Then comes a really fucked up trip through infinite realities
Jason is wounded and lost somewhere in the vast multiverse. Will Stephanie be able to find her husband before she, too, ends up lost in a different world?
Pairing: Jason Todd x Stephanie Brown
Rating: E (mdni)
WC: 5.8k Ao3 Masterlist
A teasing moment between Jason and Steph causes some revelations (and breakdowns). The Bats, tired of the duo’s avoidance and rivalry but unsure of its origins, set them up on a stakeout so they can get over their issues with each other. And you know what they say, the best way to get over your issues with someone is to get under their - oh, no one says that? Well, these two do. Is it a stakeout, or is it a shagout?
A/N: Alphabeta'd by @pioneertothefalls and beta'd by @sarcasticbambi <33 Thank you so much!!
Inspired by this post by @bebatzelbub and these tags on it by @the-mad-dame
CW: Minor swearing, explicit sexual content: oral sex, PiV sex, thigh riding
JASON
Late Friday night/early Saturday morning, post-patrol
BatCave, Bristol
Jason sighed, cracking his neck and pressing the keyboard keys harder than necessary in an attempt to drown out his way-too-loud background monologue.
“Not gonna lie, that was not your finest moment.”
The crinkle of foil sounded, far too loud yet also far too quiet to drown out the sound of the bane of his life mocking his wipeout. He’d hoped no one had seen him eat bricks, yet the unmistakable whoop of laughter coming from one purple-clad vigilante had immediately alerted him to the fact that someone had, in fact, seen it–even worse, they weren’t someone intimidated by the helmet on his head, thus negating any threats he breathed if they spread the story and/or continued laughing.
Said continued laughter had lasted the rest of patrol and now haunted him even back in the BatCave, where he was, unfortunately, updating files for B.
Steph swung her feet in an off-tempo rhythm against the drawers of the desk of the BatComputer, the metal thuds echoing in a more than irritating duet with the foil wrapper of his fruit snacks that she had appropriated. How, he didn’t know, but that was not his #1 problem with the purple-suited menace at the moment. They were not close enough to make jokes like these, he’d decided.
“Will you just shut up?!” Jason snapped his head towards Steph, brows lowered in a glare that showed his annoyance at her continuing to poke fun at his epic fail on patrol.
“Make me,” she retorted, flipping her blonde ponytail over her shoulder and settling her hands on her hips in a power pose.
Unfortunately for her, it also left her plenty open to attack.
Jason stood abruptly, his hand whipping out, fingers settling gently around her neck as he pulled her off the desk and into him, so close their noses brushed
Only then did he realise how much shorter she was compared to him as she balanced on her tiptoes.
Her blue eyes met his teal ones, both pairs blown wide with shock and arousal. He could feel the above-average thudding of her pulse through his fingers, matching his suddenly spiked heart rate.
Oh.
Oh no.
She swallowed, the last of his fruit gummies disappearing down her throat. He could think of other things he wanted to see go down her throat.
Carefully, she placed her hand on his pec, pushing off and stepping away from him. His hand remained hovering mid-air, his system rebooting as the stare-down continued.
He licked his lips, imagining licking the sheen of fruit gummy residue off her suddenly unbearably tempting mouth. One step and she’d be back in his arms and her mouth would be on his–
Clearing his throat, he broke the staring contest and wiped his hands on his pants so he wouldn’t do something stupid like grab her and choke her and kiss her and ask her to marry him. “Okay, my report is all updated for Bruce, I’m gonna go grab some shuteye, seeyoulaterbye!”
Without a backward glance, he legged it to his bike and kick-started it, eager to escape that surreal scenario, get a nap, and make sense of his life again.
~~~
JASON
Early Saturday morning, post-patrol
Crime Alley, Gotham
The pillow was not stuffed enough to drown out the anguished groans he was currently producing at alarmingly frequent intervals. (He’d strangled it far harder than his earlier debacle with Steph.)
Why had he done that? Why had he thought it was a good idea to (playfully) choke a known menace? Why had that one little hitch in her breath when he’d done that cemented her status as “MAJOR CRUSH” in his brain? Why did it have to be Steph, of all people?!
Jason turned over and screamed into the pillow again.
~~~
JASON
Monday night, pre-patrol
BatCave, Bristol
“Red Hood, Spoiler, you can work together in the North End, from Otisburg to the Bowery,” Batman directed as he outlined patrols two nights later.
The colour drained from Jason’s face. The universe (Bruce) was conspiring against him, he just knew it.
He simply nodded, not daring to look at his newly-assigned partner. Batman eyed his unusually quiet response suspiciously but simply moved on to dividing up the other groups.
“Black Bat and Red Robin can take Midtown, and Robin, Nightwing, and I will take the South End.”
