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Detective Tim Drake stared in horror at the sign-up sheet his partner, Gannon Malloy, held right in his face. “No,” he said emphatically.
Malloy grinned. “Yes. Participation is mandatory for all officers, including detectives.” He shook the paper. “Come on, it’s for a good cause and you know it.”
Tim glared at the offending piece of paper. It was for a good cause, he knew that. He’d photographed the event each year since he started at the precinct. But this year was apparently different.
“Why do I have to participate? I’ve photographed the car wash for the last five years. What gives?”
“What gives is that someone saw your scrawny ass without a shirt on a few months back and started a rumor that beneath those hoodies of yours, you’ve actually got some muscle.” Malloy replied, his grin somehow managing to get even bigger.
“I’m a black belt in aikido, of course I have some muscle,” Tim muttered.
“Yeah, well, you’ve been asked to show it off for the greater good. You’ve got a pretty face and a body to match, that should bring in some business!”
Tim snatched the sign-up sheet from Malloy and scowled as he looked at the available time slots. “I swear to God you’ve got something to do with this. I know you’re on the Community Outreach committee.”
“Prove it,” replied Malloy as Tim snatched the pen he was handed. He wrote his name in the only slot left available.
“I’m not the youngest detective on the force for nothing.” He glared as he walked away.
*****
The GCPD Annual Charity Car Wash was a long held tradition across Gotham City. Over the course of June and July, each precinct would host the event for the neighborhoods they served and protected. It was a combination car wash and barbeque, with the entire neighborhood invited. All the proceeds went to GCPD Widows and Orphans fund where it was sorely needed. The back-lot of the precinct was the perfect place to hold the car wash. There were only two ways in and out, so it was easy enough to direct traffic in one way and out the other. People chatted with the officers as others washed their cars. Kids were given bright balloons. Tim heard there was someone doing face-painting too.
Dropping his sponge into a bucket, he grabbed the hose. Once this car was done, he was finished. The water was cool, but the sun was hot and he was thirsty. No way in hell was he going to drink from the hose though. No, a day like this called for lemonade or a cold beer. Maybe even both.
He finished spraying the soap off the car and searched for his towel.
“Think you missed a spot, Detective Stalker.”
Tim froze, the nickname and voice taking him completely by surprise. Over the roof of the car, he saw Jason Todd smirking at him, sinfully handsome in a snug red t-shirt and sunglasses.
His world narrowed to one single point as everything else around him just disappeared. He could hear his heart thudding in his ears. Jason was here. That meant he’d been released from Alfred’s custody/house arrest.
He blinked quickly, trying to put his world back on its normal axis. “What the hell are you doing here?” he asked, more crossly than he meant to. He was hot and tired and so not ready to deal with Jason and his…everything. Considering how things were left hanging the last time they saw each other, Tim wasn’t sure he’d ever be.
“Heard the boys in blue were doing something useful today, so I thought I’d come check it out and put them to work.” Jason gestured over his shoulder to a beat up old Impala in Tim’s previously empty line.
“Screw you. You’re only here to make my life miserable.”
“I can do that any day of the week. This is a special occasion. It’s not every day my favorite detective is wandering around in a wet t-shirt,” Jason replied with a cocky grin.
Tim couldn’t see Jason’s eyes behind the sunglasses, but he knew he was staring at him. He smirked. “Should have been here earlier, I wasn’t wearing one until a little bit ago. Was getting a little too much sun.”
His smirk turned into a grin as Jason gaped, then pouted. “So not fair, Detective. You wound me, right here,” he said, raising a hand to his heart. “And here I thought we had something special.”
Tim hadn’t seen Jason in over three months, not since he watched Batman rescue the Red Hood from a burning warehouse. The night he chose to assist a vigilante rather than uphold the law (and commit arson, nice to see that was finally at the bottom of the list of issues from that night). He started wiping down the car. It was easier than face the man who gave him so many conflicted feelings. “I call bullshit on that one. You never call, you never write, what’s a guy to think?”
“I was in fucking traction, that’s what I think.” Jason said as he walked around the car. Tim ducked down to wipe the doors. “Besides, it wasn’t my fault, B and the Dickhead wouldn’t give me a phone.”
