[ There is some part of him that wants to pull away and tell Jason it's best if he went home and they never spoke or thought about this again. But there's also this sense of contentment that's keeping him here, in this bed even though it's really too small for them.
Jason's not moving. Or freaking out. Bruce is freaking out a little.
But, he decides he wants to stay here a little bit longer. Reality will assert itself again soon enough. ]
I want you to.
[ Maybe they can find another moment to do this again. ]
[If they can stay here, quiet like this, they can have another moment where they are together and maybe they don't have to acknowledge that this is unhealthy or weird or disturbing. They can just let themselves have this minute together.
He doesn't turn around, but keeps holding Bruce's hand to his chest, so Bruce can feel the reassuring thud of his heartbeat and he can feel Bruce's at his wrist.]
[ It is simple and easy. To just exist without a fire to put out or fending off another earth shattering crisis. They're just two people having a quiet moment and Bruce isn't having to swallow down Jason's rejection. It feels...
It feels like something deep and quiet settling over him, like having a warm drink after a night out in the cold.
[He closes his eyes but he doesn't fall asleep again; he just stays there, warm, even has he feels sticky and like he's going to be sorry when he finally gets up.
[ He's not reluctant to let go but stays put for a moment longer in the space where they kiss before they part. When Jason's out of sight is when that creeping we shouldn't be doing this feeling returns and settles unhappily in Bruce's gut.
He lays with it for a minute, before he gets up to clean up. By the time Jason returns, the med bay bed is neat and tidy, not a speck of glitter to be seen. Bruce is at the computer, analyzing Jason's blood sample. ]
[Once he showers, he starts to feel the curdle in his stomach, bitter and strange and maybe a little afraid. He takes his shower and dries off, and gets a spare pair of sweats, but doesn't have a shirt that isn't covered in glitter.
He comes out, barefoot, to where Bruce is at the computer, and he doesn't look Bruce in the eye.]
[ Preliminary results are already populating when Jason comes back. Bruce is cataloguing them, preparing for some dictation when he hears Jay's voice and it makes him stop. Because as much as he's pretending like it isn't, things are different now. The world's shifted in a way he's honestly not prepared for.
He doesn't want to think about Jason wandering around in one of his shirts. It feels very domestic. He thinks about it anyway. ]
[The words do you want me to are right there at the tip of his tongue. If he stays for breakfast he's going to have to face Alfred, and he's not sure he's really particularly keen on the eye he'll get from him.
He twists his mouth a little.]
I usually get breakfast at the Starlight Diner, when I'm up for it.
[Which isn't a yes or a no.]
I could grab one of Dick's shirts.
[They will not fit right, because Jason is bigger than Dick, and Dick never really went for the extra oversize look.]
[ he doesn’t take his eyes off the screen; he’s still working. And honestly did not want to risk what might happen if he does look. He doesn’t know what Jason might look like now that he’s clean and clearheaded. Probably every bit as desirable as he had last night, covered in glitter and high as a kite. He doesn’t know what that will do to him and Bruce hated not knowing.
It’s tacit permission to take one of his. ]
We can go to the diner. Just give me a minute.
[ Jason’s not the only one who doesn’t want to face Alfred. ]
[Jason's eyes narrow a little but he heads to where he knows there's a stock of old shirts, the ones that Alfred desperately would like to throw away and that Bruce keeps down in the cave as a compromise. It's not like Bruce would wear a t-shirt in public even if it was brand new and he was going to a picnic.
He hunts around but then spots-
-oh, it's absolutely one of Dick's shirts. It's slightly larger, but worn, and clean, and it has the bright Superman logo on it, but Jason loops it over his head. On him it's just tight, but it just barely fits, not leaving much to the imagination.]
You know you'll have to be Brucie, right?
[He says it as he goes to get the keys to one of the flashier cars, because Jason likes to drive them on the rare chance he and Bruce are getting along, which, considering what their morning was like, he figures is now.]
[ It starts as a glance. He can see movement as Jason is making his way back over to the computer, so he looks. Quick at first. An acknowledgement that he's still here. But in that passing moment he sees familiar blues and reds and looks again because he wouldn't be caught dead in Clark's colors. So he knows it's Dick's, probably long since forgotten. He stares at the logo a minute before he even recognizes how snug the fit is across Jason's chest.
