timestamp meme
Give me one of my own stories, and a timestamp sometime in the future after the end of the story, or sometime in the past before the story started, and I'll try to write you at least a hundred words of what happened then, whether it's five minutes before the story started or ten years in the future.
Jason wraps his arms around himself and ducks his head out of the wind. He’d forgotten his jacket when he’d stormed out of the apartment earlier, hadn’t realized it until he got two blocks away and now he feels like his fucking fingers are going to fall off.
He stops on the corner of a liquor store and a diner to check his pockets for his smokes, but apparently he left those back at home too. Fuck everything.
“Bit chilly, isn’t it?” He hears someone say behind him and Jason closes his eyes, resisting the urge to clench his fists by his side. He so isn’t in the mood to deal with this shit right now.
“Look,” he breathes out and turns to face the guy. “I’m not --”
Jason’s words just kind of dissolve in his mouth as soon as he sees the guy, bundled up in a thick, wool peacoat and a scarf, looking like something that just walked out of fucking GQ. He definitely doesn’t look like he belongs on this side of town, but he doesn’t have that creepiness about him like most of the rich fucks who come around. Still, Jason keeps his distance, reminds himself that assholes come in all shapes in sizes.
“I’m off the clock, okay? So if you’re looking for --”
The man’s eyes widen for a moment, like maybe he wasn’t expecting that, but then he just holds up his hand.
“I was just about to go in that diner over there and see if I could order myself something greasy and disgusting,” he says. “You looked cold, so I thought I might ask you to join me. Your choice, of course.”
Jason can’t do anything but stare for a moment. There’s something else going on here, he’s sure of it. He looks around, tries to see if there’s anyone else in on it. Maybe some asshole reporter’s doing a story on Gotham’s unfortunate youth. Maybe this guy’s buddies want to see what a real life rent boy looks like. Maybe --
The wind picks up and Jason shudders from the cold, squeezing his arms around himself tightly and trying to turn away from the wind.
“Here,” the man says and removes his coat, wrapping it around Jason before Jason can back away. And god it's already warm from the guy's body heat and thick and heavy -- and probably cost more than Jason and Dick’s apartment.
“Man, I can’t --” Jason tries, but the guy just shakes his head.
“At least let me buy you a coffee,” he says and Jason makes a face as he shoves his hands into the guy’s deep pockets. The coat smells like him too, like money and new car smell and some kind of amazing cologne that Jason has to turn his nose into the collar to breathe in more of.
“If you’d ever had the coffee in that joint you’d realize how much of a threat that was,” Jason says, then chews on his bottom lip. “The hot chocolate won’t kill you though.”
The man in the (probably cashmere, jesus christ) sweater gives him a small, hopeful smile. “Hot chocolate it is.”
: : :
“Oh my god,” Jason says, shoveling forkfuls of apple pie into his mouth. “They’re always out of pie when I come in here. Fuck, this is good. Uh, sorry.”
The man just chuckles and sips on his hot cocoa, getting a little bit of whipped cream on his top lip before licking it away. “I’m sorry,” he says. “I seem to have forgotten my manners in all the hypothermia. Alfred would have my head. My name is Bruce.”
Jason stirs his hot chocolate and slurps it off his spoon, looking up at Bruce. “Jason,” he says. “Who’s Alfred?”
Boyfriend, Jason’s guessing. He’s definitely getting the not-as-fond-of-the-ladies vibe from this guy, but Alfred? Not the sexiest name ever.
“My butler,” Bruce says and Jason chokes on his cocoa, but Bruce just smirks and hands him a napkin. “But he also raised me. He’s -- well, you didn't ask for my life story.”
“No, it’s okay,” Jason says, licking a bit of pie filling off his finger. It’s not like he can talk about his life. “He’s a big deal to you, huh?”
Reply
“Yeah?” Jason says, smearing his finger around on his plate before bringing it back to his mouth. “You get out of line often, Bruce?”
He doesn’t even realize that he’s flirting with him until he notices the flush in Bruce’s cheeks and how Bruce clears his throat a little when the waitress comes by to give them more cocoa.