“Uh-huh, a likely story,” replied Tim dryly, though he knew every word of it was true. He had his own sources of information for the comings and goings at Wayne Manor if he chose to use them. Jason leaned heavily against the front of the car, keeping his weight off his right leg. “Shouldn’t you have a cane or a crutch? You just got your cast off a week ago.” He moved on to the hubcaps.
“Awe, you do care!” Jason said, his grin growing. “Babs tell you that?”
“I do talk to Alfred on a semi-regular basis,” Tim replied, rounding the car to tackle the trunk. Jason followed, still leaning on the car. “So, where’s your cane?”
“Canes are for tools, I left it in the car.”
“I believe the thought behind giving you a cane rather than a crutch was so that you wouldn’t do anything stupid.”
“Like come to a police sponsored car wash?”
Tim stood up and glared. “A police sponsored car wash wearing a red shirt and aviator sunglasses. What are you doing, advertising?”
Jason sighed, leaning more obviously against the car as he crossed his arms and stared intently. “Like I said before, no one would give me a fucking phone. Today’s the first time I’ve been able to get out of the house. Alfred gave me the clothes.”
Tim raised an eyebrow, a move he totally stole from the stoic butler. “I doubt he gave you the clothes to come to a car wash at the back of a police station.”
“No, he knew. Alfred knows everything; you should remember that. He’s the one who told me about this in the first place,” Jason replied, gesturing to the event still going on around them.
Tim moved around to the other side of the car, ducking down again to wipe down low. This was Jason’s first day out after his enforced stay at the Manor and the first thing he did was come to a police station to see him. The thought blew his mind. Working together to take down Black Mask had been an eye-opening experience. They had many shared experiences growing up in the shadow of the Batman and while he didn’t see eye to eye with him on killing, he did understand that sometimes, the system just won’t work for some people. Him asking Jason to help find Tyler’s and Isaac’s murderer was proof of that.
But more importantly, he'd realized his childhood crush on Jason, on Robin, had never really gone away. It lay dormant for years, growing again after he and Jason partnered up. Every little thing he learned, every moment they worked together, all the teasing and flirting had been replayed over and over again in his almost eidetic memory.
Jason asking Tim to be his partner.
They hadn’t had a chance to talk since that night. Tim put off going to the Manor again and again. First his own injuries kept him away (thanks Bruce), then getting reassigned to cold cases for the next several weeks as his wrist healed (he’d solved five, a new record which almost got him reassigned permanently). Excuse after excuse, though he did make a point to at least call Alfred once a week.
Jason followed him around the car, still leaning against it.
Tim glanced up. “Good thing I’m not waxing this thing, you’d have left a mess.”
The man looked a bit shame-faced for a moment, but stayed quiet, just watching as he toweled off the rest of the car.
He slung the damp towel over his shoulder when he was done and gave Jason a small smile. “Ok, I’m done here. Let me flag down the owner, and you can move you car up.”
Jason smiled back, just as tentatively. “No problem. Grab you something to drink?” he asked as he walked away from the car and moved slowly towards his. The limp was obvious, as was the pale and still withered looking leg compared to his good leg in the shorts he wore.
“Water bottle. The lemonade’s for later.”
“You got it, Detective.”
*****
Tim gave Jason an overturned bucket to sit on while he got started with the beater. He wondered where Jason got it (and if he even owned it). It was dusty, which led him to believe it had been sitting in a garage for a while. Perhaps it was one of Jason’s getaway cars. What would he find if he tried opening the trunk or looked under the hood?
Under the hood. Well, he certainly knew what was under one particular hood. Glancing over at Jason, he saw that he was sitting rather awkwardly with his right leg sticking straight out. The angle did not look comfortable, but Jason refused to go eat with the others at the picnic tables while he waited. Tim was certain he’d have to help the man up when he was done.
The thought made him shiver. He’d been passed out the first time Jason had ever touched him. And stripped him. And put him to bed.
Tim could feel Jason's gaze on him, even when he passed out of his line of sight and around the car. Perhaps…perhaps he could have some fun with this.
Coming around the car, Tim dropped the hose, purposefully angling it so that he got a good soak before it hit the ground. More water than he expected sprayed him in the face, causing him to cough. Smooth move, Drake, he thought to himself. Cause of death, drowning by hose.