Patrol sections divided, the groups set out on their various vehicles, whizzing out of the cave to work in their natural habitat, Gotham after 5 pm.
—
JASON
Monday night, on patrol
Crime Alley, Gotham
“Behind!” he called, warning Spoiler of an attacker sneaking up on her unguarded back. She whirled, taking them out with a neat uppercut, then expertly restrained and deposited them out of the heat of the fight.
He noted her efficient moves with admiration and something resembling…pride?, easily handling the group of attackers stupid enough to take him on. They were lined up beside her row in ten minutes or less, their collected fingerprints running through Oracle’s database at the moment.
He was curious what he’d stumbled upon, but their records would pop up on his in-helmet screen in a minute and help him decipher their reason for meeting in his territory.
“Nice work there, Blondie.”
“‘Blondie’? Really?” She tugged her void-like mask down to her nose, not enough that anyone could take in her face, but enough for him to see the scorn at his unintentional nickname sparking her eyes.
“You don’t like Blondie?” He popped the clasp on his helmet and tucked it under his arm, shaking the sweat off his curls in her face, just to get her back for stealing his snacks the other night. “What would you prefer then, Your Highness? ‘Purple’? ‘Curls’? “Menace’?”
“Must you use adjectives to nickname me?” she replied, stepping out of the spray zone. “I’m impossible to contain in one word, you know.”
The flickering streetlight behind her provided an angelic radiance, though her shadowed face was devilish. Her stance was offensive but her silhouette alluring, her costume practical but balanced by her whimsical glitter-fied batarangs hanging from her utility belt.
“I know,” he agreed under his breath.
SHIT THAT WAS WAY TOO SOFT! ABORT! “What about Kitten?” WHAT THE FUCK, TODD?
He may not have Cass’s abilities, but even he could see Steph’s stance shifting as she processed his most recent brain-to-mouth filter error.
“What?”
“You’re small and feisty like a kitten, but also pretty fluffy.” Honestly, her hair was amazing. He should find out what shampoo she used.
“Are you calling me fat, Hood?” She stalked towards him, twirling a batarang between her fingers.
He sputtered, eyes jumping between her hand and her face. “What- No- How- Absolutely not! I would never! I was referring to your hair, I swear! It looks really good lately and that’s all I was meaning!”
Her stone-faced mask broke as she flashed him a grin. “You’ve noticed my hair?”
Fuck.
“...Yeah.”
“Well, thanks for the compliment! I’ve been trying out the new L’Oreal Wonder Water shampoo the past few washes. Does your helmet mess up your hair? I noticed since I went back to my Spoiler cowl that my hair got more frizzy and broken, so I had to up my haircare routine.”
“Um, yeah, sometimes it gets pretty bad when I’m wearing the helmet more often than usual.”
“Mm, the lactic acid build up,” she nodded sagely. “I assume you shower after patrols, since you always smell good-”
It was Jason’s turn to grin. “You think I smell good?”
“Not the point, Hood,” Steph waved her hand airily, turning on her heel to leave. “You should try the Wonder Water shampoo and let me know how it works.”
“Okay, I’ll pick up a bottle on my way home tonight.”
“Also, I just remembered you called me small,” she spun again, marching towards him. “Rude, much? I’m above average, thank you.” Leaning into his personal space, she pressed the bat on his chest, waving one hand up and down his body. “Just because you’re big doesn’t mean I’m small.”
“Oh I’m big alright,” he smirked. “Would you like to prove if you’re small or not?”
Her gaze dropped to his lips as she leaned incrementally closer. He could smell the watermelon on her breath from the gum she’d been chewing earlier. He was eager to find out if she tasted like watermelon, too–her chapstick was also watermelon flavoured.
“All clear in Mid and South; head back to the Cave once your routes are completed.”
They jumped apart, hands flying to their in-ear pieces instead of each other’s bodies, coughing awkwardly to dispel the tension as they headed back to their bikes.
Batman was such a cockblocker. Jason was gonna steal his tires again, just watch him.
___
STEPH
Monday morning, post-patrol
Wayne Manor, Bristol
What was up with Jason lately? Steph mused as she changed into her pyjamas, finally ready for bed after the long night. That was the second time in about as many days that they’d almost kissed.
She wasn’t sure what had changed but he seemed to be seeing her in a new light, lately. There was some definite tension there. Her bratty attempts at gaining his attention by annoying him had paid off when he’d grabbed her and choked her the other night. As soon as he’d left she’d also gone home and proceeded to get herself off as she imagined what might have happened if he hadn’t stepped back.
Now that he was really seeing her, she needed to find out what he wanted and what he was going to do about it.
___
JASON
Monday morning, post-patrol
Wayne Manor, Bristol
Jason paused on the doorsill to the kitchen, then silently backed away in large steps to evade the blonde dancing around her waffle maker as fast as he could. Not today, Steph-an.
