brandon talked shit to me before that. Watson wouldn’t believe me.”
“I do. I hate that guy. I wish I had sent him to the hospital. All I’ve done is send him to the nurse’s office for a patch of hair I pulled out of his scalp.”
A harsh breath escaped his nostrils.
“Who’d you fight next?” You leaned against the shelf.
“Excuse me?”
“Those bruises.” You pointed at his temple, where a fresh purple mark formed just from the night before.
He shoved the book hard into place.
“How many times do I have to tell you to mind your own damn business?”
“Next time you pick a fight, make sure it’s on my free period.”
Jason never meant to be so keen on details, but his eyes caught so much that he’d end up with information no one was meant to know. You only pulled out your phone for a second, and already he caught the text from your mom. ‘Dad is here, Y/N. He’ll pick you up in a few mins.’
You hadn’t read it yet. At five minutes until close, you shoved your cart to his hip and waved your hand over his face. “You got the rest of those books, don’t you, Todd?”
A human cactus.
You were out the door before he could throw you another throng of curses.
He assumed you looked at your phone just after that, because Jason heard a metal trash can being violently kicked by what sounded like your combat boots. He walked out of the library, seeing garbage all over the mowed grass just outside the school doors. Jason watched you storm out of the campus, walking to the next intersection. It didn’t look like you wanted to wait for anyone to pick you up.
---
“Now.” Ms. Peterson’s shaky hands placed a cart full of books on Jason’s side of the table, with you sitting right across from him. She wheeled over an empty cart to you, then handed you a clipboard.
“I don’t trust you—" she pointed her finger at you. “—to do this yourself. I don’t care if you don’t get along; you two have to do this together. These books were returned this week, and these kids read like they’re tossing them around the fucking house. List down the damages and place them back into the shelves.”
You slowly turned your head to Jason. It felt like bile about to come out of his throat.
So much for leaving each other alone for the next nine weeks.
Maybe if the old woman tried to be in the same breathing space as you for two hours a day, she’d know better than to force him in your proximity out of pity.
You picked up an old book from the pile. “How are we supposed to look for new damages? These are older than I am.”
“Just look for any crumples on the covers, and flip through them if you see any rips.”
His thumb went through a whole book in seconds, and he gave the book to you. “That one’s clean. Take the clipboard and list it down. Then place it back in the cart.”
“Fine.” He heard you mumble a curse word, but he wasn’t even sure what it meant.
“The Picture of Dorian Gray. All good.”
You ticked the box on the clipboard beside the title and got the book from his hand, placing it on the cart. While you did that, he picked up another, went through the cover, flipped through the pages, then gave it to you. “Around the World in Eighty Days. All good.”
Another tick. You placed it on the cart.
You could be civil. Or not. Your next move was as predictable as Gotham’s rain showers. But even after checking thirty books, you haven’t commented on the heat, the dust on the pages, or even Ms. Peterson’s blabber. You went through a whole half hour without saying a word.
If only you were this quiet every day, this job might be enjoyable. Flipping through books and getting to read an excerpt before he placed them back on the shelf was nothing he didn’t already do at the manor.
Like this old edition of Shakespeare’s poetry. Looked like it was from the eighties. For a library run by a school, they had a decent collection of classics.
I knew thee not, yet found my thoughts did stay,Where'er thy voice or shadow chanced to fall;Not love at first, but dawning of the day,Whose light grew soft upon my heart's still wall.
Thou art no flame that burns with sudden might,But ember warm that wakes the winter's chill;Each glance a sunbeam, drawing out the night,Unseen, yet shaping all against my will.
The pages were old, almost crumbling under his fingers. Maybe he could bring this back home. Bruce didn’t have this at the manor.
“Dude”
With an outstretched hand, you were watching him read the book.
Jason had never seen you smile until then.
Something in his chest stopped. Just for a moment.
“Sorry.” He handed you the book. “All good.”
It would have been less surprising if you screamed at him. But you didn’t. You ticked off the list and placed the book into the cart.
“You okay?” he asked,
You refused to look at him, sat back, and distracted yourself with the window. “I’m fine.”
He brought up a book with a torn cover.
“I know. What an animal,” you said.
He placed the book on the side like it was toxic waste. “Take note of that.”
Your voice hadn’t raised a pitch all day.
“Come on,” you said after you finished with the last book. “Let’s get this over with.”
“I like it when you’re nice to me.”
You gagged. “Shut up.”
“You getting the hang of this?”
“Don’t get used to it. Give it three days and you’ll be repulsed by the sight of paper.”
“I read every day, just so you know.”
“Right. You have the Library of Alexandria in your billionaire mansion.”
“I do, actually.”
“You’re a nerd, Todd.”
“Funny.”
You only had one cart to deal with. So, without even acknowledging that you work as a team, you did. Jason took the books and told you where to put them. For some, he didn’t have to. After an hour, you still hadn’t strained his ears about how much your wrists were aching.
It took you not being mind-numbingly annoying for him to notice you liked to hum random songs when it got too quiet in the room.
“This one goes all the way up there,” he told you. “There’s a ladder”
“You go up.”
“No. I don’t trust you.”
“I’m not gonna kill you with a fucking ladder, Todd.”
He snorted. “Sure. You’ll just leave me with all my limbs completely paralyzed.”
“I’m not gonna—” you grunted your throat out, “—fine, fine, I’ll do it. Dickhead.”
You shoved him off and carefully climbed up the ladder while he held it in place.
“If you shake this ladder, I’ll make your death look like an accident.”
“I won’t!”
It did cross his mind. Would be funny to see you squeal.
When you were high enough to reach the top, the library doors slammed open and the walls rattled with it.
Ms. Peterson couldn’t shush the ego out of Brandon’s thick, bruised skull. With a crowd of football goons at his tail, the asshole strutted his way down the bookshelves with hands too big and skin too thick to ever know how to turn a page. “WHERE’S TODD!?”
You stopped, startled. Jason kept his hold on the ladder. If he turned his head and caught that fucker’s newly built nose even once, he can’t promise not to sentence himself another ten weeks in this prison.
“Look at that, JASON TODD TOUGH KNUCKLES HIMSELF. In a fucking library?! You think smart enough to read, Todd?!”
Darkness. So much darkness in his eyes. It was all Bruce saw when he looked into them.
He felt fire through his palms.
“How’d you even learn to read?!” Brandon’s voice echoed for the whole library to hear. “Weren’t you FROM THE STREETS? WEREN’T YOU A STREETKID, TODD?”
A normal life. This was his only shot at it. He once lived in the streets. At night, he goes back to fight for it.
He hoped this normality wouldn’t have to shame him for how much dirt got under his fingers when he was barely old enough to run, how the wetness of mud puddles seeping out of concrete felt, just to sleep on whatever sidewalk wouldn’t freeze him into gangrene.
This time, it wasn’t low enough that no one would believe Jason was provoked. Brandon’s voice echoed for the whole school grounds to hear. Then, when he leaned in to Jason’s ear, he almost ripped the wood shavings off the ladder from his nails.
“You might have left that life, but that’s exactly where you belong. Monsters like you deserve hell—”
If it were any second longer, he would’ve ripped the guy’s throat off in one shove.
But he didn’t get to. Instead, he heard a crash. From dangerously close to his ear, something fell from the ceiling. With Brandon’s breath suddenly no longer harassing his ear, Jason finally turned.
The football linebacker was on the ground, unconscious. On top of his newly-constructed nose, now bent the other direction from last week, was a gigantic five-pound copy of an Atlas. Dust from the book’s untouched age flew across the room. Jason looked up.
You made your way down the ladder, dusting your shoulder off. You took one look at your victim and shrugged.
“What? I told you, I hate him, too.”
---
No one was sent to the office.
Ms. Peterson herself ruled it out as an accident. Everyone saw that Brandon was too close to Jason, holding the ladder. You claimed Brandon pushed on the ladder, and you accidentally dropped the book from your clearly unstable position up the shelves. They believed it. Brandon was sent for another nose job. Suddenly, Jason was no longer the only one in school who’d sent a kid to the hospital.
And still, you haven’t said a word to him. Held nothing against him. Mentioned nothing about what you’d just heard.
Non-coincidentally, people finally started coming up to him, patting his shoulder, telling him things they thought he needed to hear. Sorry. You good? Don’t listen to him. He heard none of that after the fight.
He heard none of that from you now.
At 5:05 pm, with all the books shelved and done, you haven’t even left the room.
On a Friday, when you’ve left earlier on busier days of the week, it was that day you decided you wanted to be in school longer.
You were at the table, arms crossed so tight, it must have hurt your hands. And you refused to look up from the wood of the table. Penny sat in front of you, but she was shoving everything into her bag while you stayed put in your seat, motionless.
“What are you doing Saturday night?”
“I’m dog-sitting for my mom’s boss.”
“What kind of dog?”
“Not sure. He’s got paws and a tail. Maybe he’s an English Paw-Tail! Why, what are you doing tomorrow night?”
“What, you think I don’t have any plans on a Saturday night?!?
“No, I never said—"
“I’ve got a lot of things I’m gonna do. Like tons!”
“Okay—”
“But if you want me to cancel my plans to come hang out with you while you dogsit, then fine.”
“Uhm.”
“Fine, I’ll do it.”
“But you don’t have to—”
“I said I’ll do it!”
Penny squealed, jumping on her toes.
“But you owe me, babygirl...” you huffed, ruffling Penny’s head. The girl ran out the door.
You still were in no rush to leave. You settled into that seat like you’ve melted into the wood.
You did not want to go home at all.
Jason eavesdropped enough for the day. He took the seat in front of you. He wouldn’t let you look away from his eyes.
“What do you want now?”
Troubled kids like him—they never had much of a home. And if they did, they were better off not having one at all.
He thought Bruce was full of shit about seeing darkness in his eyes. But it was all one could see, looking into the eyes of someone with so much rage.
Probably not as dark as his. But it was there. Darkness recognized darkness.
“You’re not leaving?”
You turned to Ms. Peterson, still at her desk. “Place doesn’t close until six. I have a paper to do.”
“Can’t do it at home?”
“Not in the mood, Todd.”
You stood up, but you weren’t heading for the door. You headed for the shelves.
You were the only two left behind in the halls. The lights were dim. For once, it was calm. He liked the musk the books gave off when not a lot of other smells were there to disturb it.
Jason grabbed a piece of paper from a notebook, scribbled on it when he was sure you wouldn’t see, and shoved it into his pocket.
Jason walked over to you. You ran a light finger down the spines of books he’d just shelved that day.
“Is it the classic literature paper we have to do for the semester?”
You rolled your eyes, pulling out a random book from one of the shelves and skimming through the pages.
“I can help you find a book to do your paper on.”
“You don’t have to talk to me just because I dropped a book on your archenemy’s face.”
“That’s not… why I wanna talk to you…” he sighed, running a hand down his hair.
You leaned your back against the shelf.
“What do you like to read?” he asked.
You shrugged. “I don’t know any of them.”
At the top, in bold black embellishments on the spine of the hardcover, he pulled out a book you probably wouldn’t mind.
Edgar Allan Poe: Collection of Stories
“Since you like all that dark, spooky stuff.”
When you weren’t looking, he shoved the paper from his pocket in between the pages.
“What makes you think I like that?”
“Just try it.”
You grabbed the book from his hands and flipped through the pages. On the cover was the face of a thin man with a funny mustache and a black bird perched on his shoulder.
“We don’t have to tell Mother Goose over there.”
He thought you’d have more to say, or anything to argue for no reason than to argue.
But you just looked tired.
“Thank you.”
You met his eyes, finally. A strand of your hair flew over your nose. You didn’t bother to pull it back.
And if Jason could stand to be around you often, he would’ve noticed how, when you did your makeup, you liked to draw attention to your eyes. And you did a good job at that. It was all shades of black, pulling gazes like a black hole. You painted shadows around the lightness. Jason caught sight of the piercing on your lip, as well. You liked to wear a bigger one after school. He wondered what else he’d come to notice if he got a closer look.
Then you walked past him. Like the books, when it was unmarred with the scents of every other student’s sweat and harsh cologne, you didn’t smell like a cactus. You smelled like black dahlias.
He couldn’t help himself. “Aren’t you gonna ask me what I’m doing Saturday night?”
You flipped him off before leaving the room.
You’d find the note eventually.
He wrote two numbers. The first, his. And the second, a help hotline. You’d know which was which.
You never brought it up. Neither did Jason. He owed you, but it wasn’t because you dropped a book on Brandon’s face.
No one in school spoke to him after the fight except you.
You were the only one who didn’t flinch when he was in the room.
You were the only one in school and at home who didn’t look at him like they walked over an active landmine.
You saw yourself as a monster so much that you looked at him like he wasn’t one at all.
I Don't Hate You - Remastered - Chapter 1 (Jason Todd x Reader Series)
You're the meanest girl in school. Everyone is terrified of you. But when you're sentenced to ten weeks of detention at the school's library with another brooding troublemaker, Jason Todd, you find out there is, in fact, at least one guy on earth who isn't afraid of you.
And you hate that.
IDHY REMASTERED EDITION: GENERAL REVISIONS, NEW DIALOGUE, BONUS CONTENT, AND EXTENDED SCENES.