Jason laughed loudly. “Having issues there, Detective?”
“No more than usual,” he replied as he pulled his shirt up and over his head to wring it out. He smirked at Jason, who’d stopped laughing rather abruptly at the sight of a shirtless Tim. If that wasn’t a stroke to his ego, he wasn’t sure what was. He knew he was lean and had some muscle, but he didn’t think he was all that much to look at. Jason though… It was tempting to wet him down just to see him without a shirt on too.
But, as Tim bent over to pick up his bucket of soapy water, he realized that probably wasn’t a good idea. There had to be some rather…interesting…scars on Jason. The Red Hood didn’t need to be advertising more than he already was.
He started scrubbing and stole glances at Jason, who had finally shut his mouth.
“Hey, Rookie!” a voice shouted. Malloy came trotting over with his camera (which was no where near as good as Tim’s, but no way would he it to anyone, including his partner). “Look’s like your shift is almost up, let’s get a picture for posterity, shall we?”
Tim glared over the roof of the car. “I had better not see it in the office newsletter.”
“Newsletter? Come on, I was thinking the calendar!”
A new voice interrupted. “Calendar, huh? And what month would Detective Timmy be?”
Malloy looked over at Jason while Tim let out a groan. “A fan of the rookie?”
Jason pulled off his sunglasses and gave the blonde detective one of his shit-eating grins, flashing those amazing blue eyes of his. Tim loved that grin. It was the adult version of his Robin grin. And his eyes…“We go back a ways.”
Malloy looked intrigued. “Is that so? He doesn’t like talking to me about his friends…”
"I wonder why?” Tim interrupted, throwing a sponge at his partner.
“Hey, watch the camera, Drake!” Malloy fumbled to avoid it hitting the camera.
Jason laughed, clearly enjoying the spectacle. “You’re Tim’s partner Malloy, right?”
“Yeah,” he replied, throwing the sponge back at Tim and hitting the car instead. He made a face at Tim’s smirk, picking up the unspoken commentary over his aim. “Since January.”
Tim dunked the sponge back in the bucket and rolled his eyes. “Fine. Malloy, this is Jay. Jay, this is Malloy. I’m getting back to work so I can get out of here.” Having made introductions, he turned back to the car.
That didn’t mean he wasn’t paying attention though. He’d seen the look on Malloy’s face when he’d called Jason “Jay”.
His partner did not disappoint. “You’re Jay?” he asked in an excited tone.
“The one and only.”
“More like the only one. You’re the guy who sent that picture of Tim a few months back. How the hell did you do that? His phone’s locked up tighter than Fort Knox.”
Jason laughed. “Come on, he has Touch ID set up. Think about it.”
There was a pause, then Malloy burst out laughing. “Oh, that’s hilarious! Drake, really?”
“I’m ignoring you both,” replied Tim as he continued scrubbing. Inside, he was laughing too, but more at the fact that his partner, the respectable detective, was laughing it up with one of the more notorious vigilantes in the city. What would he think if he knew exactly who he was making nice with?
Come to think of it, Jason probably found this funny too.
“All joking aside, Jay, you’re the only person I’ve ever heard Drake talk about besides his parents. It’s nice to see he has a friend.” It was a serious statement delivered in a light tone. Tim knew that voice. Malloy was fishing for information.
“I’ve known Tim off and on for several years now. We’ll go months without talking, then start back up like it was nothing.”
Tim felt the dig there and ignored it. He'd been busy.
“Yeah? What kind of work do you do?” Malloy asked.
“I’m outta work right now actually," Jason lied smoothly. "Busted my leg up pretty bad a while back and just got the cast off last week. Got a lot of PT to get through first before I can do much of anything.”
As Tim rounded the car, he could see Jason gesturing to his leg. That was a rather neat deflection of Malloy's question and even somewhat true.
“I broke my leg once,” Malloy said, sympathy evident in his voice. “It was the best thing in the world when that cast came off, though it kind of creeped me out at how withered and wrinkly the skin looked.”
“No kidding! I mean, look at this thing! It needs all the sunshine it can get."
“Shouldn’t you have crutches or a cane or something?”