—
STEPH
Tuesday night, post-patrol
BatCave, Bristol
The distinct sound of Jason’s motorbike pulling into the Cave coincided with Steph’s decision to head to the showers and proceed with her thirty-minute seven-step skincare routine in the Cave shower rooms instead of the comfier surroundings of the Manor bathrooms until the sound of his bike faded in the distance. Yeah, she was going to up the ante on her psychological attacks, but she needed to give him a little space so she didn’t scare him off by coming on too fast!
—
CASS
Wednesday night, post-patrol
BatCave, Bristol
“Spoiler, can you swing by Crime Alley on your way home tonight and drop off this file for Red Hood?”
“Sorry, B, I’m going home with Cass tonight to have a sleepover in the Clocktower. Totally wrong direction,” she shrugged.
“Since when were we having a girl’s night?” Oracle asked Cass through her in-ear comm. Cass shrugged and watched Steph’s retreating form suspiciously.
—
DICK
Thursday afternoon
Grayson Apartment, Bludhaven
“Hey, Jason, can you make it to dinner or at least movie night next family night? Our schedules are finally all lined up so we can all make it!...Yeah, even Steph’s gonna be there, she’s going to join Cass on a Birds of Prey mission after….Oh, you’ve made plans with the Outlaws already?...Okay, have fun, Little Wing.”
Dick hung up and looked at Tim, who was obviously listening in from where he was typing on his laptop on the couch. “Has Jason been acting weird…er than normal lately?”
~~~
JASON
Saturday evening, pre-patrol
BatCave, Bristol
“...and that leaves Spoiler to join Red Hood on this stakeout.” Batman glanced between the two, waiting for the inevitable argument. “Everyone else is busy with their own missions or plans, you are the only two left to do this. Whatever grudge you’re holding against each other, either get over it before the stakeout or set it aside until the stakeout’s over. Your personal issues should not interfere-”
“-with the mission, yeah, B, we know. Fine. Spoiler, surely we can get along for one night, yeah?” Jason twisted to stare at Steph condescendingly, noticing her teeth digging into her lip and suddenly immensely jealous of her fucking incisors.
The smile she graced him with did not meet her eyes; he could practically hear the screaming behind those baby blues. “Of course, B-man, Jason and I are the epitome of adult maturity and will not allow holding anything against the other to detract from your mission.”
Her saccharine, agreeable tone for some reason did not inspire trust and agreeability in Jason.
Bruce’s lips thinned at the obvious placating, but left them off with one warning glare, which both of them were accustomed, even immune, to.
—
STEPH
Sunday morning, stakeout hour 00:00
Brooklyn, New York
Steph tossed her purple Bat-grade duffle on the bed nearest the window, eyeing Jason over her shoulder.
Predictably, he opened his mouth. “I call the bed nearest the window!”
“Nuh-uh, I put my bag on it first!”
“I called it first!”
“My bag, my bed.”
“I put my foot on the carpet first. That’s mine. Get around the room by not using the floor, then.” Jason crossed his arms, practically daring her to fold.
Steph scoffed. “What are you, six? The floor is lava? Fine, I will. I’m a gymnast; not touching the floor is easy.” With a huff she turned and bounced onto the bed nearest the door, then jumped to the bed she had claimed. She shot a look of pure victory over her shoulder, which he missed, because he was busy unpacking his black duffle on the other bed. Looks like he’d given up the bed debate after ‘winning’ that stupid point; victory was hers!
“Is that duffle Bat-grade?”
He glanced up, giving her a thoroughly unimpressed look. “No, I prefer to use unmarked duffles, and I just grabbed the closest one I had lying around when I packed.”
That was a lie, Steph knew. There was no way Jason ‘Mr. Organizes Recipe Books by Title Alphabetically’ Todd just ‘grabbed’ a duffle and threw his things in it.
Yep. Peeking over the beds, she could see his neatly packed bag arranged like one of those wooden pressure-fit puzzles.
He glanced up again at her unintentional scoff. “What?”
“You are such a liar, Todd. Look at how neatly that bag is packed.--Are those MREs?”
“Obviously.”
“Why?”
“In case we run out of food and it takes us a while to make our way back to Gotham.” The duh was implied.
“We’re five hours from Gotham, and in one of the largest cities in the world. You think we won’t find food in New York?” Steph questioned incredulously.
“It’s better to be safe than sorry,” he replied, nonplussed. “With so many people, food might be scarce if something happened.”
She couldn't argue with that. Pulling out her binoculars (actually useful things she packed knowing she’d actually need them for this overnight stakeout), she settled on her bed and began her lookout for their target.
—
JASON
Jason closed the door to the bathroom, leaving Steph and her luscious watermelony scent behind as a smirk crossed his lips. Hah, she’d taken the bait. Now he could sleep closest to the door and she wouldn’t protest. Also, he’d get to watch her innovative ways of traversing their room to avoid stepping on ‘his’ floor.