A/N: After five long fucking years, our favorite bitch Y/N is back. I love this story to death, and I've grown so much as a writer since then. I wrote the original in a span of a month, posting a new chapter every day, so I never got the chance to fully proofread or even edit much of it after a single read-through. I wrote this surrounded by the best people on this app, and it was an era of my life I look fondly on until now. I hope you accept me again. And thank you to everyone who stuck around.
WORDS: 4024
WARNINGS: MENTIONS OF VIOLENCE, TROUBLED KIDS BEING REPRIMANDED BY THE SCHOOL
MASTERLIST
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You never bothered to count your visits to the disciplinary office.
Over time, you felt the chair mould itself more into the shape of your ass; the chair that was too cold for you to rest your arms on. The room was the same, stuffy and humid, making you want to take deeper breaths. And the lingering smell of either strawberry or lemon perfume hurt your sinuses.
It was the waiting that made you want to leap out the window.
The Vice Principal’s assistant refused to look up at you from her paperwork. When she finally did catch your eye, she scrambled for something else to look at.
Vice Principal Watson rang you in. The assistant stood up from her desk and walked over to the door right beside you. She didn’t look at you with shame, or pity, or annoyance. She looked at you like you hid a knife under your sleeve. “Ms. Y/LN.”
Slinging your bag over your shoulder, you stomped into the office and made sure everyone in the room could hear your boots.
Watson watched you from the edge of her glasses, and you knew this wouldn’t be any different from your last visits. The room was even stuffier inside. She had a shit ton of paperwork on her desk, one of them with your name printed in bold at the top and several red marks below it. That pile of paperwork grew thicker each time. Now it was an inch thick of incident reports held together by dangling paperclips. Without waiting for her to say a word, you took a seat.
You eyed the woman up and down. Her exhaustion was imminent; exhaustion from you. The bags under her eyes grew a millimeter each time that woman had to say your name. This was the second time this week.
So you slumped onto the chair.
“Y/N.” Her voice was soft. “This is a new low. Even for you.”
“He deserved it.”
“What was it that Mr. Maxwell did to you then? Enlighten me.”
Your eyes trailed around the room, tongue pressing hard behind your teeth until it hurt. “He spilled coffee all over my project.”
“I see,” she started writing down a fresh new incident report to add to the pile. “When did this happen?”
“This morning.”
“And what was it that you did to retaliate?”
VP Watson’s frustrations were boiling out of her skull as she stared at you. You giggled your response.
“I threw a pair of scissors and it landed on his arm.”
She muffled a slight ‘mhm’, taking down notes without looking up. “Were you aiming at his arm?”
You slumped back against the chair. “Probably not.”
Watson put the pen down and rubbed her face with her hands, pulling at her skin until it looked like it stretched out her wrinkles. You looked around at her desk—at the lack of a framed picture Watson usually had on top.
“I see you went through with the divorce.”
“Enough. You’re not funny.”
You laughed, hands folded on your lap.
“You have to give me more details. I can’t rule this out as an accident again.”
“It wasn’t.”
“But it clearly was an accident when he spilled his drink, Ms. Y/LN.”
“I don’t care,” you said, enunciating every word. “Maxwell has to do my project all over again. For me.”
“That’s not how it works, Y/N. Not after you’ve impaled him.”
You always get through days like this. Some days might have had you tear out a piece of your hair each time, but you got through them.
“Just this past month, you sent five kids to the school counsellor crying about the horrible things you’ve said to them.”
“Overreactions.”
“If you can practice just a tiny bit of empathy—”
“I have empathy.” Whatever that meant.
“I’m worried about you, Y/N.” Her arm reached out to the edge of the desk. “You know our counsellors are always welcome to help you.”
“I’m not interested in therapy.”
“You need someone.”
Your exasperated scoff would’ve been heard from the other room. “I know exactly what I’m doing, Ms. Watson.”
She shook her head. “I no longer know how to help you, Y/N.”
“I don’t need help.”
The last time you were here, VP Watson skipped the lecture, handed you the punishment, and you made your way out of the office after just five minutes. Why couldn’t she do that now? Why did she have to drag it out, knowing it could never end differently?
“If you were at the other end of your bullying, how would you feel?”
This was getting irritating. You shifted your aching ass in the seat and pulled at your muscles to stretch. “I don’t know why they gave you this job, Ms. Watson.”
She chose to ignore the insult. You’ve said worse things. Far worse things.
“You cause permanent damage. It would help if you found someone to soften you up.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
“Language, or you get another demerit,” she pulled out more of her forms. You scoffed and sat back.
“Do you have friends in this school? Someone who would tell you if you step out of line?”
“I have friends.”
“And yet, they’re all afraid of you. Everyone is afraid of you.”
“So?”
“So,” she pinched the middle of her eyes and closed them. “I think you need someone to care about. A boyfr-“
“A boyfriend?” you almost screamed. “What kind of Vice Principal are you?!”
“I am running out of options. And things to say. You’re not exactly driving me sane here.”
“I’ve never had one, Watson. And I don’t plan on having one. Boys are stupid and annoying and dirty.”
“And every guy you meet is terrified of you, Y/N.”
“That’s how I like it.”
VP Watson took her glasses off, wiped them with her shirt, and grabbed her coffee mug from the side of her table. She looked like she was about to spill the hot beverage on her lap to get herself out of this session.
“That shouldn’t be the case.”
“I want to go now.”
“I am here to help my students. No matter how personal it can get. It’s part of my job. And my job is to make sure you’re okay and not terrorizing half my other students.”
You shook your head and stared out the window.
“Someone can really help you, and they’ll be someone you’ll want to change for.”
“I’m not interested-”
“Someone who wouldn’t be afraid of you, not even if you tried-“
The door slammed open, crashing hard against the wall and rattling everything on it. A small man with glasses and a tie hauled a young boy by the arm, who flinched and cursed vilely under his breath. His face was newly bruised, and his knuckles looked sore. He glared at the man, VP Watson, and once he met your eyes, you.
“Ms. Watson-“
“Jerry, I’m in the middle of something.”
Jerry. Your science teacher. He was severely out of breath, drowning in his own sweat. He leaned his hand against a drawer and would not let go of the boy when he struggled.
“I’m sorry. But I couldn’t take it. A fight broke out right outside the cafeteria. I barely made it out of there alive.”
Shit. You’re always missing out on the good stuff.
“Calm down,” Ms. Watson stood up to hold Jerry by the shoulder. “Who started the fight?”
“Jason Todd,” the teacher pulled on the boy’s arm. “This young man right here.”
It was like witnessing a public execution. No wonder people of the old times found them so amusing.
The Vice Principal looked like she had a surge of yet another headache, and your grin had grown far from subtle. Jason’s eyes stuck to the ground. He was fit, looked like he could be on the football team and win a fist fight. And you’ve seen this kid quiet around in the hallways. His dark hair was almost always covering his eyes, and he was constantly studying or reading in the library.
“Mr. Todd. Is that true?”
Todd didn’t look at any of them in the eye, gritting his teeth as he mumbled. “Yes.”
“Jesus,” Ms. Watson silently breathed. “Ms. Y/LN. I’m gonna need you to wait outside.”
“Can’t I just go-“
“No. I have a whole new set of punishments for you. Mr. Todd. Take a seat.”
You groaned loud enough for the whole office to hear you, slamming your hands on the armrests and dragging the chair back. The Vice Principal pressed onto the intercom. “Jen. Make sure Ms. Y/LN doesn’t leave.”
Slamming the door behind you, you crashed onto the cold seat outside the office again, mumbling obscene insults that would’ve gotten you suspended if anyone had heard. Jen, the assistant, finally looked you in the eye, but the moment you glared back with knives in your eye sockets, she looked away.
Someone else was beside you—an asshole from the football team. Brandon looked beaten up, and his brown hair was a mess. Probably who the Todd kid picked a fight with. He looked just as large as Jason, but had a lot more bruises than just on his cheek. Both his eyes were bulging, purple, and swollen, and he held a bag of ice against his right temple. His lip was spurting out blood, and his nose was bent in a horrifically wrong direction. He noticed you staring at him. “What are you looking at, sweet cheeks?”
Your nostrils flared as if flames seethed out of your breath, and your eyebrows raised almost to your forehead.
That glare was enough to make him gulp, even with his throat all sore, and look immediately away from you. “S-Sorry, Y/N. Pretend I’m not here.”
They led the boy to the school nurse, then you shut your eyes hard and leaned against the wall to nap.
Not long after, the door opened, and the Vice Principal looked at you with her arms exhaustedly flailing for you to come in. “Y/N…”
Walking back inside, this time not taking the seat no matter how long she was going to offer it to you, you stood with your back leaning against the door. Todd watched you. You glared back.
You thought the challenge of finding another troublemaker more troublesome than you was impossible, but it seemed to have been beaten, because the Vice Principal looked equally, if not more, distressed than when she only had to deal with you.
Jason Todd looked back at the VP. He didn’t flinch when you caught his eye, not like Brandon did. He looked bored, then Ms. Watson gathered her forms and folded them into a pile.
“Both your behaviors are simply unacceptable. No amount of regular detention will cover it. Especially not when it’s neither of your first times here in my office. Jason, I expected a lot more from a top student.”
Jason didn’t look up from his feet.
Ms. Watson looked like she was preparing herself. “I have a special task that will surely bring both of you to your needed discipline. Both of you will serve as assistants at our school library from three pm to five pm everyday for the next ten weeks.”
Absolutely not.
This never happened.
Detention never lasted more than a week. And it was always sitting at a desk chair for an hour, counting the hands of the clock in silence. That, you could take. You’d gladly stare at nothing for an hour a day for the rest of high school if need be.
Jason looked no more delighted, slowly turning his head at you as if the punchline of this joke of a punishment was you and not the library.
“With her?!” he cried.
You didn’t have the time to be offended.
“NO!”
“Neither of you is changing my mind. You start today.” She pressed on her intercom. “Jen. Lead these two to the library.”
You heard mumbles from the other line, though you could barely hear anything at all when sirens were blasting into your eardrums.
“You’re right. Call in the security guard for Y/N.”
If you could see your intestines, you’d witness them uncurling and flailing around in your stomach in an attempt to grab onto anything and stop you from being dragged into the library. Your screaming, since none came from your mouth, steamed out of your ears. You elbowed the security guard when he grabbed you by the arm.
“Don’t touch me,” you sneered. “I can walk there myself.”
---
Three pm. You should be at home, napping, not standing in the fucking school library with some kid with a bruised face.
The librarian wasted no time with niceties and handed you both a monstrous pile of books in two unorganized carts. You pressed a finger down the bridge of your nose to stop the explosion waiting to seep out of your vocal cords.
The librarian, Ms. Peterson, looked like every stereotype of the profession; it was comical. Her cat-eye glasses were sharp, and her back arched so much she was standing right up to your chest. Her white hair fell onto the books, and you had to brush off a strand that fell on your black sleeve.
“Place these back on the shelves. By genre. By author. Alphabetical.”
“Who even reads books anymore?”
Your prison cellmate looked at you like you had insulted his mother.
“Smart people do.”
This guy, so bold as to insult you to your face, had obviously never seen you shut a locker on a guy’s knuckles and secured it with a padlock. Your head turned slowly.
“What’s that supposed to mean, dickhead?”
“Start placing those books on the shelves, Y/N.” He spat out your name like it was a curse.
So he obviously knew who you were. He just didn’t care. Todd took his cart and reeled it over to the shelves. You forcibly pulled on your own cart, the wheel squeaking and almost falling out of the socket, and parked it right beside Jason. He spared you no glance, even at your attempts to intimidate him with your eye-knives.
“What are you in for, anyway?” he asked.
You chucked a book way too harshly into the shelf without even checking the labels. “None of your goddamn business.”
“Tell me.”
You took out another book. Without even looking at the cover, you placed it on the first available space you could see. “You know that Maxwell kid?”
“The guy who spills his coffee on the table all the time?”
“He spilled it on my project. I worked on it all day.”
He watched you arrange a book. “What did you do to him?”
“I threw a pair of scissors. It landed on his arm.”
“Jesus.”
One after another, onto the same shelf. Jason glanced at your half hour’s work, sighed a huge weight out of his lungs, then took out the books you’d just stuffed into the shelves.
“What the fuck are you doing?”
“Be quiet. This is a library.”
Your brain ought to have been microwaved by your head from how much it was flaming at the sound of him. “Leave me alone, Todd.”
“You’re arranging them all wrong. These are classic fiction, which belong all the way over there,” he pointed to the shelf beside you. “This shelf is for poetry. See?”
You grabbed the cart, really feeling the steam ring out of your ears if it hadn’t run out already. Eye knives.
Yet Jason’s dark eyes looked no less homicidal than yours. No fear. No intimidation. “Stop wasting my time, Wednesday Adams.”
“You little sh-“
“SHH!” Ms. Peterson’s shrill voice echoed like the shriek of a large bat. Everyone looked up from their books, then turned to you.
You stepped back and grabbed your cart, cursing as Jason snickered beneath his breath.
If it were anyone else interacting with you, they’d be crying out the door.
You stayed at the classic fiction section, placing the books more gently onto the spaces. Your boots stood on their tiptoes when you had to reach the higher shelf. That was all you did for another half hour.