“Cane’s in the car. I hate that thing.”
“Can’t say I blame you. So, any plans for rest of the afternoon?”
Tim scrubbed harder, amazed at how much truth Jason was blending into his lie. It made sense though as those were the easiest lies to keep track of. The Bats knew how to play the game and well at that.
“Nothing much. Kinda hoping the good detective here is free for the rest of the evening though. Got some catching up to do.”
Nice. Very nicely done. Tim didn't stand a chance of avoiding Jason after that, not unless he wanted to come off as a total ass.
Malloy laughed again. “I just bet you do. The rookie’s in the clear when he’s done with your car. In fact…” As he trailed off, Tim looked up from where he was stretched out scrubbing the hood. “Now there’s a money-shot,” he said, lowering the camera.
“Seriously?” Tim set down the sponge and grabbed the hose, holding it loosely while making a vaguely threatening gesture toward the two men.
“Nuh-uh, I’ve got an expensive piece of electronics here, you wouldn’t dare!” Malloy shouted, cradling the camera close.
“Come on, Detective, you wouldn’t hit a guy while he’s down, would you?” pleaded Jason.
“You’re both wusses.” Tim turned the hose on the car, the sound of the water against the warm metal drowning out any conversation he may have been able to hear.
When he was done, he grabbed a towel (he was smart and laid them out to dry somewhat between cars) to finish up.
“…come on, it’ll be great. I’ll make sure to send you a copy too,” he heard Malloy saying to Jason.
There was silence for a moment, then Jason replied. “Sure, why the fuck not?”
“Thank you! Hey, Rookie, come here a second.”
At this point, it was better to just go with it than fight it. Tim whipped his towel up over his shoulder, irritation clear. He didn’t miss how both men watched the movement.
Malloy had his camera up and snapped a shot before he could say anything. “I’ll send you this one too.”
“What are you two doing?” he managed to ask before Malloy grabbed hold of his arm and shoved him in Jason’s direction.
“Say cheese.”
*****
Tim made his escape pretty quick after that, leaving Jason and Malloy to exchange phone numbers without him. He told Jason to stop somewhere and pick up something to eat, then to head over to his apartment. It went unspoken that they had some things to discuss that didn't need an audience.
The cool water from his shower, which normally soothed him on hot days like this one, wasn’t helping. His thoughts raced like greyhounds around a track. He liked Jason; there was no lying to himself about that. Or rather, he liked the person Jason was when he wasn’t wearing the hood.
That Jason was funny, sarcastic, very intelligent, charismatic and cocky as hell, and so damn handsome it was a sin.
The other Jason though…the Red Hood was brutal, uncontrollable, very intelligent, and had a rather Hammurabi sense of justice.
Nice to see that intelligent made both lists.
Tim slammed his fist against the tile, groaning in frustration. He had gone to the Red Hood knowing exactly what he was setting into motion and compromised his integrity as a sworn officer of the law. The moral and ethical ramifications of this still plagued him months later.
And yet…here he was about to have an early dinner with the man behind the mask.
God, when he’d told Malloy his relationship with Jason was complicated, he really hadn’t been kidding.
Sighing, he turned off the water. It wasn't helping. He dried off quickly and wrapped the towel around his waist. As he stepped out of the bathroom, there was a loud slam from the kitchen, followed by a stream of pained curses.
Jason.
Opening his bedroom door fully, Tim looked out across his living room to see Jason fumbling with some bags. “Haven’t you ever heard of knocking?” he asked, a wry smile on his lips as he leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed.
Jason looked up, jaw dropping for the second time that afternoon before he recovered himself. “I did. You fall asleep in the shower?”
“No, just a lot on my mind. Give me a minute to get dressed and I’ll help with whatever.”
He didn't miss the shit-eating grin Jason sent his way before returning to his bedroom. “No need to get dressed on my account, stalker. You look just fine to me.”
Tim flipped him off and closed the door.
*****
The sounds Jason made as he enjoyed each bite of his chilidog were borderline obscene. At least he hadn’t gotten him one, but the fajita cheesesteak was just as messy and artery clogging. And so damn good.
“How did you know I liked these?” Tim asked around a mouthful.