Could he have simply let her claim the window-side bed without making a fuss? Yes, of course, but that was boring. She was rather fun to rile up and argue with, and if he was arguing with her he was focused on the argument instead of her lips. Okay, he was focused on the argument coming from her lips. Fine, he was still focused on her lips, but he liked to pretend he wasn’t so he could ignore the fact that he was falling in love with the most obnoxious, fascinating girl on Earth.
Returning to the bedroom part of their suite, he immediately noticed Steph mid-jump from one bed to another. She landed on all fours, a bag of trail mix dangling from her mouth. What a view.
Closing his mouth and quirking a brow, he leaned against the doorframe. “Surprisingly honourable of you to maintain your floorlessness even when I’m not around.”
She turned, spitting the bag from between her teeth and returning the brow raise. “Of course, I’m not a cheater.”
What a bare-faced little liar she was–he’d seen her schemes in Monopoly last game night he attended. She wasn’t half bad at manipulating the card decks. He nodded agreeably.
“Of course you aren’t…and I’m not a zombie.”
“How dare you?!”
“Quite easily, sweetheart,” he drawled, settling against the head of his bed. Pulling out his phone, he began searching for good hole-in-the-wall restaurants nearby. Maybe they could go if they finished their stakeout early…maybe even call it a date?
A weight landed on his lap and the air whooshed out of his lungs as he stared at the girl of his dreams kneeling over him, a cute frown on her face as she glared at him in offense.
“Um, can I help you?” he asked slowly.
“Yeah, you can start by not insinuating I’m a cheater.”
“Oh, I didn’t insinuate, Kitten. You are a cheater.”
“You take that back, or-!”
“Or?” He leaned his head against the padded headboard, baring his neck mockingly. “What will you do, eat all the snacks? Good thing I brought my MREs,” he taunted.
WIthout warning, she bit his neck and jumped back to her bed before he could register what happened.
He slapped a hand to his neck over the bite, staring at her in shock. She blinked back at him innocently. He knew ‘Kitten’ was the right nickname.
“Oh, you have no idea what you just did,” he growled, launching himself onto her bed and caging her between his limbs.
That hitch in her breath was back, and so were her wide blue eyes.
“Oh yeah? Watch this.”
Muscle by muscle, she leaned up and bit down purposefully on the other side of his neck, meeting his stare defiantly.
“If you don’t stop I’m gonna lose it,” he warned her lowly, the heat from her body melting through his clothes until all he wanted was to burn by her heat.
“Looth wat, yor burginity?” she scoffed, as best she could with her mouth occupied. “I akthept.”
“I am not a virgin,” he informed her firmly, enjoying the feeling of her teeth on his neck. “There’s nothing to accept, except that unless you say stop, you’re not gonna be touching the floor because I fucked you so well your legs won’t work for 2-4 business days.”
In lieu of response, she grasped his hand and dragged it up her body until it rested at the base of her neck, where their whole situationship had started. Firming his grip, he reluctantly pulled her off his neck and met her eyes.
“Do your worst, not-a-zombie boy,” she taunted.
A dark chuckle escaped him. “Oh, you asked for it.” Tugging her back to him, he kissed her fiercely, her lips immediately parting so she could bite down on his lower lip. She did taste like watermelon–watermelon and glitter and strangely–yet unsurprisingly–like home.
Her arms wended around his neck, pulling him even closer to her. He obliged, settling even more of his weight on her, hands gliding down her body to cup her ass and pull her legs around his waist till she clung to him like a koala, their bodies melded to each other as much as they could.
He released her throat to comb his fingers through her hair, angling her head for a better angle to continue kissing her. Now that he had started, he never wanted to stop.
His other hand made its way up her body, slipping under her shirt to caress her bare skin. The rough yet smooth feel of scars underneath his fingertips reminded him yet again that she was one of the strongest women he knew.
Moving away from her delectable lips, he brushed a strand of hair back from her forehead so he could see her eyes clearly. “Can I take your shirt off?”
~~~
STEPH
Her heart swelled three sizes as she met his gaze. Usually, she kept her shirt on if she hooked up with someone, not ashamed of her scars but not wanting to deal with the stares and questions and pitying looks, whether she explained what happened, fed them a line, or simply refused to elaborate.
With Jason though, she already knew he’d read her file, he knew what had happened. He had his own scars, there would be no reaction like she got from civilians. It was simply a hazard of the job.
She nodded, brushing back a lock of his own hair. “Thank you for asking, and yes.” Sitting up a little more, she tugged her shirt up and over, letting it fall somewhere on his floor. He leaned back enough for her to kick off her leggings, too, which met the same fate as her shirt. Her underwear followed. At this rate, she was going to run out of clothes (oh no, whatever will they do).