“Sorry,” Jason says, wiping his hands off with his napkin. “Occupational, uh, habit.”
Bruce just laughs -- a genuine, not mocking laugh, and Jason’s mesmerized by the way it lights up his eyes. He doesn’t think he’s ever seen that shade of blue before.
“I’ve got to be going,” Bruce says when the waitress delivers the check, taking the card that Bruce hands her, then Bruce turns back to him. “But if you don’t mind, I’d really like to see you again.”
Jason blinks at him. He’s suddenly hyper aware of the heavy coat he’s wearing, how there’s a tube of chapstick and a couple of quarters in the right pocket, a receipt and a stick of gum in the other one, and mostly how it doesn’t belong to him. That a man he met on the street just paid money to sit and watch him eat. Suddenly, Jason remembers exactly who he is, what he is, and why he has to do it.
“Um,” Jason says, trying to shrug out of Bruce’s coat but it’s like it has some kind of grip on him. He’s suffocating in the damn thing and he can’t breathe and he can’t fucking get it off. Finally he stands up to try and wrestle his way out of it and Bruce stands up to help him out of it, his eyebrows drawn together.
“Jesus,” Jason breathes out and runs a shaky hand through his hair. “Look, Bruce. We both know what I am. You don’t have to try to be all proper about it or whatever. You didn’t have to fucking buy me food to --”
“Jason,” Bruce says seriously, his mouth turning down at the corners. “I wanted to buy you a cocoa because it’s ten below out and you’re in a t-shirt and I was hungry and wanted company. I think you’re beautiful and funny and I would love to get to know more of you. If you’d rather not see me again, I completely understand, but I would very much like to see you again, under whatever conditions you set.”
Jason raises his eyebrows skeptically. No one is this unreal. “Yeah? What if I just want you to buy me more pie?”
“Then we’ll have pie,” Bruce says. “Though I’d pay extra if you let me take you somewhere that serves actual coffee.”
Jason full out laughs at that and when he does Bruce just beams at him, his eyes fully focused on him like he’s the only thing in the room.
“Deal,” Jason says finally, already feeling the chill without Bruce’s coat hanging off of him. “Next time you feel like watching some dumb kid get food all over his face, you know where to find me.”
“Indeed,” Bruce says and looks out the diner windows where it’s began to snow. “Can I drive you home?”
Jason laughs again, this time a sharp, bitter laugh. Yeah, Bruce’s car in that neighborhood would go down real well. Down on blocks, maybe.
“No,” he says. “I think you kinda like your tires where they are.”
Bruce smiles, then holds his coat out to Jason. “Then take this.”
“Bruce,” Jason sighs. “I do own a jacket, you know.”
“I’m sure you do,” Bruce says. “But you don’t have it right now and the next time I see you I would much rather it not be in the hospital from pneumonia. So either take the coat or allow me to drive you home.”
“Fine,” Jason huffs and takes the coat from him, slipping his arms back into it and feeling about ten times warmer already. He seriously may never take the damn thing off. “But this isn’t like --”
“I don’t expect anything,” Bruce cuts him off. “In fact, you can return it the next time I see if you, if you want.”
“Yeah,” Jason says, slipping his hands back into the pockets, pulling out the stick of gum and popping it into his mouth. “Yeah, I can do that.”
“Good,” Bruce says, reaching out and wiping a bit of whipped cream off of Jason’s lip before he leaves. “See you soon, Jason.”
Reply
WHY AM I SO ATTRACTED TO THAT. oh wait cuz it's Bruce :p
“No,” he says. “I think you kinda like your tires where they are.”
:DDDDD
*screeeeeeeeches* goddamnit I love them so much. JUST. SO MUCH. Bruce is an actual PERFECT human here, and I kind of love that their first encounter isn't about sex or anything but they're still so into ech other. Gosh. I AM HAVING SUCH A LOT OF FEELINGS WRITE ME A MILLION MORE PAGES OF THIS. I mean. Thank you, bb <3333
Reply
Glad you liked, bb. :*
Reply
Leave a comment