“Dickiebird,” replied Jason, swallowing his mouthful. “He told me stories while I was laid up. Said you love those things but rarely eat them so you can keep your girlish figure.”
Tim snorted, almost spraying soda out his nose. “That last part doesn’t sound like something Dick would say.”
“Nah, I was reading between the lines.”
“What other things did he tell you that I need to be concerned about?”
“You’ll have to wait and see, stalker," Jason replied with a smirk.
Making an exaggerated groan, Tim rolled his eyes and went back to his food. A random thought crossed his mind. “You catch up on any TV shows?”
“Yeah, I did. The demon brat made me watch Game of Thrones, which was fucking awesome, and I checked out that show you like. Sherlock’s so twitchy he kinda looks like Dickiebird when he’s trying to stand still.”
Tim laughed. “So does that mean you like it?”
“Yeah, I did. The cliffhanger at the end of season three was killer and I haven’t watched season four yet.” Jason sipped loudly from his soda.
“I’ve got it on my DVR,” he offered tentatively. “Perhaps you can come over sometime and watch it.”
Jason looked at Tim a moment and smiled. “I’d like that.”
The rest of the meal was shared in a companionable silence.
They cleaned up and headed into the living room when they were done. It was time to talk. No more putting it off.
“You want a beer?” Tim offered, stalling while Jason slowly made his way to the sofa.
“Sure.” He sat heavily and rubbed at his thigh.
“Looks like you may need some pain meds instead.”
“Nah, I’m good. It just aches. Think I may have overdone it a bit today.” Jason sounded tired.
“You think?” Tim turned back to the kitchen and grabbed two beers from the fridge and twisted the caps off. He was glad he’d taken the time to grocery shop this morning before the car wash. His fridge had been pretty bare.
Returning to the living room, he handed a bottle to Jason and curled up in his recliner.
Jason shook his head slightly as he took a sip. “Not bad. Not too hoppy. Kinda fruity.”
Tim shrugged and took a sip of his own.
He didn’t know where to start and it was apparent Jason didn’t either. They drank in silence for a few minutes before Tim took a long breath and let it out slowly. It was now or never. “I was really surprised to see you today. I didn’t think that seeing me would have been high on your list of priorities when Alfred gave you the all clear.”
Jason shrugged. “I had a lot of time to think. And Dick, well, he told me he'd heard about what happened from you and wanted to hear my side.” He stopped, looking like he wasn’t sure where to go next.
“And?” prodded Tim gently.
“That was quite the new asshole you tore for Bruce.” Jason grinned, but it dropped right away as he sighed and looked directly at Tim. “You're more right than you realize. We’re all tools to him. And we all use each other just as much as he does. I…I used you just as much as you used me.”
“I thought that was obvious,” responded Tim wryly.
“Yeah, I guess it was.” Jason shifted uncomfortably.
Tim couldn’t tell if he was just fidgety or if his leg was bothering him. “You can put your foot up on the table if it helps your leg.”
Jason looked surprised at the offer. “Nah, it feels good to bend my knee all the way. Gonna be a while though before I’m playing rooftop tag with anyone.”
“PT helping at all?”
“Surprisingly, yes,” Jason replied, rubbing at his right thigh. "Your stepmom can be a real dragon.”
Tim choked. “Dana is your physical therapist?”
Jason laughed loud and long. “You didn’t know? Come on, I thought Alfie’d told you. Or Dick. Hell, even your stepmom.”
“Is it really a surprise though? You guys keep secrets for the sake of keeping secrets. Or blackmail material. Dana at least has a patient confidentiality agreement that keeps her from saying anything.”
A thoughtful look crossed Jason’s face. “Secrets…yeah, I guess you’re right about that.”
Tim didn’t say anything, just took another sip from his beer and waited.
Jason took another sip as well, shaking the bottle back and forth lightly, watching the liquid swirl around. “I really don’t know where to start.”
“Me neither. But, I do know that this…” Tim gestured between the two of them and then to his apartment, “…this is easy. It’s awesome and fun and I really like just hanging out. Out there though…” He waved his hand towards his window, “…that’s where it gets complicated.”
“Is it complicated with Dick or the demon?”