Jason swiftly had his shirt off and sweet mother of Caroline, his musculature was even more delectable than his gear showed.
He grinned at her speechlessness, the smug man, brushing her mouth with his thumb. “Careful there, you got a bit of drool on ya.”
She was drooling more places than one, but he couldn’t be smug for more than thirty seconds or the room would implode from containing his ego, so Steph quickly settled the score. Hooking her leg over his and hugging his back and shoulder, she flipped them so that she was now the one straddling him.
“Jeans off,” she commanded, flicking the button open and undoing the zipper.
He obliged, kicking them off (oh no they were stuck around his thighs she had to feel him up help him get unstuck).
Steph stared at his more-than-decently sized cock, perfectly veiny and already flushed. “You go commando? That can’t be safe.”
“Not usually,” he replied, reaching up to fondle her breasts. “Special occasion: stakeout with you. Who knew if you’d want a quickie if you got bored or something?”
Flipping her hair over her shoulder, she slid down his body (fuck, those thighs, and also, hopefully soon, fuck those thighs?) until she was face to face with his di -nope- his cock was definitely the better word.
Hm, slow and edgy or fast and mindblowing?
“Gonna do something down there?” his fingers twisted in her hair, providing the perfect amount of pressure. She may have let out a tiny moan. Okay, that settled it. Opening her mouth, she took him in as far as she could immediately.
His hips jerked and his hand tightened around her hair. “Fuck, warn a guy!”
She pulled off and smirked at him. “But that would take all the fun out of it.”
A second time she took him deeply, more prepared now to go even a little further. Setting a steady pace, she began bobbing up and down, swirling her tongue and using her teeth (gently) to pull a symphony of moans and curses from him. It had been a while, but it was nice to see she hadn’t lost her touch, as soon he was pulling her off him by her hair, looking thoroughly wrecked.
“You are far too good at that,” he rasped.
She preened smugly at his pronouncement until he settled his hands on her hips and he yoinked her up till she was straddling his face. Teal eyes twinkled up at her. “Hold on.”
“To wha-oh fuck-fuck you!” Her hands instinctively landed on the headboard and his hair as he steadily licked at her core, his nose stimulating her clit in the most spine-tingling way as he ate her out. Did he just moan?
“Did you just moan?”
He moved off her just long enough to confirm that she was the most delicious thing he’d ever tasted before returning to his self-appointed task.
“A little lighter, please,” she gasped out, gathering her bearings and beginning to swirl her hips.
He obliged, gentling the pressure and licking her steadily into an orgasm that made her whole body shake in pleasure. Riding her through it, he added a finger, giving her something to clamp down on while he expertly stroked her g-spot. Done with one, he immediately started for a second, adding another finger, then two, while avoiding her clit so she wouldn’t experience unpleasant overstimulation. It crested much quicker the second time around, overtaking her and leaving nothing but his name on her lips.
~~~
JASON
She was absolutely stunning when she came in his arms, hair wild, skin flushed, whining his name. He felt incredibly accomplished at that moment. He could die (again) a happy man.
Steph slid bonelessly off him to curl into his side, her fingers tracing some of the scars on his torso as she caught her breath. He tugged one of her legs between his, wanting to be as close as possible.
After a couple minutes’ rest, she had regained her bearings and tilted her chin up to meet his gaze. Her hand slipped a little lower, finding his still-erect cock and pumping it slowly. “What’s your favourite position?”
He shrugged. “I like doggy. And cowgirl. And missionary. And standing. and -”
“-okay, okay, you like having sex, got it,” she rolled her eyes in fake annoyance but he caught the smirk on her lips anyways.
“What’s yours then, Miss Judgy?” He tweaked her nipple, enjoying the little gasp she let out.
“Probably cowgirl or wall sex. Mmm, I bet you’d be good at that. But later. Doggy now.” She got to all fours, brushing her loosened hair over one shoulder.
Jason happily obliged, rolling a condom on and getting behind her, adjusting her hips as he wanted. Any excuse to touch her, he’d take. Pressing a kiss to the back of her neck, he began pushing in, eyes closing in bliss as her wet heat welcomed him.
She let out a moan, hips moving back to take him in quicker. “Fuckkk you feel so good.”
“Just wait till I start moving,” he told her, gathering her hair around his fist and moving back out. He started slow, getting used to the feel of being with her, and also enjoying her impatient little whimpers as he refused to speed up.
Steph began moving her hips back with more force to meet his, moaning his name in irritation. “If you’re not gonna go faster will you at least go harder? I need more stimulation!”
Relenting, he began thrusting harder and a little faster, occasionally tugging her head up so he could better hear her pretty cries. This was an experience he never wanted to forget, imprinting it in his memories. “Damn, you’re tight; you’re squeezing me so well, babe.”