“Did you hear?”
Whispering voices were on the other side of the shelf you arranged. A girl and a guy, leaning against the corner at the farthest end. You heard never to go into that aisle if you didn’t want to see two kids humping each other in the middle of a school day
“Y/FN stabbed Maxwell with scissors in his arm. They said it bled all over the cafeteria floor.”
You scoffed. You threw the scissors, not stabbed them into flesh. And he didn’t bleed all over the floor. The blood barely even spurted out into the guy’s shirt.
“She’s here. On library duty.”
“No way.”
“She deserves it.”
“Bitch.”
You felt the urge to drive the book spines into these two people’s eye sockets.
Before you could, a crowd dispersed out of the campus gates. It was Brandon, being walked into a car with bandages around his head. The football linebacker had his whole entourage of goons surround him while the onlookers pushed each other for a glimpse of his ruined face. He did a good job hiding it with the bandages. Though knowing the guy, you knew he’d never want the school to see how he’d just gotten beaten into a bruised piece of fruit.
Everyone in that library stopped what they were doing and stared at the football player’s overly dramatic exit out of school out the window, before they turned their heads at Jason Todd.
Jason looked at his feet, his bruised cheeks now red, his eyes dark even with the lights directly above him, and his knuckles trembling over the cart’s grip.
“Jason Todd’s here on detention, too.”
“Heard he almost killed Brandon.”
“Broke his nose. And his whole face. Guy could barely breathe. Heard he has to get it reconstructed.”
“Jesus, what an asshole.”
“At least Y/N’s never sent anyone to the hospital. He’s even worse than her.”
Jason heard everything. He stopped with his books, teeth grinding into his lips so much it looked painful. There was that darkness, the flares from his eyes that you saw back in the office. His wrists trembled like they wanted to hit something again. And the cart looked fragile being wrapped around with his bruised fingers and looking like they’d break at a single pull.
You could’ve sworn you saw the handlebars of the cart bend the wrong way when he lost his grip. The large veins in his arms throbbed. And his eyes darted off to different parts of the floor when the whispers came from every corner of the library.
When he pushed the cart enough to almost tumble it all over the floor, you admit you might have flinched. But you refused to look away even when you caught his eyes burning red.
Another half hour later, you heard disgustingly wet noises from horny teenagers’ lips. The couple with a lot to say about you and Jason were now eating at each other’s faces like licking cannibals. You remembered what that corner was called. It was the Boner Aisle.
“HEY!”
Your feet almost quaked the floors when you stomped. The couple choked the second they saw you turn the corner, trembling with their mouths wet and their arms tangled around each other’s limbs.
“OUT!”
They scrambled out the door, knowing better than to look you in the eye.
Ms. Peterson went up to you, proudly nodding at the now-empty Boner Aisle.
“Fifty years in this library, and not one assistant has managed to scare these twists off from groping each other’s privates. Only person who did was, well, me.”
You shrugged.
“Good job. You might actually be of use.”
You shrugged as the old lady waddled her way back to her desk.
Then, you caught Jason’s eye. That was the first time you’ve seen him smile at you, before he occupied himself with another book from the cart.
---
The day started to dim. At almost five pm, you barely made it halfway through your cart, while Jason had just a few books unshelved. With the last few books, your aching wrist shoved them on top of the other books’ spines. Never mind if the old woman would have an aneurysm if she caught you.
The highest shelf was far beyond your reach, even on your toes. It was five minutes to five o’clock, and you just wanted to put this last book before you’d get the hell out of this place.
“Need help?”
Your jaw started to hurt from the amount of clenching you’ve done that day.
But you were exhausted, handing the book to him even if whatever was left of your pride seethed out into nothingness. His taller frame was able to place the book onto the shelf without much effort, and you kept your arms folded while he turned his attention to you with a large arm against the shelf.
At least he was nice to look at.
“Do you have this whole library memorized, or are you just that much of a nerd?”
“The second one,” he snorted. “It’s really not that hard if you know these books.”
“You know all these books?”
Jason shrugged. “Most of them.”
“You’ve read them or do you just know of them?”
“Read them. I have a library of my own back home.”
“Wait,” you pointed the spine of a sharp book near his chest, “no fucking way. You’re the new Wayne kid.”
Like finding shit at the bottom of his soles, he looked like he wanted to barf.
“So you’re rich and you’re in detention?” you laughed. “Shouldn’t you be in a boarding school?”
“I was. Didn’t end well. That’s why I’m here. With you.” Those words sneered out of his lips like it was the filthiest thing to come out of it.
You flipped through the pages and slipped it between two books you didn’t check.
“Stop it,” he mumbled, taking the book and placing it into the correct shelf. “It has to be alphabetical. Do you not know the alphabet?”
“Maybe I just like seeing you squirm.”
“If we’re gonna be stuck here for the next ten weeks, we might as well get along.”
“Wasn’t it you who hated the idea of being stuck here with me?” you scoffed. “And don’t take it personally. I’m horrible to everyone.”
“They don’t have the blessing of spending two hours with you every day,” he sneered. “But maybe this won’t be so bad if you actually do your job right.”
“I’d rather slam my tongue in a car door.”
“Unfortunately for me, I brought a bike.”
Your thumbs were a trigger away from pressing into his eyes.
“I’ll try my best to tolerate you. You can do the same.” He stuck his newly bruised hand out for you to shake.
Gossip, you can handle. Kids screaming and running at the sound of your boots down the hall, it exhilarated you. But Jason Todd, not only driving imaginary screwdrivers into your ears with every word out of his mouth, but taunting you as if your retorts were no threat to him—every organ in your body wanted to implode.
Just how troubled was this guy? You’ve heard of fist fights, sure. But they didn’t happen too often. You’ve seen him with bruises on his face, with a new one popping up each time you saw him in school. Every guy on the football team did. But Jason wasn’t on the team. Where did those bruises come from?
With how everyone whispered Jason’s name, it sounded like you should be the one afraid of him.
You laughed.
You liked a challenge.
Putting on the biggest fake smile, you grabbed Jason’s hand, shook it, and gripped it with enough force to break his bruised knuckles.
“Mother fucker.”
“Hmm.” Another fake smile. “Happy tolerating.”
Five pm. You stormed out of the library before he could say anything more.
---
NOTE: Y/N IS HEAVILY INSPIRED BY JADE WEST FROM VICTORIOUS. THE ORIGINAL SERIES IS COMPLETE AND POSTED HERE ON TUMBLR AND AO3.
RESETING MY TAGLIST! LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT IN
TAGLIST:
Summary: Your mind replayed the attack over and over—those moments when the knife was so close, and Jason’s intervention saved your life. A second later, and everything could have been different.
Warnings: Suggestive content. Mild violence / attacking. Nothing too graphic or disturbing.
A/N: Sending all my love to you wonderful readers & please enjoy the next chapter - I think this is what you have all been waiting for 👀👀👀 - Elle xoxo ❤️❤️
———
CLOSE CONTACT
———
The roaring crowd pulsed through the concert hall, the lights dimming as the final note of the night echoed out. You smiled, breathless and exhilarated, revelling in the energy that the fans always gave you. It was the perfect end to the show, and as you headed backstage, you barely registered the footsteps behind you amidst the bustle of crew members packing up. But then, a strange prickling unease settled over you, and you slowed, glancing over your shoulder.
Before you could react, a man appeared out of nowhere, blocking your path. His eyes were wild—almost black, fixated on you in a way that sent ice shooting down your spine. He mumbled something incoherent, stepping closer, his hand slipping into his jacket. Alarm bells blared in your head, but you barely had time to process them before he lunged, his arm flashing forward with something sharp clutched in his hand.
You stumbled back, your heart slamming against your ribs, paralyzed for a heartbeat too long. But then, just as the glint of the blade closed in, a dark figure hurtled into your attacker, slamming him into the wall with brutal force. Jason. He twisted the man’s wrist, the knife clattering to the floor, and restrained him with practised ease. Jason’s eyes burned with fury as he pinned the man, his voice low and threatening, a side of him you’d rarely seen.
The would-be assailant struggled, but Jason held him firm, not wavering for a second. His focus shifted to you, his expression softening just slightly. “You okay?” he asked, his voice rough with barely restrained anger.
You nodded, shaken but grateful beyond words. The weight of what could have happened pressed on you, lingering long after Jason had led you to the safety of your dressing room, whispering reassurances. And even now, sitting alone on the edge of your hotel bed, the memory of those tense, adrenaline-soaked moments hadn’t faded.
——
The chaos of the night was still fresh in your mind, the adrenaline slowly ebbing away as you sat on the edge of your hotel bed. The room was quiet, the hum of the AC the only sound filling the space. Wrapped in a soft, white towel, your skin prickled against the cool air, a stark contrast to the heat of everything that had just happened. Your mind replayed the attack over and over—those moments when the knife was so close, and Jason’s intervention saved your life. A second later, and everything could have been different.
The knock on the door startled you. Your head snapped up, eyes wide.
“Hey.”
Jason stood in the doorway, his figure filling the space. The sight of him sent a warmth through your veins, a contrast to the cold fear that had gripped you earlier. You gave him a shaky smile, curling your toes into the soft pile of the carpet beneath you.
“I, uh…” He rubbed the back of his neck, clearly uncomfortable, his other hand gripping the door handle as if he wasn’t sure whether to stay or go. “I just wanted to check on you, see how you’re doing.”
You hadn’t bothered to dry your hair, and water dripped down your back in slow, cold rivulets. “I’m fine,” you lied, your voice unconvincing even to yourself. “I needed a shower to clear my head.”
Jason’s eyes narrowed, clearly not buying your attempt at nonchalance. He stepped further into the room, his face etched with worry and guilt. “I’m sorry.”
You frowned. “Why?” It made no sense. He had saved your life tonight—if he hadn’t been there, you didn’t even want to think about what would’ve happened. The thought made your stomach churn, and you shuddered involuntarily at the memory.
Jason’s face twisted in frustration. “You nearly died, Y/N… that was on me. That lunatic shouldn’t have been able to get that close to you. I’m your bodyguard, and I failed you.” He tugged his hair harshly, his fists clenching in anger. “Fuck.”
Your heart softened as you saw the weight of guilt he was carrying, the disbelief on his face, the anger at himself. “Jay—” you started gently, but he cut you off.
“No! Don’t.” He shook his head, scrunching his eyes shut as if he couldn’t bear to look at you. “I’ll resign in the morning. I’ll send the letter to Sionis, make sure they replace me with someone better—someone who can actually protect you.”
Before you could think, before the weight of his words could sink in, you acted on pure instinct, leaning forward and pressing your lips to his in a delicate kiss. You’d wanted this for months—wanted to pull him close, to feel his warmth against you, to kiss him like this.
Jason froze. Your heart skipped a beat, panic rising. Had you misread everything? The teasing remarks, the lingering glances, the late-night fast food runs—had it all just been friendly? Oh God, you thought, anxiety clawing at your chest. But then, just as the doubt began to overwhelm you, you felt his arms wrap around you, pulling you against his solid chest.
His response was electric. Jason kissed you back with a depth you hadn’t expected, his lips moving hungrily against yours. One of his hands tangled in your wet hair, fingers gripping your scalp as he deepened the kiss, his other arm holding you tightly, as if he never wanted to let go. The heat of his body against yours was intoxicating, and you melted into him, your own arms wrapping around his neck, drawing yourself closer until there was no space left between you.
Every kiss felt like a spark, every touch like gasoline on a fire, and it wasn’t long before the passion between you both grew fevered. His hands slid down your back, pressing you into him, his warmth spreading over your skin. The towel around your body began to feel like too much fabric, a barrier you didn’t want anymore. You wanted him—every part of him, here, now.
But Jason pulled back, breathless, his lips swollen from the kiss. “Wait—” he whispered, his forehead resting against yours. His breathing was ragged, his voice low and thick with desire. “I want you, Y/N… I really do, but… I want to take you out first. A real date.”
You blinked at him, the haze of the moment lifting slightly. “A real date?” you repeated, your heart fluttering. The tenderness in his voice, in his request, was enough to make you want him even more.
He nodded, pressing a soft kiss to your forehead. “Yeah. I want to do this right. Treat you how you deserve.”
A small laugh escaped your lips, the playful side of you resurfacing despite the heat still lingering between you. “You’re such a gentleman, Jason. How old-fashioned of you.”
He chuckled, his eyes soft as he looked at you. “Just don’t make it easy for me, okay? I like a challenge.”
Your teasing smile faltered slightly, replaced by something deeper, something touched by the gesture. “I’m not going to make it easy at all,” you whispered back, and you meant it in more ways than one.
Jason sighed, glancing at the bed before looking back at you. “I’ll stay with you tonight if you want… just to make sure you’re safe.” He paused, and you knew he was trying to temper the fire between you both. “But I’ll crash on the couch. I think we both need some space to—breathe.”
The tension between you was palpable, but you nodded, understanding. “Yeah… okay. I’d like that.”
With one last lingering look, Jason grabbed a pillow from the bed and headed for the couch in the corner of your suite. As he settled in, you couldn’t help but smile at his restraint, at how much he cared. Even though the unspoken tension hung in the air, you felt safer, knowing he was here with you.
