Chapter Text
A/N: If you have PTSD, especially from sexual assault, this story may be triggering to you. The chapters are mostly sweet and light-hearted, though they can get heavy occasionally.
There are no graphic descriptions of rape as it’s all years after the fact. However, there is a consent issue where Dick has sex with Jason without knowing he’s Red Hood or his dead brother. Jason is also not a perfect boyfriend, though he tries his best.
Basically, I wanted to write a story about Dick healing from trauma and learning how to be in a sexual relationship again, with Jason being his surprisingly patient partner.
There was a handsome man staring at him, and it was making Dick flush.
It had been a long time since anyone had checked him out. The last few years he’d kept to himself in the penthouse Bruce paid for, rarely venturing out unless it was to the manor for Sunday brunch. Taking the elevator down, walking across the parking garage to his car, and driving through traffic every Sunday morning to enjoy Alfred’s cooking gave him a veil of normalcy, like his life hadn’t completely imploded. Just mostly imploded. He sure wasn’t swinging from the rooftops anymore.
There had been no real reason for him to leave the comfort of his building today; everything he could possibly want would be delivered to his door at the tap of a button. But when he’d flung open the curtains that morning, the sun was shining, and the low haze of pollution that perpetually bogged down the city was nowhere to be found—just clear blue sky. He’d felt inspired.
For the first time in months, he’d wanted to leave the penthouse and take a stroll. Get his own coffee, maybe even see a pigeon. So he did.
The short walk along the sidewalk had exhilarated him as he soaked in the old familiar sights and sounds of the city on a quiet Saturday morning. He should venture out more often. What was he afraid would happen—the elderly woman walking her dog would attack him? He could handle walking two blocks to a coffee shop on a nice day.
Even with his newfound confidence, he’d still carefully stepped around the pedestrians on the sidewalk. Brushing shoulders with anyone, accidental or not, always sent his skin crawling. He actively avoided being touched these days.
Once he’d entered the coffee shop, the smell of freshly ground beans and the whirr of the espresso machine wafted over him. He definitely needed to go out in public more often.
He’d silently marveled at giving his coffee order to an actual barista instead of an app, and made sure to add a large tip. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt this excited. Some part of himself might have felt ashamed at how pathetic he’d gotten, but he took his wins where he could now.
Which is why he found his cheeks flushing when he stepped back to wait for his coffee and noticed a handsome man staring at him.
He shouldn’t be flustered. He was no stranger to being checked out—had, in fact, been very popular back when he still mingled with regular people.
He flicked his gaze back to the attractive stranger, then quickly looked away. Maybe he would have approached him before—flirted a little. But he hadn’t been with anyone in years. Wasn’t even sure he could handle being intimate. No one in their right mind would date him as he was now.
The stranger took a bold step forward. A sharp smile drew across his face. “Well, well…”
He was staring straight at Dick, and there was no mistaking his interest. What would a little bit of flirting hurt? Dick was in a great mood, and if a handsome man wanted to make small talk with him, he wouldn’t turn it down.
“Lovely day is, isn’t it? I decided to go for a walk when I saw how nice it was,” Dick told him. “I live nearby,” he added with a smile.
“You don’t say…” The stranger smirked. It made him look arrogant, though that just added to his roguish charm, in Dick’s delighted opinion.
“Do you live near here too?”
The stranger snorted. “Little too rich for my tastes.”
Dick faltered. “I… yeah, it’s… uh…” He’d spent so many years in the penthouse, he’d seemed to have forgotten that not everyone had Bruce’s fortune at their disposal.
The barista interrupted Dick’s fumbling and asked the stranger next to him if he was ready to order.
“Yeah, just get me a black coffee,” he answered, then turned his attention back to Dick.
“Would you like our dark roast? We also have a light—”
“Yeah, fine, whatever,” the stranger cut her off. He slid a hand into his pocket and pulled out his wallet to pay.
“What name should I put down?”
He paused, then looked right at Dick as he answered, “…Jason.”
Dick gave him a polite smile, then stepped back to make room as they both waited for their coffees. “So, Jason, huh? I’m Dick.”
Jason stared at him.
Dick shifted on his heels and let out a weak laugh. “Yeah, it’s uh… short for Richard! You know, awkward nickname. Been going by it since I was a kid, though I guess it’s outdated and means something else now…”
Jason was still staring at him. Dick cleared his throat as embarrassment crawled up his neck. “Sorry, it’s been a while since I talked to a cute guy. I may be a little nervous.”
That got a reaction. Jason’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline, then an incredulous smile broke over his face. “Dickie, are you flirting with me?”
Had he totally misread the situation? “…Is that okay?”
Several seconds went by, then Jason shook his head and let out a disbelieving laugh. “Sure, why the hell not…”
The tension building in Dick’s shoulders dissipated, and tentative excitement took its place. It had been so long since anyone expressed interest in him. He knew it couldn’t go anywhere, but there was no harm in having a bit of fun.
“Want to sit down?” Dick gestured to the eclectic tables and chairs dotting the cafe.