He reached around to rub her clit, rubbing two fingers in fast circles as he felt his own release approaching. “That’s it, come for me, babe.”
“Ffffuck, Jasoonnn ‘m coming!” was all the warning he got before her release overtook her with powerful spasms, pushing him over the edge. He quickly pulled out and took the rubber off, painting her ass and lower back in white.
Fuck, he hadn’t come that hard in a while. Once he regained use of his legs, he headed to the ensuite to dampen a towel and returned to wipe Steph down.
She rolled over once he was done, giving him a sleepy smile. “You okay if I nap a little? You really know how to wear a girl out, damn.”
He smothered a smile, tucking her hair behind her ear and smoothing the sheet over her bare body. “That means I’ve done my job right, Kitten. Enjoy your nap, I’m good for now.”
___
STEPH
The slant of sunlight dancing across her eyelids darkened, making her curious enough to finally open her eyes. The shadow of Jason’s hand covered her face, as he sat perched on the edge of her bed, the binoculars in his other hand focused across the street.
A soft smile played on her lips as she took in his messy hair, white tank top, and grey sweats that he must’ve pulled on after she fell asleep. He looks so domestic. I want to domesticate him. Whoa, down girl! Was that not enough to satiate you?
“Hey, handsome. What’s up?”
He turned, hand lowering as he saw she was awake and adjusted to the sunlight, an unconscious smile on his face. “Just people watching. Nothing new happening where we want it to be, yet.”
Yawning, she scooched up to lean against the headboard, wrapping her arms around her knees as she gathered her bearings. “Good to hear, I guess. I didn’t miss anything exciting.”
“Nope.” He leaned back, hands finding her feet through the blankets and beginning to rub them. “Are you hungry?”
“I could eat,” she shrugged. “As long as it’s not an MRE,” she added suspiciously.
He laughed, his head falling back onto his shoulders. “No, I was gonna order from a Vietnamese place down the street.”
“Hm, that sounds good. Whatever you order is fine. I’m gonna take a shower, then.”
He waved her off and returned to his people watching, so she rolled out of bed and headed to the bathroom to freshen up.
___
JASON
By the time Steph emerged in a cloud of fruit-scented steam, he’d gotten the small table dragged over to the window and their respective settings in order. That way they could enjoy their lunch and keep an eye on their suspect at the same time.
She paused by his bed, fiddling with the ties on her white robe.
Glancing up, he summoned her with a wave. “Lunch is ready, Your Highness. I figured we can share, or if you don’t like something I’ll eat it.”
“It all looks good,” she demurred, sitting in the chair with its back to the bed. “Good choices.”
“I’ve been craving Vietnamese all week, specifically from that place on North Holden, but I’vebeen too busy to stop by and pick something up. I figured the Melting Pot would have some good pho.” He cracked open the lids on the containers, the savoury aromas wafting around them.
“That smells amazing,” Steph moaned.
He side-eyed her at that suspiciously tantalizing sound but simply continued setting their lunch up. “Dig in,” he offered, settling into his chair with a glance out the window.
She did, ignoring the aromatic and piping hot steam to begin wolfing down her meal. Jason ate more slowly, blowing cool air over his noodles before slurping them up. Their meal was mostly silent, but it was comfortable, neither one pressured to say something or act differently despite their previous actions.
He liked it. He wanted to stay like that for far longer than a weekend stakeout.
___
STEPH
After they ate, Steph offered to take her turn watching for their mark while Jason stacked the empty containers neatly on the counter and moved the table back to its hotel-ordained spot.
The time passed slowly, as there was no indication of anything remotely connected to their mark or investigation. Steph did see two pickpocketings happen below her but that was hardly uncommon, whether she was home in Gotham or visiting in New York.
Bored, she flopped on the bed and wiggled until she could see Jason on his bed, reading. From her angle she couldn’t make out the title, so she decided to spice up their afternoon by being a brat about it.
Rolling off the far side of her bed, she crawled to the border of his, peeking up to see him ignoring her, thoroughly invested in the novel. He turned a page, the sound loud in their quiet room.
Steph almost reached up to tickle his feet but paused at the last second as he shifted, thighs flexing as he adjusted his position and planting evil ideas in her mind. She surfaced by the head of the bed, laying her head on his thigh as she nudged her way to the front of the book to see its cover and title. He lifted it out of her way, looking down at her with an arched eyebrow.
“Something the matter, Blondie?”
“Yeah. I can’t see what you’re reading.”
He huffed out a soft snort. “And that’s why you’re invading my personal space? Sure.”
“It’s an awkward angle to see!” she defended herself, shifting so her hair wasn’t pulled by the weight of her head (and incidentally, further up his thigh).