Tomorrow, there would be more to talk about. There would be questions to answer, feelings to sort through. But tonight, you allowed yourself to relax into the bed, knowing Jason was there to watch over you. And even though he was on the couch, the bond between you felt stronger than ever, the promise of something more waiting just beneath the surface.
Summary: You nudged him with your elbow, grinning. “Stop ruining the mood”. “Oh… there’s a mood?” he teased, raising an eyebrow.
Warnings: Nothing
A/N: Sending all my love to you wonderful readers & please enjoy the next chapter - Elle xoxo ❤️❤️
———
MIDNIGHT DELICACY
———
The night air was cool as Jason pulled into the near-empty parking lot of the late-night drive-through. The hum of the engine faded, leaving only the soft buzz of neon lights and the distant chirping of crickets. You had insisted on this stop, craving something sweet and simple after the long, stressful day.
Jason glanced around, taking in the desolate scene. “I’m starting to see why you like these 1 a.m. food runs,” he mused.
You smiled, leaning back in your seat, the smell of greasy food already wafting through the air. “I don’t get hassled as much. It’s a welcomed break.”
Jason nodded, his eyes softening. “I can imagine.”
You turned to him, your voice quieter now. “It’s not like I don’t appreciate my fans or where they’ve gotten me. But sometimes… I just want a little—”
“Peace?” Jason finished for you, his eyes locking with yours.
You smiled, nodding. “Yeah… I just don’t get to do normal things as much anymore.”
Jason smirked, taking a sip of his drink. “It is a little creepy, though.”
You nudged him with your elbow, grinning. “Stop ruining the mood.”
“Oh… there’s a mood?” he teased, raising an eyebrow.
You rolled your eyes. “Shut up.”
Jason chuckled, his voice dropping to a more playful tone. “Bet you bring all your boyfriends here, don’t you?”
You tried to play it off, but the hint of jealousy in his voice was unmistakable. “Well, not exactly.”
Jason turned to you, curiosity flickering in his eyes. “Oh? What do you mean?”
You shrugged, your cheeks warming as you glanced down at your feet. “I don’t exactly remember the last proper date I went on.”
Jason’s teasing smile faded, replaced with something softer, more genuine. “Well, aren’t you lucky I’m here.”
You laughed, but it was nervous, your heart beating a little faster. “Does it really count if you’re getting paid?”
Jason swallowed, his voice quieter now, almost hesitant. “Well, I mean… we could go when I’m not on the job. If you wanted?”
You blinked, surprised, your chest tightening with something unfamiliar. “Are you paying?” you asked, trying to lighten the moment.
Jason grinned, rubbing the back of his neck. “On my wage? Guess I’ll have to start saving up.”
You laughed again, feeling the tension ease. “First date will be my treat. I’ll just charge you if I get bored.”
Jason’s eyes sparkled with amusement. “Trust me, princess, that ain’t gonna happen.” He leaned over, grinning mischievously as he stole a bite of your ice cream.
“Hey!” you protested, swatting his hand away. “Get your own!”
He smirked, taking another bite. “I’ve got one here.”
You narrowed your eyes, pointing to the corner of his lips. “You’ve got some—”
Jason raised an eyebrow, glancing down at his lips. “Oh?”
For a moment, time seemed to slow. Your eyes locked with his, the playful banter fading as the space between you shrunk. He leaned in, his breath warm against your skin, his eyes darkening with something unspoken. Your heart raced as you instinctively leaned closer, the tension between you thickening.
But just as your lips were about to meet, Jason’s elbow hit the steering wheel, and the car horn blared, making both of you jump back in surprise.
You burst into laughter, the moment shattered, while Jason groaned, rubbing his face. “Smooth,” you teased, still giggling.
Jason shot you a sheepish grin, the heat between you not quite gone, just postponed. “Yeah, well… there’s always next time.”
You smiled, the thought of a “next time” hung in the air between you.
——
Jason and you lingered in the car for a moment after the horn blared, both still laughing softly, but the undercurrent of something heavier remained. His eyes flicked to your lips more than once, and you couldn’t stop yourself from wondering what would’ve happened if the moment hadn’t been interrupted. The tension between you crackled, like an unspoken invitation hanging in the air, too tempting to ignore but too delicate to address outright.
Jason finally let out a low sigh, running a hand through his hair as he broke the silence. “Well, I guess that’s one way to ruin the moment,” he said with a chuckle, but his voice was a little rough, as though he wasn’t quite ready to joke about it.
You swallowed, your heart still racing from the near-kiss, and tried to ease the mood. “Maybe the universe was saving you from embarrassment, Jay.”
He leaned back in his seat, eyes glancing over at you with a smirk. “Or maybe it was saving you,” he shot back, his voice teasing, but there was something else behind his words, a softness that made your stomach twist in a way you couldn’t quite explain.
The weight of what almost happened hovered between you both, neither of you willing to push it further, but the moment still lingered, making your skin prickle with a mixture of warmth and frustration.
“Jason…” you began, feeling the need to say something—anything—but not knowing exactly what that was. You didn’t want to make things awkward, but you also didn’t want to let it slip away as if it hadn’t meant anything.
He turned toward you, his expression unreadable but his eyes soft. “Yeah?”
You opened your mouth to respond, but your phone buzzed from your lap, breaking the moment again. You glanced at the screen, a reminder notification popping up.
“Shit,” you muttered under your breath, realising the time. “I have a meeting with Roman in the morning. You know how cranky he gets if I’m late.”
Jason groaned, rubbing his face with both hands. “Ugh—who needs an early morning meeting?” His voice trailed off, but you could hear the clear disappointment haunting his tone.
You rolled your eyes, sinking deeper into your seat. “Yeah, tell me about it. If we don’t get home soon, I’ll never hear the end of it.”
Jason gave a small, reluctant nod, his eyes shifting toward the road. “Alright, princess. Let’s get you home before he blows a fuse.”
As he started the engine, the moment between you both seemed to settle into a strange kind of peace. There was still something unspoken hanging in the air, the missed kiss now a lingering thought that neither of you could shake. But the conversation had shifted—back to reality, back to responsibilities—and neither of you dared to push the boundary that had been so close to breaking.
——
The ride back was quieter this time, not awkward, but filled with the awareness of what almost happened. You stole glances at Jason, watching the way his hands gripped the steering wheel, how his jaw tightened every time the thought seemed to cross his mind. And every time you met his eyes, there was a spark, a question neither of you was quite ready to answer.
As the car pulled up to your building, Jason shifted in his seat, turning to face you. “You should get some sleep before that meeting. Roman’s already a pain. Don’t give him more ammunition.”
You gave a tired smile, still feeling the weight of what hadn’t been said. “Yeah… I guess you’re right.” You paused, hand lingering on the door handle, before turning back to him. “Thanks for tonight, Jay. It… It was nice.”
Jason’s eyes softened, and for a moment, the tension seemed to melt into something warmer, something comfortable. “Anytime, princess,” he said quietly, the nickname sending a little flutter through your chest.
Your head span with the lingering feeling of what could have been. As you headed up to your apartment, you couldn’t help but wonder if this missed moment was just the beginning—if the next time you were both caught in the current, neither of you would pull away.
And the thought made your heart race all over again.
Summary: As the camera started rolling, you could feel Jason’s gaze burning into you. The male model’s hands grazed your waist as he leaned in for the shot, and you could practically hear Jason grinding his teeth.
Warnings: Some coercive nature, nothing too extreme. Language. Friendly banter.
A/N: Sending all my love to you wonderful readers & please enjoy the next chapter - Elle xoxo ❤️❤️
———
NO MEANS NO
———
The drive to the set was quiet, tension filling the air like static. You drummed your fingers nervously on the edge of your seat, stealing glances at Jason every now and then. He hadn’t said much since you left the apartment, but you could feel the weight of his presence, steady and solid. The shoot today was different—more provocative than you were used to—and the idea of it was gnawing at your nerves.
“You good?” Jason’s deep voice broke through your thoughts, startling you.
You gave him a tight smile, nodding. “Yeah, just… you know. A bit nervous.”
Jason glanced over at you, his brow furrowing slightly. “It’s just a shoot. You’ve done this a million times.”
You sighed, chewing on your bottom lip. “I know. But this one’s a bit more… raunchy.”
Jason’s grip on the steering wheel tightened imperceptibly, his jaw clenching. “You don’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable with.”
“I know, but it’s part of the job.” You shrugged, trying to play it off, though the butterflies in your stomach refused to settle. “It’ll be fine. Just… more skin than usual.”
Jason didn’t say anything, but you could tell he wasn’t thrilled. His protective side had always been strong, but when it came to you, it seemed to go into overdrive. As much as you appreciated it, there were times—like now—when it felt like too much—this was just your job. But you couldn’t deny that a part of you found comfort in knowing he was there, watching your back.
By the time you reached the set, the pit in your stomach had grown, but you pushed it down, slipping into professional mode. The lights, the crew, the chaos—it was all familiar territory. You could do this.
Jason lingered on the outskirts, his eyes following your every move as the makeup artist prepped you and the director went over the shots. He looked more on edge than usual, and you could tell it was because of the male model standing way too close, rehearsing a scene that involved a little too much contact for Jason’s liking.
As the camera started rolling, you could feel Jason’s gaze burning into you. The male model’s hands grazed your waist as he leaned in for the shot, and you could practically hear Jason grinding his teeth. His jealousy was palpable, a simmering tension that made your own nerves feel even more frayed.
After a few more takes, the director finally called for a break. You stepped off the stage, relief washing over you—until the director approached.
“Alright, for this next shot, we’re gonna need you to strip down to your underwear,” he said, his tone casual as if he was asking you to grab coffee.
You froze. “I’m not comfortable with that.”
The director sighed, clearly annoyed. “Come on, everyone does it. It’s just for the video.”
You shook your head firmly. “I said no.”
Before you could take another step back, he grabbed your arm, his grip tight. “Don’t be difficult. You’re not that special.”
That’s when everything happened in a blur. Jason was there in an instant, his hand locking around the director’s wrist, pulling him away from you with a force that left the director stumbling. Jason’s face was a mask of barely-contained fury.
“The lady said no,” Jason growled, his voice low and dangerous.
You stepped back, heart pounding, but the moment Jason was between you and the director, you felt a surge of relief. He stood like a wall, his broad shoulders blocking you from the world, and in that moment, you were grateful for every inch of that protectiveness.
The director’s face twisted in anger. “You can’t just—”
“I don’t care who you think you are,” Jason interrupted, his voice icy. “She’s not doing anything she doesn’t want to do. Got it?”
The director straightened, his chest puffing out as he tried to regain control of the situation. “I’ll have you fired.”
Jason smirked, his eyes cold. “Try it.”
You stepped forward, placing a hand on Jason’s arm, feeling the tension rippling through his muscles. “Jay, it’s fine. Let’s just go.”
Jason’s gaze flicked down to you, softening slightly, but his grip on the director didn’t loosen. “He shouldn’t have touched you,” Jason muttered, still seething.
The director huffed, waving his hand dismissively. “Whatever. Go ahead and leave, both of you. You’re done here.”
Jason released him, stepping back but keeping himself between you and the director as he led you out of the set. The ride home was tense, Jason’s knuckles white on the steering wheel, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. Neither of you spoke, the adrenaline still thrumming in your veins.
———
When you finally reached your apartment, Jason hovered by the door, guilt flickering across his face. “I shouldn’t have blown up like that,” he muttered, glancing down.
You shook your head, stepping closer. “No, Jason, thank you. No one’s ever stood up for me like that before.”
Jason looked at you, his eyes searching yours. For a moment, the world felt quiet, the tension between you from earlier lingering but now mixed with something else—something deeper.
“I’m just doing my job,” Jason said softly, but his usual cocky tone was absent.
You smiled, your hand brushing lightly against his arm. “Well, you’re pretty good at it.”
Jason’s lips twitched into a small, rare smile as he looked down at you. “I just… I don’t like seeing people take advantage of you.”
His voice was low, rough with emotion he wasn’t used to showing. The space between you felt impossibly small, your heart pounding in your chest as you took in the way he was looking at you—protective, but something more. Something that made your breath hitch.
Your hand lingered on his arm, fingers brushing his bicep, the tension between you thickening. Jason took a step closer, closing the distance, his breath warm against your skin. His eyes flickered down to your lips, and for a moment, everything around you faded. It was just the two of you, standing in your dimly lit apartment, the air charged with unspoken words and possibilities.
Just as Jason leaned in, your phone buzzed loudly in your pocket, jolting you both out of the moment.
You blinked, startled, quickly pulling it out. Harley’s name flashed on the screen, her timing as impeccable as ever. You let out a sigh, holding the phone up for Jason to see. “It’s Harley.”
Jason exhaled sharply, shaking his head with a grin that was both amused and frustrated. “Of course it is.”
You answered the call, trying to ignore the heat still simmering between you and Jason. “Hey, Harley.”
“Babydoll!” Harley’s voice crackled through the speaker. “Just checkin’ in to see if you’re okay after that scumbag director tried to pull a fast one on ya. I swear, next time we’re gonna break his kneecaps, Gotham-style!”
You chuckled softly, glancing over at Jason, who was standing by the door now, arms crossed but eyes still locked on you. “I’m fine, Harley. Jason handled it.”