“Damian is his own special brand of complicated. Dick…Dick is like the big brother I always wanted and never got to have,” he replied thoughtfully, casting his gaze downward to stare at his coffee table instead of Jason. “But again, that’s in here. Out there…out there he can’t be.”
“Because out there he’s Nightwing and you’re a cop.”
Tim nodded, slowly. “I’m a cop. He’s a vigilante.” He looked back up at Jason, blue gaze meeting blue gaze. “I’m a cop. You’re a vigilante.”
“And not just any vigilante, but the Red fucking Hood.” Jason shook his head. “It’s just…I didn’t expect it to be so easy with you either. You know but you’re not all judgey like B or the others are. You don’t give me the sad kicked puppy face that Dick does whenever I shoot someone.”
Tim could feel the frustration coming off Jason in waves. “I get it,” he said quietly. “B doesn’t have to deal with the day-to-day. He doesn’t have to deal with due process failing over and over again. Overcrowded prisons and a parole system that’s a fucking joke.” He felt tired suddenly. So much more tired and just done than he ever had before. He shifted, resting his feet on the floor with his arms braced over his knees to just fold over on himself. “I…I want to say yes. So badly. Just say fuck it all and climb out that window and never look back.”
Hunched over as he was, Tim couldn’t see Jason’s reaction, but he heard the sharp intake of breath. Heard rustling and a soft thud.
A warm hand gripped his shoulder, pushing at him to sit up and raise his head. He saw Jason’s face just inches away. His hand didn’t move and neither did his steady gaze. “Tim…don’t. Don’t give it up. You’re better than all of us. I’m a selfish bastard, always have been.” He huffed a small laugh. “I always want what I can’t have.”
Tim glared at Jason. “What about what I want?”
“You just said it yourself. Detectives and vigilantes don’t exactly run in the same circles.”
The sad expression on Jason’s face hit Tim like a punch in the gut.
He made his decision. “Fuck that shit." Tim surged forward, angling his head to meet Jason’s lips in a demanding kiss.
For a moment, Jason didn’t respond. Then, he sobbed a moan or a growl, he couldn’t quite tell which, and kissed him back.
Tim was in heaven. He didn’t care that the kiss was rough, neither one of them giving an inch in their quest to dominate the other. He nipped at Jason’s bottom lip, eliciting another growl from the man. Jason abruptly hauled him from the armchair, dragging him over to the sofa where he suddenly found himself trying to find purchase on the man’s lap. He gasped, Jason taking advantage of the opening to start mouthing along Tim’s jaw and down his neck. The heat from his lips felt like he was being branded. Finally getting himself situated, Tim found himself straddling Jason, arms wrapped around his neck and fingers digging into his dark hair.
Jason nipped at his neck, tongue laving a spot that was sure to leave a mark. Tim moaned, a guttural sound that turned into as gasp as Jason switched sides and started moving back up his neck to meet his waiting mouth, fierce and wild and so bloody hot Tim felt like he should be lighting on fire any second.
Slowly, the kiss started turning into smaller and smaller kisses. Little pauses between each one as the initial rush flowed out of their systems. Hard nips turned to gentle nibbles until they drew apart, foreheads resting together so close that he could feel the damp warmth of Jason’s breath against his skin.
He could feel Jason grin. “Damn, stalker. That was…wow.”
Tim huffed a gentle laugh. “You’re telling me. I’ve been wanting to do that to you since I was twelve.”
“Started rubbing them out to Robin pretty early on then?”
“Well, it’s not like those green panties really hid anything.”
They both laughed at that and relaxed even more into each other. Tim amazed yet again at just how at ease he was around Jason, how easy it was. At how easy it could be. He sighed and buried his face into Jason’s neck as reality stepped in and raised her ugly head, reminding him of all the reasons why this was a bad idea.
Jason apparently was following the same train of thought. “Reality is a bitch, isn’t she?” he said morosely.
“No arguments there.”
“So what happens now?”
Tim sat up and stared down at Jason, taking in the vivid green flecks that stood out against the blue of his eyes, still dark from their shared moment of passion. “Now? We show reality what stubborn assholes we really are and make this work.”
Jason grinned, his smile bright and cocky and oh so Robin. "I've got a history of giving the universe the finger."
"I know. Now shut up and kiss me again."