“Riighhtt,” he drawled, closing the book with a snap and placing it on the night table, spine away from her. “I think you’re just bored and being a brat. Getting awfully comfy here, aren’t you?”
“Nice pillows,” she shrugged, blinking innocently up at him. He ran a hand through his hair, mussing the white bangs in a way-too-hot manner. Of course his biceps flexed and of course his collarbones looked more biteable than ever and of course-
“Pillows? I think they make a better seat, personally.”
“Is that an invitation?”
“Since when did you need an invitation to do anything, Spoiler?” he taunted.
…Fair ‘nuf.
Steph climbed up and settled over his thighs, running one hand through his hair and one up his arm to his shoulder.
“You’re right, it is a good seat. Would be better if it was one of those massaging recliners,” she hinted, slowly rocking her hips.
“Oh, that comes with the premium package, not this free trial.”
The seam of her shorts finally hit all the right spots and made her ride more enjoyable. “Oh yeah? What else does the premium package come with? And how much does it cost?”
He leaned back, baring his throat to her (of course she had to take advantage and lick a stripe up). “The premium package costs daily kisses and requires sleeping in the same bed every night, plus it comes with the title of ‘boyfriend’ and regular date benefits.”
His eyes met hers, unguarded, serious, vulnerable.
She paused, frozen. “Are you serious?”
“...yes.”
She tilted her head in thought. “That’s a steal, for sure. Can I take the deal now before the offer runs out and/or products run out of stock? I’m kind of attached to this model, you see.”
“Deal. Just made it before the sale ended. Fortunately for you, it only comes with this model.”
The smile on his face made her feel too many things, and her heart hurt a little. “Good.” She leaned back, resting on her behind instead of her knees, laughing in relief at their shared silliness. “Hey, boyfriend.”
He leaned up, nuzzling his nose against hers. “Hey yourself, girlfriend.”
“Do you think you could show your new girlfriend some of the benefits she can expect to receive?” she leaned back just enough to count the freckles on the bridge of his nose-a soft detail on his otherwise rough, masculine features.
His answering grin was devious. “Your wish is my command.”
A/N 2: if i didn't end it there it'd be another two months+. also for those wondering about the small thread of plot in there yeah they got the evidence they were looking for on that stakeout in between rounds 👍they dropped it off at the cave and then set off to pull a Mary Shelley.
Interested in JaySteph? Check out the 18+ JaySteph Discord server! Whether you're an author, artist, silent fan, or just curious about these two and why we ship 'em, there's a spot for you!
There are gaps in the world. Vast stretches of these sort of... plains of nothingness, "whose fundamental property is the suspension of properties: physical, epistemological, linguistic" (quote from Joyce Messier's dialogue). It literally unmakes things, not just physically but metaphysically. The deeper into the Pale you travel, the less anything can be identified, perceived, or referred to. Numbers literally stop working at a certain point, which is called the Number Barrier, an obstacle no one has ever passed.
There are seven continents called "isolas" with the Pale between them all. At the edges, the landmasses sort of dissolve into the cold grey Pale, flowing up and into it, suspended and slowly inching away, as if even the clods of dirt swept up in the dissolution are trying to get away from themselves.
Civilians are allowed a maximum of 9 days in the Pale per year; trained officials are allowed up to 22 days. Each moment spent within it takes a little more of you. It's possible to travel between isolas if you build an airplane-ish vehicle, blast the Pale with radiowaves (which seems to slightly lessen its effects temporarily), and then launch the vehicle at the Pale with very careful precision. The vehicle's turbines will stop functioning at a certain depth as the laws of motion stop working, but if you aimed correctly, the vehicle will eventually emerge on the other side.
The main problem, though, is that the Pale is slowly expanding, as it eats away at the edges of the remaining fragments of the world. Inside an abandoned church in a poverty-stricken district of Revachol that all governments, ideologies, and institutions have failed, there is a single, tiny pocket of pure silence. Perhaps it too, will expand. If any trust can be placed in the Half-Light portion of Harry DuBois' mind (and that itself is a hell of an "if"), then we know this from the game: One day, specifically 9,855 days from the moment Harry DuBois wakes up from his alcohol coma, the world will end. And it will be very, very disco.
Some other out-of-game information - the Pale is formed when imagination is stolen from the future and manifested before it's supposed to actually happen, like if someone imagined a car and then invented it before it was supposed to have, with all the attendent problems this causes
This is why during the age of Dolores Dei, the one who assassinated her was cryptically screaming "we were supposed to figure this out for ourselves"
Jaysteph is the pairing of Jason Todd and Stephanie Brown! It's not a hugely popular ship but there are dozens of us and a pretty active fandom corner going on!
