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gaiapaia · 3 years

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Kermit and Friends: Regulus

This week’s special guest was Aaron Ozee, author of the very popular children’s book Regulus. The book was such a hit that it was made into an animated film, also titled Regulus. You can purchase the book here and rent or buy a digital version of the film here.

Regulus is about a ‘Rat King’ who refuses to share his cheese with the mice he considers beneath him. Unfortunately for the Rat King, he loses his King status and the bully then becomes the bullied.

The book has a very strong anti-bullying message, and Elisa’s first question to Aaron Ozee was about that. Aaron would explain how he was bullied growing up and how it deeply affected him in a bad way, only then to use it as motivation in an effort to help others going through the same kind of bullying he suffered as a kid.

Bullying would be a strong theme throughout the rest of the show. Elisa got bullied for the shirt she wore, she was verbally abused by her fiancé, accused of exploitation by a moron, dogged by multiple KAF Wrap-Up show hosts... I mean, Elisa was catching flack from all angles this week for little to no reason. It was unbelievable and a bit disheartening if you’re like myself and care about Elisa.

Andy Dick is simply out of control. After trying to con Elisa out of $650 earlier in the week, he called her a “Fat whore” among other horrible names at The Grove in front of strangers and children on Saturday. He even got his ‘boyfriend’ Lucas to join in on the harassment. Just an awful situation that no one deserves, especially Elisa who has treated Andy like absolute gold these last couple of months.

Elisa finally seemed fed up with Andy’s abuse, but it wouldn’t last long. After claiming she was done with him, Andy actually appeared on the show just as Elisa was getting ready to end it. He was being nice and I could tell right away that Elisa would let him back in her good graces.

Andy would give a half-assed apology for his actions from the previous day, only then to call Elisa crazy and psychotic, only again to apologize after that. Elisa not only accepted his apologies but then offered to take him out to eat after the show. It seemed like she wanted to shift all the blame on to that Lucas guy, letting Andy completely off the hook.

People who don’t like Elisa will look at this behavior and call her weak, or they will say she’s hanging on to Andy no matter what he does just because he’s famous. The idiots who say that would be very wrong.

Elisa doesn’t have an angle. She’s been in abusive relationship after abusive relationship. I’m afraid Elisa doesn’t love herself so she’s more attracted to people that treat her like crap. Elisa will turn 33 in June so she’s old enough where this isn’t some wild young woman phase. My theory is subconsciously Elisa believes she deserves the abuse. It could possibly stem from her parents shipping her off to a demonic boarding school where it stuck with Elisa that sort of treatment is what she deserves in this life. She doesn’t deserve it, though. Not at all.

Elisa may not agree with me but I feel I’m right about this because I’m speaking from personal experience. I deal with the same self-loathing issues I believe Elisa has, but it’s easy for me to sit here and say Elisa should start loving herself more than to look in the mirror and tell myself the same. One of the many reasons why I will never look at Elisa in a bad light is because I can relate to the inner-struggle she’s been going through all these years. I just wish there was a way Elisa could see herself in the same spectacular light I see her in.

Elisa talked about these grandiose visions she had of herself and Andy, being featured on the cover of Forbes magazine, creating hit music, starring in movies... the works.

Just think about this... if you’re reading this blog, you already know how talented Elisa is, even if you don’t like her. You know she’s already achieved a level of success that not 1% of the population will achieve in the entertainment industry. So why does she need someone like Andy freakin’ Dick in order to vision herself on the cover of Forbes magazine? Imagine if Elisa set the goal without a man or anyone else’s help by her side... could she do it? I 100% believe she could if she gave it her all. I understand success isn’t anywhere near as fulfilling when you don’t have anyone to share it with, but you should at least strive to share your success with someone who treats you well.

Anyways, I apologize for jumping out of the review to share my personal feelings. I’m not happy with Andy, I’m not happy with that relationship. I want Elisa to have fun and create a show she can be proud of. It’s easier to accomplish that with a wacky outgoing famous guy like Andy Dick, I get that... but at this point, in my opinion, it’s not worth it if this is how Andy is going to treat Elisa.