“Good ol’ Jaybird,” Harley chimed in, her voice loud enough for Jason to hear. “Always knowin’ how to make a statement. Anyway, just wanted to make sure you’re alright. Ivy’s threatening to plant rotten prawns in that director’s office. We’ll keep you posted!”.
You thanked her and hung up, sliding your phone back into your pocket. Jason’s gaze was still on you, but the intensity of the moment had been interrupted. He ran a hand through his hair, clearly still on edge from earlier.
“Well, Harley has your back too, it seems,” Jason muttered with a soft smirk, though his eyes were still stormy with everything unsaid.
You walked over to him, standing close enough that you could feel the heat radiating off his body. “Seems like I’ve got a whole team looking out for me.”
Jason’s expression softened. “You do. Always.”
For a moment, neither of you spoke, the weight of the evening hanging in the air. Finally, Jason exhaled, his hand brushing your arm lightly before he stepped back. “I should go. You need rest after today.”
You nodded, though part of you wished he would stay. “Yeah, You’re probably right,” you said softly, even though you didn’t want him to leave. The warmth of his presence was comforting, and the thought of being alone after everything that happened on set felt unsettling.
Jason lingered by the door, hesitating for a moment. He looked at you, his expression unreadable, a mix of concern and something more that neither of you seemed ready to voice. “If you need anything, you know where to find me.”
You nodded, offering him a small smile. “Thanks, Jay.”
He took a step toward the door, hand resting on the knob, but before he could open it, he turned back. His eyes met yours again, and for a split second, the tension from earlier resurfaced, thick and undeniable.
“Listen,” Jason began, his voice lower now, as if he was struggling to find the right words. “About earlier… I didn’t mean to overstep. I just—” He paused, jaw tightening. “I care about you. I don’t want anyone hurting you or pushing you around.”
Your heart skipped a beat at his words, and you took a step closer to him. “I know, Jason. And I’m really glad you were there.”
For a moment, you both just stood there, the weight of everything between you hanging in the air like a taut string about to snap. Jason’s eyes flicked down to your lips, but instead of leaning in, Jason just nodded, his usual cocky demeanour softened by something more vulnerable. “Get some rest,” he said, voice gruff. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
With that, he opened the door and stepped out into the hallway, leaving you standing in the quiet of your apartment, heart still racing from the closeness of the moment you’d almost shared.
As the door clicked shut, you let out a breath you didn’t realise you were holding, feeling the lingering warmth of his presence and the unspoken promise of something more hanging in the air.
Whatever was building between you and Jason—it wasn’t over yet.
————
Jason sat on the edge of a bench outside the coffee shop, absently stirring a cold brew in his hand. The morning sun was just starting to peek through the clouds, casting a warm glow on the world around him. There was a nagging feeling of conflict settled in his stomach.
“Earth to Jay!” Roy called, approaching with his usual exuberance, a bright grin plastered on his face. “You look like you just got hit by a truck. Or maybe you finally got your ass kicked by a squirrel?”
Jason rolled his eyes. “Funny as always, Roy.”
“What’s eating you? It’s not like you to be so… contemplative.” Roy leaned against the railing, his posture relaxed but his eyes keen.
“I think I’m falling for her,” Jason admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.
Roy’s eyes widened in exaggerated shock. “Wait, you mean you’re actually having feelings? That’s a plot twist I wasn’t prepared for!”
“Shut up,” Jason muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. “I mean it. I really like her, but I’m supposed to be protecting her, not… I don’t know, trying to date her…I’m not right for her anyway...”
“Ah, the classic ‘I can’t love you because I’m a tortured soul with a dark past’ dilemma,” Roy said, shaking his head as he feigned seriousness. “How original”.
“Dude, it’s not a joke,” Jason snapped. “What if something happens to her because I’m too close? I can’t stand the thought of her getting hurt.”
Roy raised an eyebrow, the teasing tone softening. “You’re a good guy, Jay. You’re going to protect her regardless of whether you’re dating her or not. And besides, wouldn’t you rather have her close? You know, where you can keep an eye on her and shower her with affection?”
“Right, because that’s not going to complicate things at all,” Jason retorted, crossing his arms.
“Complicated? Please, that’s the foundation of every great romance!” Roy grinned, leaning in conspiratorially. “Besides, have you seen how she looks at you? Like you’re the last cookie in the jar, and she’s ready to fight anyone for a bite.”
Jason couldn’t help but chuckle at the image. “That’s… oddly specific.”
“Hey, I’ve been known to get creative with my analogies,” Roy shrugged, then turned serious again. “Look, if you really care about her, you owe it to yourself to figure this out. Don’t push her away just because you’re scared. That’s the kind of thing that leads to a lifetime of regret.”
“Yeah, but what if I screw it all up?” Jason sighed, looking away. “What if I’m not enough?”
Roy placed a hand on Jason’s shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Look, you’re a total dork, but you’re also one of the best guys I know. If she makes you happy, go for it. Just make sure you bring your A-game. I expect romantic gestures, flowers, maybe a serenade?”
Jason laughed, shaking his head. “No serenades. I’d rather face a horde of angry thugs.”
“Suit yourself, but just know that I’ll be expecting updates. And I’ll also be taking notes for my own love life,” Roy said, grinning. “So, when’s the first date?”
“I don’t know,” Jason admitted. “But I’ll figure it out. Just… thanks for the pep talk, man.”
“Anytime, buddy. Just remember: love is like coffee. Sometimes it’s bitter, sometimes it’s sweet, but in the end, it’ll keep you awake at night thinking about it.”
Jason chuckled, shaking his head again. “You really are full of shit, you know that?”
“Yep! But at least I’m your shit,” Roy said, winking. “Now, go make a move, Romeo.”
Summary: As the camera started rolling, you could feel Jason’s gaze burning into you. The male model’s hands grazed your waist as he leaned in for the shot, and you could practically hear Jason grinding his teeth.
Warnings: Some coercive nature, nothing too extreme. Language. Friendly banter.
A/N: Sending all my love to you wonderful readers & please enjoy the next chapter - Elle xoxo ❤️❤️
———
NO MEANS NO
———
The drive to the set was quiet, tension filling the air like static. You drummed your fingers nervously on the edge of your seat, stealing glances at Jason every now and then. He hadn’t said much since you left the apartment, but you could feel the weight of his presence, steady and solid. The shoot today was different—more provocative than you were used to—and the idea of it was gnawing at your nerves.
“You good?” Jason’s deep voice broke through your thoughts, startling you.
You gave him a tight smile, nodding. “Yeah, just… you know. A bit nervous.”
Jason glanced over at you, his brow furrowing slightly. “It’s just a shoot. You’ve done this a million times.”
You sighed, chewing on your bottom lip. “I know. But this one’s a bit more… raunchy.”
Jason’s grip on the steering wheel tightened imperceptibly, his jaw clenching. “You don’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable with.”
“I know, but it’s part of the job.” You shrugged, trying to play it off, though the butterflies in your stomach refused to settle. “It’ll be fine. Just… more skin than usual.”
Jason didn’t say anything, but you could tell he wasn’t thrilled. His protective side had always been strong, but when it came to you, it seemed to go into overdrive. As much as you appreciated it, there were times—like now—when it felt like too much—this was just your job. But you couldn’t deny that a part of you found comfort in knowing he was there, watching your back.
By the time you reached the set, the pit in your stomach had grown, but you pushed it down, slipping into professional mode. The lights, the crew, the chaos—it was all familiar territory. You could do this.
Jason lingered on the outskirts, his eyes following your every move as the makeup artist prepped you and the director went over the shots. He looked more on edge than usual, and you could tell it was because of the male model standing way too close, rehearsing a scene that involved a little too much contact for Jason’s liking.
As the camera started rolling, you could feel Jason’s gaze burning into you. The male model’s hands grazed your waist as he leaned in for the shot, and you could practically hear Jason grinding his teeth. His jealousy was palpable, a simmering tension that made your own nerves feel even more frayed.
After a few more takes, the director finally called for a break. You stepped off the stage, relief washing over you—until the director approached.
“Alright, for this next shot, we’re gonna need you to strip down to your underwear,” he said, his tone casual as if he was asking you to grab coffee.
You froze. “I’m not comfortable with that.”
The director sighed, clearly annoyed. “Come on, everyone does it. It’s just for the video.”
You shook your head firmly. “I said no.”
Before you could take another step back, he grabbed your arm, his grip tight. “Don’t be difficult. You’re not that special.”
That’s when everything happened in a blur. Jason was there in an instant, his hand locking around the director’s wrist, pulling him away from you with a force that left the director stumbling. Jason’s face was a mask of barely-contained fury.
“The lady said no,” Jason growled, his voice low and dangerous.
You stepped back, heart pounding, but the moment Jason was between you and the director, you felt a surge of relief. He stood like a wall, his broad shoulders blocking you from the world, and in that moment, you were grateful for every inch of that protectiveness.
The director’s face twisted in anger. “You can’t just—”
“I don’t care who you think you are,” Jason interrupted, his voice icy. “She’s not doing anything she doesn’t want to do. Got it?”
The director straightened, his chest puffing out as he tried to regain control of the situation. “I’ll have you fired.”
Jason smirked, his eyes cold. “Try it.”
You stepped forward, placing a hand on Jason’s arm, feeling the tension rippling through his muscles. “Jay, it’s fine. Let’s just go.”
Jason’s gaze flicked down to you, softening slightly, but his grip on the director didn’t loosen. “He shouldn’t have touched you,” Jason muttered, still seething.
The director huffed, waving his hand dismissively. “Whatever. Go ahead and leave, both of you. You’re done here.”
Jason released him, stepping back but keeping himself between you and the director as he led you out of the set. The ride home was tense, Jason’s knuckles white on the steering wheel, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. Neither of you spoke, the adrenaline still thrumming in your veins.
———
When you finally reached your apartment, Jason hovered by the door, guilt flickering across his face. “I shouldn’t have blown up like that,” he muttered, glancing down.
You shook your head, stepping closer. “No, Jason, thank you. No one’s ever stood up for me like that before.”
Jason looked at you, his eyes searching yours. For a moment, the world felt quiet, the tension between you from earlier lingering but now mixed with something else—something deeper.
“I’m just doing my job,” Jason said softly, but his usual cocky tone was absent.
You smiled, your hand brushing lightly against his arm. “Well, you’re pretty good at it.”
Jason’s lips twitched into a small, rare smile as he looked down at you. “I just… I don’t like seeing people take advantage of you.”
His voice was low, rough with emotion he wasn’t used to showing. The space between you felt impossibly small, your heart pounding in your chest as you took in the way he was looking at you—protective, but something more. Something that made your breath hitch.
Your hand lingered on his arm, fingers brushing his bicep, the tension between you thickening. Jason took a step closer, closing the distance, his breath warm against your skin. His eyes flickered down to your lips, and for a moment, everything around you faded. It was just the two of you, standing in your dimly lit apartment, the air charged with unspoken words and possibilities.
Just as Jason leaned in, your phone buzzed loudly in your pocket, jolting you both out of the moment.
You blinked, startled, quickly pulling it out. Harley’s name flashed on the screen, her timing as impeccable as ever. You let out a sigh, holding the phone up for Jason to see. “It’s Harley.”
Jason exhaled sharply, shaking his head with a grin that was both amused and frustrated. “Of course it is.”
You answered the call, trying to ignore the heat still simmering between you and Jason. “Hey, Harley.”
“Babydoll!” Harley’s voice crackled through the speaker. “Just checkin’ in to see if you’re okay after that scumbag director tried to pull a fast one on ya. I swear, next time we’re gonna break his kneecaps, Gotham-style!”
You chuckled softly, glancing over at Jason, who was standing by the door now, arms crossed but eyes still locked on you. “I’m fine, Harley. Jason handled it.”
“Good ol’ Jaybird,” Harley chimed in, her voice loud enough for Jason to hear. “Always knowin’ how to make a statement. Anyway, just wanted to make sure you’re alright. Ivy’s threatening to plant rotten prawns in that director’s office. We’ll keep you posted!”.
You thanked her and hung up, sliding your phone back into your pocket. Jason’s gaze was still on you, but the intensity of the moment had been interrupted. He ran a hand through his hair, clearly still on edge from earlier.
“Well, Harley has your back too, it seems,” Jason muttered with a soft smirk, though his eyes were still stormy with everything unsaid.
You walked over to him, standing close enough that you could feel the heat radiating off his body. “Seems like I’ve got a whole team looking out for me.”
Jason’s expression softened. “You do. Always.”
For a moment, neither of you spoke, the weight of the evening hanging in the air. Finally, Jason exhaled, his hand brushing your arm lightly before he stepped back. “I should go. You need rest after today.”
You nodded, though part of you wished he would stay. “Yeah, You’re probably right,” you said softly, even though you didn’t want him to leave. The warmth of his presence was comforting, and the thought of being alone after everything that happened on set felt unsettling.
Jason lingered by the door, hesitating for a moment. He looked at you, his expression unreadable, a mix of concern and something more that neither of you seemed ready to voice. “If you need anything, you know where to find me.”
You nodded, offering him a small smile. “Thanks, Jay.”