@fuckyeahjaysteph and @jaystephevents are a great place to start if you're curious!
other social media websites im on are like. hawk tuah girl and mr beast are collabing for a festables event. and tumblr is like. here are my top 10 favorite ants
Steph, agent of chaos, is bugging Jason. she keeps talking and poking at him until he loses his cool and (gently) grabs her by the throat and they both go
“Will you just shut up?!” Jason snapped his head towards Steph, brows lowered in a glare showing his annoyance at her continuing to poke fun at his epic fail on patrol last night.
“Make me,” she retorted, flipping her blonde ponytail over her shoulder and settling her hands on her hips in a power pose.
Unfortunately for her, it also left her plenty open to attack.
Jason stood abruptly, his hand whipping out, his fingers settling gently around her neck as he pulled her off the desk and into him. So close their noses brushed, he realised how much shorter she was than him, balancing as she was on her tiptoes.
Her blue eyes met his teal ones, both blown wide with shock and arousal. He could feel the above-average thudding of her pulse through his fingers, matching his suddenly spiked heart rate.
Oh.
Oh no.
She swallowed, the last of his fruit gummies disappearing down her throat. He could think of other things he wanted to see go down her throat.
an endless loop of music (aka my internal ipod shuffle)
rule: shuffle your Spotify “On Repeat” playlist and list the first (10) songs.
i. famous for/ tauren wells
ii. good day/ forrest frank
iii. proof/ aaron cole
iv. jungle in the city/ gable price and friends
v. alone/ burna boy
vi. árboles bajo el mar/ vivir quintana
vii. 360/ charli xcx
viii. last surprise/ lyn
ix. werld is mine/ raleigh ritchie
x. dominion/ skillet
@carietta-white tagged me (thank you Katie!!) and in turn i’m tagging… @tempe-brennans, @claudiaeparvier, @red-lion-of-voltron, @pinkieroy, @jinxiaobao, and @marrasquutamo. no pressure ofc 🥰
Enjoy my very random, very eclictic list of some of my faves.
I'm gonna tag @boldlyanxious @xenon-upon-the-thumblr @dg-outlaw aaaand @clerkwithamouth even though he was already previously tagged, just because I can.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
First comes love
Then comes marriage
Then comes a really fucked up trip through the multiverse
Jason is wounded and lost somewhere in the vast multiverse. Will Stephanie be able to find her husband before she too ends up lost in the maze of alternate realities?
Jaysteph painfully obvious to everyone but them friends to lovers slow burn headcanons:
Steph decides they're friends and just behaves accordingly. Jason tries being grumpy about it but it doesn't work
Secretly he's relieved
Cass is like "well, fuck."
Constantly talking shit.
Jason refuses to spar with her after losing the first time. She thinks it's because he was embarrassed. It's actually because he gets turned on when she hits him, and her standing over him with her foot on his chest gloating made it worse. That's normal for friends right?
Steph hits it off with Roy, and somewhat surprisingly Rose too. But nothing like how she's immediate besties with Biz.
(this got long)
When Alfred manages to get Jason back at the manor they cook together. Steph will sometimes slip in. After she almost burned Jason's roux he picked her up, sat her on the counter, and told her to stay put. That's her spot now.
Alfred has the wedding menu planned.
She goes on an Outsiders mission with him and is about 10x more feral without B or Babs around.
Normal platonic friends fall asleep in each other's arms after a hard day, okay?
"I'm going to tell them" - Tim
"Like hell you are" - Dick
A goon spits on Steph and calls her a slut and Jason beats him so badly that she and Cass drag him off.
"This is idiotic. Todd, you are in love with Brown."
"Sure, kid." (Cue silent groans from everyone present)
Artemis calls Jason in for help. He's gone for two weeks and Steph is tetchy and sullen the entire time. These two things are clearly unrelated.
Jason realizes at about 5 am after a relatively chill night. They're in a diner and Steph gets whipped cream on her cheek and he just goes "oh. Oh no."
Cue existential crisis and significant amounts of brooding.
Steph follows a lead to an apartment and finds three murdered children. She holds it together until the second she sees Jason striding towards her.
She realizes the next morning, when she wakes up in her apartment to him making her food. She sits and watches him for a while before he sees she's up, it's one of her favorite memories of him.
"She doesn't want me." "I'm not his type."
They kiss on an undercover job to avoid getting caught. Almost miss their target because they fully start making out. Comms are on.
"I'm going to have a shower." "Can I come?"
They both think they can start sleeping with each other and have it not get weird. Cute idea.
Jason makes it a week before blurting out that he loves her.
"Say that again when you're not balls deep."
He does.
No one notices anything's changed. (Cass would have but Steph texts her immediately)
Jason votes for not telling anyone because it's none of their business, but is overruled.
Bruce is both overjoyed and deeply apprehensive about the amount of trouble they can cause. This comes out as a single pat on Jason's shoulder.
They continue to be feral besties first and foremost.