Elisa is a grown woman though capable of making her own decisions. I will always love Elisa and wish the best for her because I know she has a beautiful heart/soul and her intentions are always good. There’s more I want to say about the situation but I’ll move on.

Back to Aaron Ozee... he gave a fantastic interview. He’s a very positive guy with big goals but also humble and polite. T-Bob tried to ruffle Aaron’s feathers with a couple of asinine questions about Black Lives Matter, and Aaron couldn’t have handled it more eloquently, even winning Trumpster Bob over (no easy feat). I was extremely impressed. On top of that, Aaron was respectful and non-judgmental to every KAF regular he talked to. Just a truly swell guy and I hope to see him more often on the show.

Kermit made a couple of new friends this week. One was Johnny B’s alter ego, Joannie B. Think Robin Williams as Mrs. Doubtfire and that’s Joannie B. Very humorous stuff. A guy in some kind of Star Wars helmet named White Kanye also made his debut on Kermit and Friends. Apparently he’s been in some escapades with Andy Dick and told some stories. Unfortunately, it was impossible to tell if he was being truthful.

Chris Christine blessed the show with her presence again. She opened up about the 20 years she spent in the American military and how it led to some traumatic mental anguish. Chris credited an Andy Dick Cameo she received as to why she didn’t commit suicide a couple of years ago. She was incredibly sweet and even offered to pay Andy that $650 I mentioned above. Chris also said a lovely prayer for Elisa and Andy. What a sweet soul Chris is all around, she’s easily one of my new favorites.

Sharmin and Dr. Roy joined us in Miami. They’ve been having a vacation together and they helped Elisa sort through her feelings regarding Andy. It was awesome to see them having fun and looking so happy.

Eric Riggs had another sex video presented on the show, this time involving a pen and his rear end. Eric called in and made Elisa shut off the video before the conclusion. He was fine with last week’s sex tape but I guess this week he felt embarrassed. Eric would later read a poem about some woman named Mindy that owes him money, which also somehow involved Elisa’s vagina and horseradish. One of the weirdest poems I’ve ever heard but hey... that’s Kermit and Friends.

Barry “Boss” Mezey called into the show to accuse Elisa of exploiting Kermit’s friends. Barry fails to realize that Elisa gives a platform to literally anyone who wants to make use of it, and the people who garner the most interest from the audience are the people Elisa will feature the most, just like every other reality show in human existence. Barry’s phone calls could not have been more wrong, shame on him.

Lastly, Elisa sort of snapped this week on a chatter by the name of Nikki. Nikki criticized Elisa’s shirt and then said she could have a more popular show than Kermit and Friends if she tried. I think Elisa had some pent up frustration regarding Andy and sort of it took it out on Nikki, which by my estimation Nikki honestly deserved anyway. I just wish Elisa had that same fire not to put up with Andy’s BS. But Nikki has said some very mean things about Elisa in the past, both on Discord and on other Kermitarian related streams, so it’s not like Elisa attacked some innocent princess who made one bad comment. Nikki can be funny but she’s not a nice person at all, so while I commend Elisa for apologizing and feeling guilty over her words to Nikki... sometimes the bully gets bullied just like in Regulus.

The show ended with Elisa playing yet another tremendously creative music video from her talented co-host, Sugar. Overall it was a good show. The interview with Aaron was very professional and well done, and the Andy stuff I’m certain was entertaining for most people. KAF continues to deliver every week, just as I’m sure it will next week. 'Til then, I sincerely thank everyone for reading and I hope you all have a superb week... well, unless your name is Andy Dick, in which case you deserve a very bad week with another bite to the face from my main man Fozzie.

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logans-chestnuts · 5 years

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As You Are, Part 8*

A/N: Finally posting this replacement part that the Nipple Police deemed too naughty for Tumblr.