He took a step toward the door, hand resting on the knob, but before he could open it, he turned back. His eyes met yours again, and for a split second, the tension from earlier resurfaced, thick and undeniable.
“Listen,” Jason began, his voice lower now, as if he was struggling to find the right words. “About earlier… I didn’t mean to overstep. I just—” He paused, jaw tightening. “I care about you. I don’t want anyone hurting you or pushing you around.”
Your heart skipped a beat at his words, and you took a step closer to him. “I know, Jason. And I’m really glad you were there.”
For a moment, you both just stood there, the weight of everything between you hanging in the air like a taut string about to snap. Jason’s eyes flicked down to your lips, but instead of leaning in, Jason just nodded, his usual cocky demeanour softened by something more vulnerable. “Get some rest,” he said, voice gruff. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
With that, he opened the door and stepped out into the hallway, leaving you standing in the quiet of your apartment, heart still racing from the closeness of the moment you’d almost shared.
As the door clicked shut, you let out a breath you didn’t realise you were holding, feeling the lingering warmth of his presence and the unspoken promise of something more hanging in the air.
Whatever was building between you and Jason—it wasn’t over yet.
————
Jason sat on the edge of a bench outside the coffee shop, absently stirring a cold brew in his hand. The morning sun was just starting to peek through the clouds, casting a warm glow on the world around him. There was a nagging feeling of conflict settled in his stomach.
“Earth to Jay!” Roy called, approaching with his usual exuberance, a bright grin plastered on his face. “You look like you just got hit by a truck. Or maybe you finally got your ass kicked by a squirrel?”
Jason rolled his eyes. “Funny as always, Roy.”
“What’s eating you? It’s not like you to be so… contemplative.” Roy leaned against the railing, his posture relaxed but his eyes keen.
“I think I’m falling for her,” Jason admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.
Roy’s eyes widened in exaggerated shock. “Wait, you mean you’re actually having feelings? That’s a plot twist I wasn’t prepared for!”
“Shut up,” Jason muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. “I mean it. I really like her, but I’m supposed to be protecting her, not… I don’t know, trying to date her…I’m not right for her anyway...”
“Ah, the classic ‘I can’t love you because I’m a tortured soul with a dark past’ dilemma,” Roy said, shaking his head as he feigned seriousness. “How original”.
“Dude, it’s not a joke,” Jason snapped. “What if something happens to her because I’m too close? I can’t stand the thought of her getting hurt.”
Roy raised an eyebrow, the teasing tone softening. “You’re a good guy, Jay. You’re going to protect her regardless of whether you’re dating her or not. And besides, wouldn’t you rather have her close? You know, where you can keep an eye on her and shower her with affection?”
“Right, because that’s not going to complicate things at all,” Jason retorted, crossing his arms.
“Complicated? Please, that’s the foundation of every great romance!” Roy grinned, leaning in conspiratorially. “Besides, have you seen how she looks at you? Like you’re the last cookie in the jar, and she’s ready to fight anyone for a bite.”
Jason couldn’t help but chuckle at the image. “That’s… oddly specific.”
“Hey, I’ve been known to get creative with my analogies,” Roy shrugged, then turned serious again. “Look, if you really care about her, you owe it to yourself to figure this out. Don’t push her away just because you’re scared. That’s the kind of thing that leads to a lifetime of regret.”
“Yeah, but what if I screw it all up?” Jason sighed, looking away. “What if I’m not enough?”
Roy placed a hand on Jason’s shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Look, you’re a total dork, but you’re also one of the best guys I know. If she makes you happy, go for it. Just make sure you bring your A-game. I expect romantic gestures, flowers, maybe a serenade?”
Jason laughed, shaking his head. “No serenades. I’d rather face a horde of angry thugs.”
“Suit yourself, but just know that I’ll be expecting updates. And I’ll also be taking notes for my own love life,” Roy said, grinning. “So, when’s the first date?”
“I don’t know,” Jason admitted. “But I’ll figure it out. Just… thanks for the pep talk, man.”
“Anytime, buddy. Just remember: love is like coffee. Sometimes it’s bitter, sometimes it’s sweet, but in the end, it’ll keep you awake at night thinking about it.”
Jason chuckled, shaking his head again. “You really are full of shit, you know that?”
“Yep! But at least I’m your shit,” Roy said, winking. “Now, go make a move, Romeo.”
Summary: “You know,” you began, smirking as you watched him, “I didn’t think ‘tech genius’ was part of your job description. Thought you just hit things”. Jason paused, glancing over his shoulder at you, a hint of amusement in his eyes. “I can do both. Multi-talented.”
Warnings: None. A little bit of flirty banter. Family dynamics.
A/N: Sending all my love to you wonderful readers & please enjoy the next chapter - Elle xoxo ❤️❤️
———
SKYNET AND CONSPIRACIES
———
The apartment was calm, the usual city noise outside fading into the background. You leaned against the doorway, watching as Jason crouched by the wall, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, installing the new security system. He had been at it for a while, his focus intense as he worked the wires, his movements precise and confident. It was hard not to be impressed—he seemed to handle tech with the same ease that he handled a gun or a motorcycle.
“You know,” you began, smirking as you watched him, “I didn’t think ‘tech genius’ was part of your job description. Thought you just hit things.”
Jason paused, glancing over his shoulder at you, a hint of amusement in his eyes. “I can do both. Multi-talented.”
You grinned, stepping closer to peek over his shoulder. “So this thing won’t turn into Skynet and take over my life, right?”
Jason snorted, shaking his head as he continued to work. “You really gotta stop watching those conspiracy videos.”
“They’re all true, though,” you shot back, folding your arms. “Besides, I’ll bet one of your brothers agrees with me.”
Jason’s hand stilled for a moment, then he scowled, clearly not a fan of the comparison. “Don’t bring Dick into this—he’s a business major and a complete dork.”
You couldn’t help but laugh. “So are you. You’re definitely related.”
He turned his head, giving you an offended look. “When have I ever been a dork?”
You raised an eyebrow, pretending to think hard. “Oh, let’s see… there was the time you spent two hours lecturing me about motorcycle engines, and the time you almost punched a guy because he didn’t like The Terminator.”
Jason sat up, wiping his hands on his jeans with a smug grin. “Those are perfectly valid things to get worked up about.”
“Sure, sure,” you teased, leaning against the counter. “You and your brothers sound like a bunch of overgrown kids.”
Jason’s grin faltered, and he looked thoughtful for a moment. “Yeah, well… it’s always the big brother that’s the worst.”
“Dick?” you asked, grinning.
Jason nodded, laughing. “Yep. Dick.”
You blinked, realising the name. “Wait—his name’s Richard?”
Jason smirked. “Yep.”
“Oh, I thought you were just being a dick.”
Jason burst out laughing, the tension in the room lifting. “Nope. Just family nicknames.”
You shook your head, still smiling as he stood and dusted himself off. “You’re a perfect angel, aren’t you?”
“Damn right,” Jason replied with a wink, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Saint Todd, at your service.”
“I’m not convinced,” you teased, crossing your arms. “I’ve seen your search history.”
Jason’s face flushed. “That was Roy!”
“Sure, I bet Roy doesn’t even exist.”
Jason smirked, pulling out his phone and typing something before tossing it to you. “Roy’s Instagram.”
You glanced at the profile picture and let out a low whistle. “He’s out of your league.”
Jason scoffed. “If he’s out of mine, he’s definitely not in yours.”
You flushed pink, smiling softly. “Dork.”
Jason grinned back. “Takes one to know one.” He stood, setting the last piece of equipment down. “I think I’m done.”
You smirked. “Now you can record me in the bathroom.”
Jason paused, then deadpanned, “I could if I wanted more money.”
You stared at him. He stared back.
“Please tell me people won’t actually pay for that,” you said, voice dripping with disbelief.
“Millions, princess.”
“How do you even know that?”
Jason blushed. “I—I don’t! I’m just guessing!”
“Do I need to check if Roman is paying you enough?” you teased, shaking your head.
Jason just grinned, his eyes sparkling with that teasing glint that was becoming all too familiar.
He took a step closer, closing the distance between you. The air around you crackled with tension, every heartbeat echoing in your ears. You could see his eyes searching yours, a mix of desire and uncertainty.
You could feel the heat radiating from him, the scent of leather and something distinctly Jason filling the space between you. His eyes lingered on yours for a moment, as if he was trying to decide something.
You swallowed hard, your heart thudding against your ribs. “So, uh… are you done?” you asked, your voice quieter than you intended.
Jason’s eyes flicked to your lips for just a second before he smiled, stepping back a little. “Yeah. All set. Your place is Fort Knox now.”
You exhaled a breath you didn’t realise you were holding, nodding as you tried to steady your nerves. “Good. Thanks for, uh… keeping me safe.”
Jason opened his mouth to respond, but before he could say anything, his phone buzzed loudly from where it sat on the couch. He sighed, his expression tightening as he glanced at the screen.
“Shit—it’s Bruce,” he muttered, already sounding exasperated.
You watched him as he picked up the call, his body language shifting from relaxed to business in a heartbeat. “Yeah, Bruce?” His tone was clipped, like he wasn’t in the mood for whatever conversation was about to happen.
Jason walked across the room, his voice lowering as he spoke to his adoptive father. You could hear bits of the conversation, mostly grunts of acknowledgment from Jason, but your thoughts were elsewhere—still caught on the charged moment you’d shared just before the phone interrupted.
Jason ended the call and walked back toward you, his expression unreadable. “I gotta head out. Bruce needs a quick favour.”
You forced a smile, though disappointment tugged at your chest. “Yeah, of course. I understand, I’ll be fine. I’ve got all this super fancy hi-tech security now.”
Jason chuckled softly, as he headed for the door. But before he left, he paused, turning back to look at you. His gaze lingered for a moment, like he was about to say something important, but he hesitated.
Finally, he gave you a small smile. “Don’t get into too much trouble while I’m gone.”
You grinned back, feeling the warmth of his smile in your chest. “No promises.”
“I won’t be long—call me if you need me”.
With one last lingering glance, Jason slipped out the door, leaving the apartment feeling colder, quieter, and emptier than it had just moments ago.
As you leaned against the kitchen counter, you couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something building between you—something neither of you was quite ready to acknowledge. You glanced around the room, still feeling Jason’s presence somehow in the quiet.
A soft leather jacket lay over the back of your couch. You chuckled, realising he must’ve forgotten it in his rush. Picking it up, you caught the familiar scent of leather and something distinctly him. The smell brought a warmth to your chest and made the hollow room feel just a bit less empty.
Maybe, you and Jason would figure out how to navigate whatever this was, but until then, you were safe in the knowledge that your apartment was now officially under 24/7 Jason Todd surveillance.
——
The Wayne Manor was quiet when Jason arrived, a sharp contrast to the tension simmering beneath the surface. Bruce was waiting in the doorway, dressed down in a dark sweater and jeans—clothes that looked oddly casual on him.
“Thanks for coming,” Bruce said, his voice softer than usual. “Alfred’s taking a few days off to look after a friend in Metropolis. I didn’t want to leave the kids alone here for too long, especially after… well, you know.”
Jason nodded, glancing around. “Yeah. No problem.”
They walked into the manor, and Jason took in the familiar surroundings, memories of chaotic afternoons with his brothers drifting through his mind. But today, the place felt… different.
“Where’s Damian?” Jason asked as they walked toward the living room.
“He’s upstairs,” Bruce said, pausing. “Having a rough week with college. New teachers, new pressures. He doesn’t want to talk about it, but…” Bruce trailed off, his concern clear in the set of his shoulders.
“Damian? Not talking?” Jason smirked. “Didn’t know that was possible.”
Bruce gave a rare chuckle but sighed. “Not everyone wears their emotions on their sleeve, Jason.”
Jason shrugged, letting the comment slide. “Want me to talk to him?”
“If you don’t mind.” Bruce’s expression softened, a glimmer of gratitude in his eyes. “He looks up to you, even if he’ll never admit it.”
Jason made his way upstairs, tapping on Damian’s door and grinning when he got a reluctant “Come in.”
After some teasing, Jason managed to distract Damian enough to soften his expression and ease his mind. When Jason finally returned to the kitchen, he found Bruce waiting with two mugs of coffee. Bruce slid one toward him, eyes fixed in that familiar, scrutinising way.
“Thanks for talking to him,” Bruce said, taking a sip from his mug. “He listens to you in ways he doesn’t with me.”
Jason shrugged. “Family’s family.”
Bruce’s eyes lingered a moment before he cleared his throat, his expression shifting. “And how are you doing, Jason?”
“Fine,” Jason replied, a bit too quickly, taking a long sip of coffee and avoiding Bruce’s gaze.
“Are you?” Bruce raised an eyebrow, studying him with a hint of amusement. “Usually when you dodge questions that fast, it’s one of two things.”
Jason’s brow furrowed, glancing up suspiciously. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Bruce smirked, shrugging one shoulder. “It’s either trouble at work—or woman trouble. And I have a feeling work isn’t what’s keeping you up at night.”
Jason felt heat rise to his cheeks, and he let out a frustrated huff. “Seriously, Bruce?”
Bruce’s smirk widened, his eyes glinting with mild amusement. “I might be getting older, Jason, but I can still recognize the signs.”