He tells himself not to stare any longer and turns back to the computer to continue organizing the results as they come in. ]
I'll live.
[ When he's at a satisfying stopping point, he steps away for a moment before he comes back dressed a bit differently. A button down sloppily buttoned and ill fitted around the collar. Sunglasses resting on his hair. If he's going to be Brucie, he'll at least look the part. He slides into the passenger seat and gets settled. ]
[Because he's going to speed, he's going to drive like a madman, knowing that the cops don't pull over any of Bruce's cars, and perfectly happy to exploit that.
They get to the diner in record time. Jason hops out, grinning like a maniac.]
[ He doesn't complain. In fact, Bruce doesn't say much of anything the drive over. The only real signs of life is the way his hands tense when they take a corner too fast.
But, he doesn't complain.
When they reach the diner, Bruce drops his sunglasses and gets out after Jason. He sees Jason's grin and it's funny how he's found the easiest way to get his heart to skip a beat or two.
Anyway.
He walks in ahead of Jason, leans on the hostess station and offers her a tired smile. ]
I really wanna sit in a booth. Tell me you got one of those.
[The hostess looks at Jason and is about to direct him to the closest table and get him his regular, but then she sees Bruce and she blushes. Jason laughs.]
I thought he looked like he needed a coffee. Jeanne, can you get us a booth? I don't think he's ever sat in one.
[Jeanne finds them a booth and Jason goes to sit, easing back.]
[ He follows, trudges like its a slog and slides in like he's never sat in a booth before. Orders an orange juice and a short stack of pancakes with a side of bacon and coffee. Black. The only thing he'll have is the coffee.
He leans in as Jason leans back. ]
Bad. Lowered inhibitions makes users susceptible to suggestion. It literally makes it a pleasure to obey.
[ Which explains the body in the harbor. He didn't die from the overdose. He drowned. ]
[Jason takes Bruce's breakfast to eat along with his own; Bruce might be a brat about food, but Jason is like a black hole.]
Mmm. It felt...
[He thinks about it.]
It felt like it was easy to tell you the truth, but not like I was compelled to do it. It didn't feel like a truth serum. It felt more like I could trust you.
[ that made sense. It explained why Jason called him instead of literally anyone else. He lets Jason have his food but he does help himself to some of the bacon. ]
Did anyone say anything to you? Try to get you to do something for them?
[ What a silly thing to be jealous of. Bruce decides to ignore it. ]
Gordon called me on a body they pulled from the harbor a few weeks ago. Toxicology reports put enough of this stuff in his system to kill him. But he drowned.
[ Makes the girls more amenable. Did it make Jason more amenable to what they'd done? It's a thought he doesn't allow himself to sit with.
His coffee's gone cold. When the waitress stops by to check on them, he smiles up at her and asks if she can leave them a fresh pot. Offers a 50 as a meager bribe. ]
Then we'll start with the pimps.
[ Yes, Bruce will casually butt into Jason's case. Thank you. ]
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Jason's not moving. Or freaking out. Bruce is freaking out a little.
But, he decides he wants to stay here a little bit longer. Reality will assert itself again soon enough. ]
I want you to.
[ Maybe they can find another moment to do this again. ]
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He doesn't turn around, but keeps holding Bruce's hand to his chest, so Bruce can feel the reassuring thud of his heartbeat and he can feel Bruce's at his wrist.]
Okay.
[It's so easy. It's so simple. Okay.]
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It feels like something deep and quiet settling over him, like having a warm drink after a night out in the cold.
He doesn't want to ever get up. ]
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Once he does get up, he turns to Bruce.]
I'm going to take a shower, okay?
[He gives him a kiss, quick, though.]
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[ He's not reluctant to let go but stays put for a moment longer in the space where they kiss before they part. When Jason's out of sight is when that creeping we shouldn't be doing this feeling returns and settles unhappily in Bruce's gut.
He lays with it for a minute, before he gets up to clean up. By the time Jason returns, the med bay bed is neat and tidy, not a speck of glitter to be seen. Bruce is at the computer, analyzing Jason's blood sample. ]
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He comes out, barefoot, to where Bruce is at the computer, and he doesn't look Bruce in the eye.]
I'm going to...grab one of your extra shirts.