I am also replacing my awful banner with this gorgeous art by @giggleberts. Thank you, dearest!!!!!

Logan had sneaked away and called you just before your alarm was set to go off again. You only spoke for a few minutes but it reassured you that he was taking whatever you had seriously. This would have been the perfect time to cool things off and reconsider the cons of being together without the incredible heat that existed between you distracting you, but if he was weighing his options, apparently there were more pros than cons at this point.

And you were as infatuated as ever, but now with a little more knowledge of who he was and genuine affection added in to the mix. Logan was unlike any man you had ever met. He was funny, smart, sexy and so inappropriate. You should probably be offended by some of the things he had said to you but he was so damned cute about it. He could charm the panties off a nun with that mischievous smile, and if he added a wink the Mother Superior would probably join in for a threesome.

Yeah, you were in deep and getting deeper.

The morning flew by. You were busy with work and that was how you liked it. You had sent a few texts to Logan throughout the day but for the most part you had been buried in your cube with headphones on, researching and writing.

You had no plans for the weekend because you hadn’t returned calls or texts all week as you had been completely engrossed in Logan. That would need to change, of course. You had good friends and your life couldn’t be put on hold for a man, he would need to fit in with your friends and…oh my, your family. Could Logan behave around family?

You decided to do some grocery shopping and laundry that night. You couldn’t live on Chinese leftovers forever, though statistically they would spoil before they ran out.

Logan had said he would probably have to go out drinking after meetings as it was a cultural thing, so you figured you either wouldn’t talk to him much or he’d drunk dial you. You were kind of hoping for the drunk dial as you had a feeling Logan was hilarious when plowed.

Your phone rang as you had settled in on the couch with a book and you grabbed it and saw Future Husband. Why hadn’t you changed that yet?

“Hi Logan,” you answered happily.

“Hey, what’re you doing?”

“Reading and doing laundry. How’d you sleep?”

“Lousy. Weird dreams. You doing anything this weekend?”

“Nope.”

“Too bad you’re not doing me.”

“That is too bad. But there’s plenty of time for that when you get back,” you said cheerfully.

“I don’t have to be anywhere for a couple hours. Video chat?”

“I am not having video sex with you, Logan,” you answered matter-of-factly.

Logan laughed. “You know me so well. And we’ve only been together a couple months.”

“Four days.”

“Like I said, couple months and we still haven’t had sex.”

“I bet we have in your mind.”

“Like we haven’t in yours. Remember, I know what a dirty girl you are, now.”

“This is true. You do inspire some pretty lewd thoughts. In fact, I’m guessing that you’re doing one of my lewd thoughts even as we speak.”

“And what do you think I’m doing?”

“Hmmm whatever could you be doing?” you said as if you didn’t know perfectly well what his long, sexy fingers were doing.

“Oh no, gotta say it if you wanna see it.”

“Well, this isn’t video chat. And I wanna see it in person. So I can see up close and personal. And taste.”

“Y/N,” he groaned. “That is so hot. Your mouth has been driving me crazy. I keep picturing your lips wrapped around my cock and I get a hard-on wherever I am. And the way you rubbed your tongue…ughh it felt so fucking perfect.”

“That was just a quickie. Not my best work, to be honest.”

“Then I might die with my cock in your mouth.”

“Like hell. I have a lot of other plans for you, babe.”

“Oh God please tell me,” he said, his voice getting breathless.

“Rather show you.”

“I can’t believe I’m fucking stuck on another continent. Hop a plane. Seriously, I’ll buy you a ticket.”

“Do you know when you’ll be home yet?” you asked hopefully.

“No. Hopefully Tuesday or Wednesday. I need to play fucking etiquette games and they haven’t even told me what the problem is yet. I am so fucking frustrated.”

“I can’t imagine. So you should relax now. Talk to me. About anything.”

“Anything?”

“Yup.”

“Tell me what you’re wearing.”

You laughed and said, “Baggy t-shirt and gym shorts.”

“Panties?”

“Yes.”

“Describe.”