Jason rolled his eyes, trying to shrug off the flush creeping into his face. “It’s not like that.”
“Uh-huh.” Bruce’s tone was so casual, so nonchalant, it only made Jason more uncomfortable. “So if it’s not that, then what is it?”
Jason looked away, swallowing hard. “Look, it’s… complicated.”
Bruce leaned back, his expression turning from teasing to something softer, almost understanding. “Life usually is. But if you ever want to talk about it… well, you know where I am.”
Jason let out a deep breath, nodding. For all the embarrassment, there was a strange relief in knowing Bruce saw through him, even if he wasn’t ready to open up just yet.
Bruce gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “Take care of yourself, Jason,” he said, his voice gentle. “And try not to make things too complicated.”
Jason smirked, feeling a hint of his usual confidence return. “I’m a Todd, Bruce. Complicated is my specialty.”
Bruce chuckled, shaking his head. “That’s the problem.”
Jason couldn’t help but smile as he left, Bruce’s warmth and understanding lingering with him. Whatever this was with you, maybe it wasn’t something he had to navigate alone.
Summary: “After you, princess.” You rolled your eyes but smiled as you climbed in. “You know, if you keep calling me that, I might start thinking you’re flirting.”
Warnings: None. A little bit of manhandling with a crazy fan.
A/N: And as promised, here is the next chapter 🥰🥰 sending all my love to you wonderful readers & please enjoy the next chapter - Elle xoxo
———
HANDS OFF
———
The crowd buzzed with excitement as you signed autographs, your smile bright but your energy fading. You were used to this—the fans, the chaos—but sometimes, things got out of hand. Like now.
A fan, much too close for comfort, pushed forward, eagerly shoving a phone in your face. “Can I get a selfie? And an autograph, too?”
Before you could answer, his hand lingered on your arm a little too long, his fingers brushing against your skin in a way that sent a chill down your spine. You tensed, but before you could react, Jason was already moving.
In an instant, Jason had the guy by the collar, effortlessly lifting him up as though he weighed nothing. His grip was firm around the guy’s neck, voice low and dangerous. “Step back, buddy.”
The fan’s eyes widened in shock, his voice shaky. “W-what are you doing?!”
You stepped behind Jason, your heart racing, but your hand instinctively reached out to touch his arm. “Jay, it’s okay, please… Come on, let’s go.” Your voice was soft, trying to soothe the fire in his eyes.
Jason’s glare was locked onto the guy for a moment longer, his jaw tense. But when he looked at you, his expression softened slightly. He glanced between you and the guy before dropping him, letting the fan stumble back.
“Come on,” you urged gently.
Jason put his jacket over your shoulders, pulling you closer as the two of you made your way out of the crowd. You snuggled into the warmth of the jacket, inhaling the scent of his cologne—leather and spice, comforting and familiar.
“Thanks for back there,” you said, offering a soft smile.
Jason looked away, rubbing the back of his neck, clearly flustered. “It’s my job.”
“I know, but—thanks,” you repeated, your hand squeezing his forearm gently. You glanced over at a nearby food stall and grinned. “Let me get you a hotdog as my way of saying thanks. I know you like junk food, Mr. Muscles.”
He smirked, his blue eyes twinkling with amusement. “I’ll take you up on that, Ms. Hotpants.”
You rolled your eyes. “That was one photoshoot.”
“Oh—it was enough,” he teased, his smirk growing wider.
——
As you grabbed your food, Jason stood close to you, his presence reassuring as he blocked the prying eyes of the crowd. It was like a barrier between you and the world, a wall of protection you were getting used to.
“It’s difficult sometimes,” you mused as you both sat down to eat. “People don’t really understand personal limits or space.”
Jason took a huge bite of his hotdog, lathered in an obscene amount of ketchup. “Trust me, I have a brother like that.”
You grinned, glancing at his hotdog. “Got enough ketchup there, bud?”
He grinned back, unbothered. “I think I need another bottle.”
You laughed, squeezing mustard onto yours. “I know I haven’t been the easiest to get along with lately, and I’m sorry. It’s just been hard to adjust, y’know? I’m used to being alone most of the time.”
You tried not to add, Having a hot bodyguard is hard.
Jason shrugged, his voice teasing. “Relax, princess. I know you divas need your space with all that ego and all.”
You blushed at the nickname, rolling your eyes to hide it. “It didn’t help when you started going through all the cupboards in my house.”
Jason rubbed the back of his neck, clearly embarrassed. “Yeah, I’m sorry about that. My best friend—who’s an idiot by the way—gave me shit for that.”
You grinned. “Good. Thank him for me.”
Jason scoffed. “I’d rather not.”
——
As you both sat under the dim lights of the street food stall, the noise of the city seemed to fade into the background. It was just the two of you, sharing hotdogs and trading banter like old friends. Jason’s usual guarded expression had softened, and for once, you could see the man behind the tough exterior.
“You know,” you said between bites, “it’s weird. I’ve been in crowds like this my whole career, and I’ve never had someone step in like that before.”
Jason glanced at you, his blue eyes briefly flicking up before returning to his food. “You shouldn’t have to deal with that alone. That’s why I’m here.”
You nodded, appreciating the simplicity of his response. There was no grand speech, no overt promise—just quiet, steady support. It was one of the things you were growing to like about Jason. He didn’t make a big deal out of it, but he was always there when it counted.
“Still,” you mused, wiping a smear of mustard from your lip, “I don’t want to be the girl who needs a bodyguard all the time. I’m supposed to be the badass frontwoman of a rock band.”
Jason chuckled softly, shaking his head. “You can still be badass and have someone watching your back. Besides, I think the crowd would lose it if you started throwing punches on stage.”
You grinned. “Maybe I should try it. Could add a whole new vibe to the show.”
“I’ll be front row for that,” Jason said, smirking.
There was a beat of silence, the kind that usually would have felt awkward, but tonight it felt… easy. Comfortable. You both finished your food, the night air cool against your skin, and for a moment, you let yourself relax. Being around Jason was strange that way—one minute, it felt like you were on edge, and the next, you felt like you could let your guard down completely.
As you tossed the last of your wrappers into the nearby trash can, you noticed Jason watching you, his gaze more thoughtful than usual.
“What?” you asked, brushing your hands on your jeans. “Do I have ketchup on my face?”
He shook his head, still studying you like he was seeing something he hadn’t noticed before. “I just… you’re a lot stronger than people give you credit for.”
You blinked, taken aback by the sincerity in his voice. “What do you mean?”
Jason shifted in his seat, his hands resting on his knees as he leaned forward slightly. “You’re out here every night, dealing with fans, managers, press—and you’re handling it all like it’s nothing. Most people would crack under that kind of pressure. But you? You just keep going.”
You felt your heart skip a beat, the unexpected compliment catching you off guard. Jason wasn’t one to hand out praise lightly, and hearing it from him felt… different. Special, even.
“I’m just doing my job,” you said softly, unsure how to respond.
Jason’s lips quirked into a small smile, and he stood, extending a hand to help you up. “Yeah, well, so am I.”
You took his hand, his grip strong and steady as he pulled you to your feet. For a moment, your hands lingered, the contact sending a spark of warmth through your skin. You quickly let go, clearing your throat.
“Thanks, Jason,” you said, your voice a little quieter than before.
He gave you a brief nod, his expression softening. “Anytime.”
As you both walked back toward the car, the night air cool against your face, you couldn’t help but glance over at him. There was something different about tonight, something unspoken yet undeniable. Jason had always been a wall of protection, a shield between you and the chaos of the world. But tonight, he felt like more than that. He felt like someone you could lean on. Someone you wanted to lean on.
When you reached the car, Jason opened the door for you, his usual teasing smirk back in place. “After you, princess.”
You rolled your eyes but smiled as you climbed in. “You know, if you keep calling me that, I might start thinking you’re flirting.”
Jason chuckled, closing the door behind you before slipping into the driver’s seat. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
——
The ride back to your apartment was quiet, the city lights flashing by as you leaned your head against the window. You watched Jason out of the corner of your eye, his strong hands gripping the wheel, his jaw set in that determined way he always had. And for the first time, you wondered what it would be like to reach across the space between you, to touch his hand, to let yourself get a little closer.
But you didn’t. Instead, you let the comfortable silence fill the car, knowing that for now, this was enough. Jason was enough.
———
Back at the apartment, you kicked off your shoes and flopped onto the couch, letting out a long sigh. The exhaustion of the day had finally caught up with you, and all you wanted to do was curl up under a blanket and sleep for a week.
Jason, ever the professional, leaned against the doorframe, thick arms crossed over his chest. “You need anything else before I head to my room?”
You shook your head, smiling softly. “Nah, I’m good. Thanks for everything tonight.”
He gave you a small nod, but instead of heading to his room, he lingered for a moment, his eyes flicking to the TV. “You’re watching that zombie show again?”
You shrugged, grabbing the remote and flipping through the channels. “It’s comforting. Something about mindless brain-eaters makes me feel better about my own life.”
Jason snorted, pushing off the doorframe and heading toward the kitchen. “You’re weird, you know that?”
“You like it,” you called after him, grinning.
Jason’s voice echoed from the kitchen. “Yeah, yeah.”
You chuckled to yourself, settling back into the couch and pulling the blanket up to your chin. As the familiar sound of zombies groaning filled the room, you couldn’t help but feel a sense of peace wash over you. It was strange—being with Jason had started off as a professional necessity, but now, it felt like something more.
Summary: “After you, princess.” You rolled your eyes but smiled as you climbed in. “You know, if you keep calling me that, I might start thinking you’re flirting.”
Warnings: None. A little bit of manhandling with a crazy fan.
A/N: And as promised, here is the next chapter 🥰🥰 sending all my love to you wonderful readers & please enjoy the next chapter - Elle xoxo
———
HANDS OFF
———
The crowd buzzed with excitement as you signed autographs, your smile bright but your energy fading. You were used to this—the fans, the chaos—but sometimes, things got out of hand. Like now.
A fan, much too close for comfort, pushed forward, eagerly shoving a phone in your face. “Can I get a selfie? And an autograph, too?”
Before you could answer, his hand lingered on your arm a little too long, his fingers brushing against your skin in a way that sent a chill down your spine. You tensed, but before you could react, Jason was already moving.
In an instant, Jason had the guy by the collar, effortlessly lifting him up as though he weighed nothing. His grip was firm around the guy’s neck, voice low and dangerous. “Step back, buddy.”
The fan’s eyes widened in shock, his voice shaky. “W-what are you doing?!”
You stepped behind Jason, your heart racing, but your hand instinctively reached out to touch his arm. “Jay, it’s okay, please… Come on, let’s go.” Your voice was soft, trying to soothe the fire in his eyes.
Jason’s glare was locked onto the guy for a moment longer, his jaw tense. But when he looked at you, his expression softened slightly. He glanced between you and the guy before dropping him, letting the fan stumble back.
“Come on,” you urged gently.
Jason put his jacket over your shoulders, pulling you closer as the two of you made your way out of the crowd. You snuggled into the warmth of the jacket, inhaling the scent of his cologne—leather and spice, comforting and familiar.
“Thanks for back there,” you said, offering a soft smile.
Jason looked away, rubbing the back of his neck, clearly flustered. “It’s my job.”
“I know, but—thanks,” you repeated, your hand squeezing his forearm gently. You glanced over at a nearby food stall and grinned. “Let me get you a hotdog as my way of saying thanks. I know you like junk food, Mr. Muscles.”
He smirked, his blue eyes twinkling with amusement. “I’ll take you up on that, Ms. Hotpants.”
You rolled your eyes. “That was one photoshoot.”
“Oh—it was enough,” he teased, his smirk growing wider.
——
As you grabbed your food, Jason stood close to you, his presence reassuring as he blocked the prying eyes of the crowd. It was like a barrier between you and the world, a wall of protection you were getting used to.
“It’s difficult sometimes,” you mused as you both sat down to eat. “People don’t really understand personal limits or space.”
Jason took a huge bite of his hotdog, lathered in an obscene amount of ketchup. “Trust me, I have a brother like that.”
You grinned, glancing at his hotdog. “Got enough ketchup there, bud?”
He grinned back, unbothered. “I think I need another bottle.”
You laughed, squeezing mustard onto yours. “I know I haven’t been the easiest to get along with lately, and I’m sorry. It’s just been hard to adjust, y’know? I’m used to being alone most of the time.”
You tried not to add, Having a hot bodyguard is hard.
Jason shrugged, his voice teasing. “Relax, princess. I know you divas need your space with all that ego and all.”
You blushed at the nickname, rolling your eyes to hide it. “It didn’t help when you started going through all the cupboards in my house.”
Jason rubbed the back of his neck, clearly embarrassed. “Yeah, I’m sorry about that. My best friend—who’s an idiot by the way—gave me shit for that.”
You grinned. “Good. Thank him for me.”
Jason scoffed. “I’d rather not.”
——
As you both sat under the dim lights of the street food stall, the noise of the city seemed to fade into the background. It was just the two of you, sharing hotdogs and trading banter like old friends. Jason’s usual guarded expression had softened, and for once, you could see the man behind the tough exterior.
“You know,” you said between bites, “it’s weird. I’ve been in crowds like this my whole career, and I’ve never had someone step in like that before.”