“Yeah, sure,” Jason said. He grabbed his coffee from the counter and sprawled down on a chair near the window. Despite his casual demeanor, there was a careful tension in his movements, and his eyes roved around the cafe. Dick assumed that Jason was more nervous than he let on, and found it both adorable and flattering.
He tried to set him at ease with a charming smile. He pulled out the other chair from the table and angled it so that his back was against the wall. He hated sitting with a door in his blindspot, but Jason had inadvertently taken the best view of the entrance, so he made do. It would be rude to ask him to move.
As Dick settled down with his coffee, Jason returned his gaze and asked, “Come here often?”
“I… uh… nope!” Dick answered, feeling flustered. Actually, I’ve been hiding behind my curtains for the last five years. He fidgeted with the handle of his coffee mug, then settled on, “I don’t really get out much.”
Jason raised his eyebrows. Dick flushed; he knew he sounded boring to an attractive man like Jason, who likely did not consider walking two blocks to a coffee shop the highlight of his year.
Jason leaned back in his chair and gave him an assessing look. “So, what do you get up to these days, Dick?”
“Uh…” Dick blanked. He used to have cover stories prepared, back when his nightly activities took up the forefront of his life, but none of them sprung to mind. Not that he even did anything worth hiding anymore.
He decided to be honest. “I read a lot. Order groceries. Um, I deep cleaned the oven yesterday…”
“Wow, how exciting,” Jason drawled. “Surprised the help doesn’t do that for you, rich boy.”
Dick cringed. He didn’t used to be this awkward around hot guys. A small part of himself wondered if he should ask Bruce for tips, then promptly quashed it with horror. He fumbled with his mug, then tried to explain himself. “I don’t really like people in my space…”
A knowing look came over Jason’s face. “Don’t want them stumbling over something they’re not supposed to?”
Dick blinked in surprise and looked up from his mug. “No. It’s not that. I used to have a butler back at Br—at my dad’s place, but then some stuff happened, and… well, I just prefer to live on my own now.”
At Jason’s dubious expression, Dick ran a hand through his hair and laughed self-consciously. “I don’t really do much anymore, so I don’t mind cleaning. I vacuum a lot, scrub the floors, you know… It keeps me busy.”
“Uh huh.” Jason sounded skeptical.
Dick stole a look over his coffee cup and tried to shift the conversation away from his pathetic life. “What about you? What do you do?”
Jason stared at him again, in that unreadable way that Dick was starting to become familiar with. Finally, he cracked a smile. “I clean the bathroom, scrub the tub. You know. It keeps me busy.”
Jason was definitely teasing him; Dick hid his delighted smile behind his coffee as he took a sip. “Yeah? We should compare our favorite cleaning products.”
Jason snorted. “Oh yeah? Use a lot of hydrogen peroxide?”
Dick startled. That was his go-to for removing bloodstains, but he didn’t see how Jason could possibly know that he used to be a vigilante. Unless… was this Jason’s way of asking if he had a girlfriend?
Dick bit his lip. He could feel his face start to heat up. “Um… nope, not for many years.”
Jason stared at him flatly.
Dick could feel his heartbeat quicken. “I’m not together with anyone,” he clarified, in case he was too vague.
Jason’s expression shifted. The tension running through his body relaxed, and his eyes stopped snapping to the cafe door every few seconds. “Yeah? Good for you, striking out on your own.”
“Do you have a girlfriend?” Dick heard himself ask.
Jason’s eyebrows shot up. “Do I—what?” He started chuckling, then stopped. “Oh, you mean her. No, we’re not really… No. I’m on my own. Just like you, apparently.” His lips curled up in a facsimile of a smile.
Dick wanted to hit himself; he could tell he had hit a nerve. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories. I just think you’re cute and wanted to know if you’re single, and”—mortified, he couldn’t seem to stop rambling—“I can’t believe how much I’m botching up this whole thing.”
Jason’s mouth opened, then snapped shut. He rubbed his eyes. “So you meant… Wait, what?” He shook his head. “I think I’ve lost track of the conversation. Look, Dick. I hadn’t exactly planned on spending my morning chitchatting over coffee. I got other shit to do. If you wanna continue, uh, whatever this is”—he motioned between them, seeming perplexed—“we can meet up later.”
Dick drew in a sharp breath. “Like a date?”
Jason’s brows furrowed. Then he snorted. “Sure, a date. Why the hell not,” he said and drew out his phone.
Dick’s heart soared, but then trepidation brought him back to reality. Was he ready to go on a date? He didn’t want to make Jason think that he would be up for… things that men like Jason expected. Maybe he should turn him down.
But as he gazed at Jason’s attractive face, at the muscled biceps straining under his shirt, at the well-toned forearm holding his phone ready, Dick found himself overcome with an impulse to say fuck it and go on a date with this hot guy he had met five minutes ago.
He opened his mouth, recited his number, and watched Jason tap it into his phone.
Then Jason slid his phone back in his pocket, downed the last of his coffee, and shoved the chair away from the table. He gave Dick a cocky smirk, then sauntered out of the coffee shop with a wave.
A giddy smile stole across Dick’s face. He had a date. His first one in years, with a roguishly handsome man. He couldn’t wait to tell everyone at Sunday brunch.