“Logan…”

“Youuuuu said anything. I wanna talk about your panties.”

“Fine. White cotton granny panties.”

“Bullshit, I didn’t see a single pair of white cotton in your underwear drawer.”

“Logan Delos! You went through my underwear drawer?”

“Y/N Y/L/N you thought I wouldn’t?”

“Eh. OK, good point. They’re purple boyshorts.”

“Nice.”

“And you, darling? What panties are you wearing?”

“Ha! I’m not.”

“OK underwear.”

“Still not. I don’t wear them to bed.”

“You did at my house.”

“What would you have done if I slept naked?”

“Run screaming.”

“So I kept ‘em on.”

“That was very considerate of you.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Show me your tits.”

“Not that considerate.”

“It’s almost like you don’t care that I have my hand on my hard cock, stroking it and –”

“Logan!”

“Hmmmm?” he asked innocently.

“Did I mention that you have the biggest cock I’ve seen in person?”

“Noooo,” he groaned. “Good to know.”

“Yeah. You are going to stretch me out, baby.”

“Fuck yeah, you’re gonna be so tight.”

“I’m going to lick, kiss and bite every inch of your body.”

“I can’t wait to eat that pussy of yours. I’m gonna make you beg for my cock.”

“Mmmm how about I beg now?”

“Yeah lemme hear that, baby,” he groaned.

“Please, Logan, please fuck me with your big, hard cock. I wanna feel you inside me deeper than I’ve ever been fucked.”

“Aaahhh fuck Y/N baby gonna fuck you so hard,” Logan moaned, panting.

“I’m going to wrap my legs around you and hold you in me until I cum all over your cock.”

“Oh yeah baby, I wanna feel you cum while I pound that pussy.”

“Then I wanna feel all that hot cum inside me when you can’t take it anymore and you shoot your load in my wet pussy.”

Logan came then with a shout of your name and a series of loud groans.

“Goddamn Logan, you are so fucking hot. I have never wanted a man like I want you.”

“Fuck. There’s a load of cum all over me that says you’re the hot one.”

“I want it.”

“You’re going to get more than you can handle.”

“Now I wish it had been video chat. I want to see. What are you doing to me, Logan?”

“Hopefully making you as fucking horny as you make me,” he said, still a little short of breath.

“Well that goes without saying.”

“I didn’t hear you get off.”

“No, I want you to feel me get off the first time.”

“You trying to get me hard again?”

“You said you had a couple hours,” you answered mischievously. “And I do have this fantasy of riding your cock…”

“Scratch that, I don’t think I’m going to get soft to need you to get me hard again.”

“Mmmmm yummy,” you sighed. You listened to his breathing even out, could feel him relax after his orgasm.

“Was that true? About me being the biggest?”

“Oh God yes.”

“I’ll also be the best,” he said arrogantly.

“Of that I have no doubt.” you replied. “So we’re in bed together, you just came, I’m sure I did…what are we doing?”

“Shower. Possibly shower sex.”

“Then what?”

“I’m not a cuddler, Y/N.”

“You aren’t?” you asked in complete surprise.

“Nope.”

“Thennnnn…what was watching TV on the sofa with my head on your chest? And what was sleeping together without sex?”

Logan didn’t respond for a moment. “Huh. You turned me into a cuddler.”

“Really,” you said skeptically. “You seemed pre-loaded with a cuddle mod when I got you.”

“Nerd.”

“Cuddler.”

“I will cuddle with you after sex, but if you tell anyone I’ll deny it.”

“I can live with that. Nobody else has to know that you’re sweet.”

“Sweet?? Fuck that, I am not sweet. I’m a cold-hearted manwhore,” Logan said, sounding offended. “If you think we’re gonna sync up our periods or something, you got the wrong guy.”

“Um, OK.”

“I gotta go clean up. Call ya back.”

“Ok –”

When your phone rang a bit later you let it go to voicemail. You weren’t in the mood for Logan’s constant resistance to any kind of feelings.