Jason glanced at you, his blue eyes briefly flicking up before returning to his food. “You shouldn’t have to deal with that alone. That’s why I’m here.”
You nodded, appreciating the simplicity of his response. There was no grand speech, no overt promise—just quiet, steady support. It was one of the things you were growing to like about Jason. He didn’t make a big deal out of it, but he was always there when it counted.
“Still,” you mused, wiping a smear of mustard from your lip, “I don’t want to be the girl who needs a bodyguard all the time. I’m supposed to be the badass frontwoman of a rock band.”
Jason chuckled softly, shaking his head. “You can still be badass and have someone watching your back. Besides, I think the crowd would lose it if you started throwing punches on stage.”
You grinned. “Maybe I should try it. Could add a whole new vibe to the show.”
“I’ll be front row for that,” Jason said, smirking.
There was a beat of silence, the kind that usually would have felt awkward, but tonight it felt… easy. Comfortable. You both finished your food, the night air cool against your skin, and for a moment, you let yourself relax. Being around Jason was strange that way—one minute, it felt like you were on edge, and the next, you felt like you could let your guard down completely.
As you tossed the last of your wrappers into the nearby trash can, you noticed Jason watching you, his gaze more thoughtful than usual.
“What?” you asked, brushing your hands on your jeans. “Do I have ketchup on my face?”
He shook his head, still studying you like he was seeing something he hadn’t noticed before. “I just… you’re a lot stronger than people give you credit for.”
You blinked, taken aback by the sincerity in his voice. “What do you mean?”
Jason shifted in his seat, his hands resting on his knees as he leaned forward slightly. “You’re out here every night, dealing with fans, managers, press—and you’re handling it all like it’s nothing. Most people would crack under that kind of pressure. But you? You just keep going.”
You felt your heart skip a beat, the unexpected compliment catching you off guard. Jason wasn’t one to hand out praise lightly, and hearing it from him felt… different. Special, even.
“I’m just doing my job,” you said softly, unsure how to respond.
Jason’s lips quirked into a small smile, and he stood, extending a hand to help you up. “Yeah, well, so am I.”
You took his hand, his grip strong and steady as he pulled you to your feet. For a moment, your hands lingered, the contact sending a spark of warmth through your skin. You quickly let go, clearing your throat.
“Thanks, Jason,” you said, your voice a little quieter than before.
He gave you a brief nod, his expression softening. “Anytime.”
As you both walked back toward the car, the night air cool against your face, you couldn’t help but glance over at him. There was something different about tonight, something unspoken yet undeniable. Jason had always been a wall of protection, a shield between you and the chaos of the world. But tonight, he felt like more than that. He felt like someone you could lean on. Someone you wanted to lean on.
When you reached the car, Jason opened the door for you, his usual teasing smirk back in place. “After you, princess.”
You rolled your eyes but smiled as you climbed in. “You know, if you keep calling me that, I might start thinking you’re flirting.”
Jason chuckled, closing the door behind you before slipping into the driver’s seat. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
——
The ride back to your apartment was quiet, the city lights flashing by as you leaned your head against the window. You watched Jason out of the corner of your eye, his strong hands gripping the wheel, his jaw set in that determined way he always had. And for the first time, you wondered what it would be like to reach across the space between you, to touch his hand, to let yourself get a little closer.
But you didn’t. Instead, you let the comfortable silence fill the car, knowing that for now, this was enough. Jason was enough.
———
Back at the apartment, you kicked off your shoes and flopped onto the couch, letting out a long sigh. The exhaustion of the day had finally caught up with you, and all you wanted to do was curl up under a blanket and sleep for a week.
Jason, ever the professional, leaned against the doorframe, thick arms crossed over his chest. “You need anything else before I head to my room?”
You shook your head, smiling softly. “Nah, I’m good. Thanks for everything tonight.”
He gave you a small nod, but instead of heading to his room, he lingered for a moment, his eyes flicking to the TV. “You’re watching that zombie show again?”
You shrugged, grabbing the remote and flipping through the channels. “It’s comforting. Something about mindless brain-eaters makes me feel better about my own life.”
Jason snorted, pushing off the doorframe and heading toward the kitchen. “You’re weird, you know that?”
“You like it,” you called after him, grinning.
Jason’s voice echoed from the kitchen. “Yeah, yeah.”
You chuckled to yourself, settling back into the couch and pulling the blanket up to your chin. As the familiar sound of zombies groaning filled the room, you couldn’t help but feel a sense of peace wash over you. It was strange—being with Jason had started off as a professional necessity, but now, it felt like something more.
Summary: Roy leaned back, a grin plastered across his face. “Dude, they were totally gossiping about you. I mean, have you seen your arms? Of course they’re talking about you.”
Warnings: None. Girly banter. Innuendos. Teasing. Fun Roy & Jason.
A/N: And as promised, here is the next chapter 🥰🥰 sending all my love to you wonderful readers & please enjoy the next chapter - Elle xoxo
***
———
GIRL INTERRUPTED
———
The afternoon sun hung lazily in the sky, casting a warm glow over the garden complex as Jason moved around, lifting heavy boxes as if they weighed nothing. His muscles flexed with every move, the sun catching on his damp skin as sweat rolled down his temples. His hair, darkened with moisture, stuck to his forehead in a way that made him look effortlessly rugged.
Selina, lounging on a nearby chair with her sunglasses perched low on her nose, tilted her head, smirking. “That’s the guy you’ve been complaining about?”
You rolled your eyes, trying to keep your gaze off Jason as he worked. “I didn’t complain about him that much.”
Ivy raised an eyebrow, her tone flat. “You spent at least an afternoon complaining about him.”
Harley snickered, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. “Yeah, you definitely plotted his accidental death.”
You crossed your arms defensively. “Not death.”
“Fine,” Ivy mused with a knowing smile. “Unalive-ment.”
“Yeah, that,” Harley agreed, her grin wide as she glanced between you and Jason, clearly enjoying your flustered state.
You shifted in your seat. “Well, I’m not anymore.”
Selina gave you a pointed look, her smirk growing wider. “Honey, have you seen him?”
Harley leaned in, conspiratorial. “Does he provide anything other than security?”
Ivy, never missing a beat, added, “Sex-curity,” her lips curling into a smirk.
You nearly choked on your drink, glaring at Ivy as you sputtered. “He makes pancakes, that’s all.”
Harley’s eyes lit up with mischief. “Before or after the deed?”
“No deed has been done!” you snapped, the heat creeping up your neck and to your face.
Ivy’s eyes sparkled with amusement. “The blush on your face says otherwise.”
You shot her a look, your cheeks burning. “I’m not blushing!”
Selina cackled, leaning back in her chair with an air of superiority. “Of course you’re not, babe. That’s just… red face paint.”
“Why do you all hate me?” you groaned, burying your face in your hands.
“We don’t,” Selina replied with a grin. “You just look adorable when you have a crush.”
You shot up in your seat, flustered. “I don’t have a crush! It’s just a work relationship.”
Harley patted your shoulder sympathetically. “It’s okay, sweetie. We get it.”
Ivy leaned forward, her gaze playful. “Don’t 80% of relationships spark in the workplace?”
Selina adjusted her sunglasses, her smirk never fading. “If he lived with me, I wouldn’t be spending my time fighting it.”
You huffed, crossing your arms again. “Well, he’s kind of an ass.”
“How so?” Harley asked, genuinely curious.
You waved your hands over your head dramatically. “Y’know…”
“Sweetie, I don’t,” Harley said, her confusion obvious as she blinked up at you.
You waved your hands more, as if that would clarify things. “He’s just… y’know!”
Selina laughed, shaking her head. “What you’re feeling is sexual tension, babe.”
“Sexual what now?” you muttered under your breath, clearly flustered.
“You should work it out with him,” Selina added, her voice dripping with amusement.
Ivy, ever the instigator, tilted her head towards the garden. “Oh, look, he’s coming over here.”
Your eyes widened in panic as you frantically fixed your hair, heart racing.
“Just kidding,” Ivy teased, smirking at your reaction.
You let out a breath, glaring at her. “Ha-ha-ha. Can we please stop talking about this?”
“I think you’d be cute together,” Harley said, her voice sing-song as she gave you a sly grin.
Selina raised an eyebrow, her gaze flicking to Jason, who was still lifting boxes in the sun. “He clearly has a soft spot for you. He can’t stop looking at you.”
You froze for a moment, a tiny spark of hope flickering inside you. “You think he likes me?” The words left your mouth before you could stop them, sounding almost… hopeful.
But before your friends could say anything, you caught yourself, straightening up. “Wait—of course he’s looking at me. He’s doing his job. Protecting me.”
Ivy leaned in, her green eyes sparkling with amusement. “What would you do if this wasn’t just a professional relationship?”
“I—I…” you stammered, suddenly unsure of yourself.
Harley giggled, elbowing you playfully. “You guys are totally gonna fall in love.”
Selina gave you a knowing smirk. “That’ll be great. When you two fall in love, the media will finally stop insinuating you and Sionis are a thing.”
Ivy’s lips curled into a sly smile. “Care to wager how long it’ll take?”.
You threw your hands up, exasperated. “I’m right here, y’know.”
Harley tilted her head, pretending to think. “Three months, max.”
Ivy leaned back, studying you carefully. “They seem like the slow burn type.”
Selina, her eyes still on Jason, watched as he stacked the final box and stood to stretch. “Nah,” she drawled, her voice playful. “Y/N won’t be able to resist those muscles.”
“Shhh!” you hissed, panic rising in your chest. “He’s going to hear you!”.
But it was too late. Jason, now aware of all of you staring at him, turned to face your little group. He blinked in confusion, his face flushing slightly as he quickly looked away, clearly bashful.
Jason muttered something under his breath as he rubbed the back of his neck. “I need Roy.”
Selina leaned over, whispering conspiratorially. “I don’t think you’ll need to wait three months after all.”
————
Later that evening, Jason found himself at the local bar, nursing a drink while Roy leaned against the bar, a teasing grin on his face. Jason had been reasonably happy to leave you at home tonight, especially since the girls had chosen to crash at yours, having a pamper and movie night with you. Selina frightened him more than Bruce sometimes. You’d be safe.
“Hey, brooding bird! What’s got you all mopey?” Roy asked, nudging Jason with his elbow.
“Nothing,” Jason muttered, taking a swig of his drink.
Roy raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. “Right. Just like I’m ‘nothing’ when I wear these tight spandex shorts, huh?”
Jason groaned, running a hand through his hair. “Can you not? I’m serious.”
“Fine, fine! But you can’t just sit there looking all tortured without telling me what’s going on. It’s against the bro code,” Roy insisted, mock-serious.
Jason shot him a glare. “What I really need is a time machine to go back to when I didn’t care about—”
“Whoa, wait. Are you actually talking about feelings? Like, real ones?” Roy interrupted, eyes wide with mock horror. “This is better than reality TV!”
“I’m not talking about feelings, dammit! It’s just that… I think the girls were gossiping about me,” Jason said, the frustration creeping into his voice.
Roy leaned closer, excitement glinting in his eyes. “Oh, do tell! Who’s gossiping? Is it Ivy? She seems like the type to always knows the juiciest details!”
“No, it’s not Ivy. It’s…” Jason hesitated, glancing around as if the walls had ears. “It’s Y/N.”
Roy’s expression morphed into a knowing smirk. “You mean the one you’re totally not crushing on?”
“I’m not crushing!” Jason snapped, his cheeks flushing.
Roy cackled. “Oh, it’s even better than I thought! You are totally crushing. What did they say?”
“I don’t know!” Jason groaned, burying his face in his hands. “I just saw them looking at me and whispering. It was… weird.”
Roy leaned back, a grin plastered across his face. “Dude, they were totally gossiping about you. I mean, have you seen your arms? Of course they’re talking about you.”
“I hate you,” Jason grumbled, but he couldn’t help the small smile tugging at his lips.
“Come on, lighten up! Just own it! You’re the guy they’re gossiping about. It’s like being a celebrity. You should be flattered!” Roy encouraged, trying to keep a straight face but failing miserably.
“Flattered? More like mortified,” Jason retorted.
“Mortified or not, it’s too late now. You’re the star of their show,” Roy laughed, raising his drink in a mock toast. “To Jason! The man, the myth, the rumoured crush!”
Jason groaned again, burying his face in his hands once more. “I’m never telling you anything ever again.”
Roy just chuckled, clearly enjoying this far too much. “Too late for that! Now, when’s the date?”
“No date!” Jason protested, shaking his head vehemently.
“Sure, keep telling yourself that, Romeo. I’ll just be over here, waiting for the ‘I can’t believe we kissed!’ call,” Roy teased, winking.
Jason couldn’t help but chuckle, shaking his head as he downed the rest of his drink. “You’re insufferable.”
“Yeah, but you love me for it,” Roy replied with a grin, raising his glass once more.
As they left the bar, Jason couldn’t shake the feeling that maybe, just maybe, things might not be so bad after all.
I’ve read a bunch of your stuff, how is it possible that I was t following you till just now???? Sacrilege!!! Gotchu now though! Gonna go binge your stuff! Love your Intern story!! Have a lovely day m’dear!
Thank you @thegreatwicked 😘😘 sending all my love ❤️🖤❤️