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He doesn't want to think about Jason wandering around in one of his shirts. It feels very domestic. He thinks about it anyway. ]
Are you staying for breakfast?
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He twists his mouth a little.]
I usually get breakfast at the Starlight Diner, when I'm up for it.
[Which isn't a yes or a no.]
I could grab one of Dick's shirts.
[They will not fit right, because Jason is bigger than Dick, and Dick never really went for the extra oversize look.]
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[ he doesn’t take his eyes off the screen; he’s still working. And honestly did not want to risk what might happen if he does look. He doesn’t know what Jason might look like now that he’s clean and clearheaded. Probably every bit as desirable as he had last night, covered in glitter and high as a kite. He doesn’t know what that will do to him and Bruce hated not knowing.
It’s tacit permission to take one of his. ]
We can go to the diner. Just give me a minute.
[ Jason’s not the only one who doesn’t want to face Alfred. ]
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He hunts around but then spots-
-oh, it's absolutely one of Dick's shirts. It's slightly larger, but worn, and clean, and it has the bright Superman logo on it, but Jason loops it over his head. On him it's just tight, but it just barely fits, not leaving much to the imagination.]
You know you'll have to be Brucie, right?
[He says it as he goes to get the keys to one of the flashier cars, because Jason likes to drive them on the rare chance he and Bruce are getting along, which, considering what their morning was like, he figures is now.]
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He tells himself not to stare any longer and turns back to the computer to continue organizing the results as they come in. ]
I'll live.
[ When he's at a satisfying stopping point, he steps away for a moment before he comes back dressed a bit differently. A button down sloppily buttoned and ill fitted around the collar. Sunglasses resting on his hair. If he's going to be Brucie, he'll at least look the part. He slides into the passenger seat and gets settled. ]
Ready.
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No complaining.
[Because he's going to speed, he's going to drive like a madman, knowing that the cops don't pull over any of Bruce's cars, and perfectly happy to exploit that.
They get to the diner in record time. Jason hops out, grinning like a maniac.]
C'mon Brucie.
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But, he doesn't complain.
When they reach the diner, Bruce drops his sunglasses and gets out after Jason. He sees Jason's grin and it's funny how he's found the easiest way to get his heart to skip a beat or two.
Anyway.
He walks in ahead of Jason, leans on the hostess station and offers her a tired smile. ]
I really wanna sit in a booth. Tell me you got one of those.
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I thought he looked like he needed a coffee. Jeanne, can you get us a booth? I don't think he's ever sat in one.
[Jeanne finds them a booth and Jason goes to sit, easing back.]
So how bad is that stuff from last night anyway?
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He leans in as Jason leans back. ]
Bad. Lowered inhibitions makes users susceptible to suggestion. It literally makes it a pleasure to obey.
[ Which explains the body in the harbor. He didn't die from the overdose. He drowned. ]
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Mmm. It felt...
[He thinks about it.]
It felt like it was easy to tell you the truth, but not like I was compelled to do it. It didn't feel like a truth serum. It felt more like I could trust you.
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Did anyone say anything to you? Try to get you to do something for them?
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[He shrugs.]
I wasn't high very long, before I called you. Some guy asked me to dance, the one you saw me with, and it felt good to agree.
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Gordon called me on a body they pulled from the harbor a few weeks ago. Toxicology reports put enough of this stuff in his system to kill him. But he drowned.
[ He'll let Jason work out that implication. ]
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It makes the girls more amenable. That's why I was looking into it. Pimps have been giving it to the girls.
[He doesn't like it. He takes another bite of his breakfast.]
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His coffee's gone cold. When the waitress stops by to check on them, he smiles up at her and asks if she can leave them a fresh pot. Offers a 50 as a meager bribe. ]
Then we'll start with the pimps.
[ Yes, Bruce will casually butt into Jason's case. Thank you. ]
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[He looks at him, his eyebrows up and confused.]
It's not your case.
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[ He pours himself a fresh cup of coffee without a second thought. ]
Like it or not, our cases are connected.
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[He says it with an emphasis.]
You don't get to take over my case. The girls don't trust Batman. They trust me.
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[ He finally takes a sip of coffee. Ugh, it's burnt. ]
I'm only looking for the supply chain. I doubt whoever is producing this is just using it to make the girls compliant. I'm going to put an end to it.
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