You texted a couple friends and found that they were out at a club celebrating a promotion. You quickly tossed your phone on the table to charge while you went and got dressed for clubbing.

You chose a skin-tight black mini skirt and red draped backless top with criss-crossed spaghetti straps in back and sky high red heels. Your makeup was perfect with winged eyeliner and bright red lippy. Your hair you left down in soft waves.

And just to be a bitch you took a full length selfie in front of your mirror and texted it to Logan with the message, Going out with friends. TTYL.

Logan’s first instinct when he got the text was to throw his phone across the room. Controlling that urge, he looked at you making a kissy face at the mirror and drew the conclusion that you were done with his bullshit. So much for ‘probably.’

Were you going to go find someone and bring him home to fuck because Logan had hung up on you? Logan’s next instinct was to go find someone to fuck and send you a pic. Two can play the selfie game.

Except…he didn’t want to go fuck someone else. You were in his blood, he wanted you. And he definitely didn’t want you fucking anyone else.

L: I’m sorry I was a dick and now you’re going out with your friends instead of talking to me. I deserve it. Have fun. You look beautiful.

You got the text in the back of the taxi on the way to the club. You would rather be home with Logan, or at least talking to him. But you knew that Logan would trample any woman who didn’t stand up to him once in a while. You refused to be a doormat no matter how crazy you were about him.

Y: Not here to serve you. I will have fun. Thanks for the compliment.

L: Babe…I don’t know what kind of temper you have yet, but I know what I’d do here and I’m gonna ask you not to.

Y: I know exactly what you’d do. And you’d send me a selfie while you did it. Right?

L: Yeah

Y: I’m not you.

L: I know

Y: TTYL

“Fuck!” Logan screamed in frustration. Why was this shit happening when he was 10 time zones away? He looked at the time and realized he had to get ready for a barbecue at the Aoki CEO’s home. He wanted to get on a plane and go grab you and drag you off to a deserted island so no other man could touch you or look at you.

He decided he needed to move the etiquette bullshit along. He needed to get home to his life now that he had a chance at one.

You didn’t have fun. You tried to dance with your friends and had a few too many drinks, even danced with a guy for a minute when he started dancing with you, but when he put his hands on your hips you pulled away and sat back down. His hands were wrong. You only wanted Logan’s hands on you.

You only wanted Logan.

Which was completely impractical and just begging for a broken heart. Why would you fall for the least suitable human on the planet to give you what you dreamed of: someone who would love you and think of you first thing when he wakes up and last thing before he goes to sleep, and all the rest of that romantic crap? He would never settle down with one woman.

It might be time to accept that and put him in the past.

“Hey,” your friend Kate said. “You’ve been quiet tonight. Who’s the guy?”

You smiled a little. Kate had known you since high school. You had roomed together at college and you were as close as sisters. Needless to say, Kate had been through every relationship you’d ever had with you and she could read you.

“I met him earlier this week.”

“And you’re already this sad? Honey, that doesn’t sound good.”

“I know.”

“Who is he? Where’d you meet him.”

You walked outside together so you could hear each other talk and you told her everything, ending with Logan’s diatribe of being a cold-hearted manwhore when you called him sweet, followed by his subsequent request that you not go fuck someone else for revenge.

“Well he sounds like a hot mess,” Kate said after a moment of silence.

You laughed way harder than the joke called for, letting out some of your pent up emotions. Then you walked over to another girl and paid her $10 for a cigarette and came back to a disapproving Kate.

“I’m completely, head over heels mad about him, Kate. I look at him and I see forever. And it’s ridiculous! I’m not like this!”

“No, you aren’t,” Kate said speculatively. “You don’t do impulsive. You never have. But this guy got to you.”

You nodded and said, “I have no idea what he sees in me. I am nothing like any of the women he usually dates. And he says that’s part of what attracted him. And I’m as mean to him as everyone else, so he knows I’m a smartass. He’s gorgeous and smart and funny and sexy and his smile is just perfection. He could get any woman he wanted. And he told me he’s been an asshole to women in the past. What about me would make him change that?”

“What about you wouldn’t? Maybe he sees what I do. You’re beautiful and smart and funny and brave and real! Plus I’m guessing he sees a few things I don’t. Coz I don’t want to have sex with you.”

You laughed a little at her joke.

“Sweetie, you’re more than enough for any man. Any issues that he has are his, not yours.”

“Thanks, but if I want to be with him and he pushes me away, pretty sure that’s about me.”

“No, not really. I mean, you said his family is messed up right?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, we all know boys with Mama issues are nightmares.”

“Ha. Yeah we’ve both had our share of Mama’s boys.”

“But this is the opposite. He’s not running because nobody can love him like Mommy…he’s running before you can leave him, like Mommy did.”

You shrugged, “The results are the same. He runs and bangs any of the dozens of women that are available to him at any given time and I wind up with my heart in a million pieces because I actually care for the jackass.”

Kate put her arm around you and you laid your head on her shoulder. You still didn’t have a clue but at least you weren’t alone.

You decided to head home. Kate stayed outside with you until your Uber got there and hugged you and put you in the car with a promise to come by for coffee tomorrow.

You looked at you phone for the first time since you had arrived at the bar. There were a couple texts from Logan and one had an attachment. You opened the text and saw a selfie of Logan pouting with his lower lip stuck out

that had the caption, “I’m sorry :(“ and the body of the text said Unsolicited dick pic.

And you laughed.

L: Don’t give up on me yet

Y: Let me know when I should, OK?

Logan grabbed his phone from his pocket when he felt your text and relief flooded his body. Despite the faux pas of looking at his phone at a social event, he tapped out an answer.

L: Can’t say that I will. I think you’re too good for me.

Y: Don’t be a dumbass. I might love you some day.

L: I got downgraded from pretty sure, huh?

Y: When you get home I’ll let you make it up to me.

L: I plan to. You’ve been upgraded to pretty sure.

Y: Damn, shitty timing for you.

L: I’m sorry. I don’t mean to push you away.

Y: You do a fucking dead-on impression of it.

L: Are you still out?

Y: On my way home.

L: Already?

Y: This guy I really like hurt my feelings and put me in a shitty mood. Didn’t feel like dancing.

L: My girlfriend had a similar issue earlier.

Girlfriend?

Y: WTF Logan you have a girlfriend??? You fucking asshole. I swear to Christ you keep finding new ways to destroy me. If you can tear me up this much in less than a week then your girlfriend has all my sympathy. Go fuck yourself. I am so done with you.

You powered your phone down and put it in your bag, utterly disgusted with the tears streaming down your cheeks.

L: Jesus Christ Y/N I meant YOU!! You are my girlfriend!!!!

Your Uber pulled up in front of your building and you climbed out and stormed into your apartment. You left your phone on the charger in the living room and then got ready for bed.

Your pillow smelled like Logan. You flung it across the room and slept fitfully without it.

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itispossibleihaveissues · 7 years

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This Night Chapter 6

TITLE: This Night AUTHOR: Mikimoo RECIPIENT: tristen84 PAIRING: JayDick RATING: Mature

WARNINGS: Off screen Non-Con, murder of innocent young people, violence

SUMMARY: The Red Hood and Officer Grayson are on the same case. A small misstep has far reaching consequences for them both.

Thank you to burkesl17 for the beta!

Chapter 1, 2 3 4 5

“ When you said hospital, this wasn't what I was envisioning, ” Jason muttered as he hovered anxiously behind Wilson, who was once again carrying Dick in his arms like a blushing bride.

The 'hospital' was more of a rural walk in clinic stuck out in the middle of nowhere. But quite frankly Jason would take whatever they could get, his grousing merely covering his fear over Dick's worsening condition. He had not regained consciousness after falling asleep on the plane and his fever had spiked again.

“ This place might not look like much, but it has well trained staff and state of the art equipment, ” Wilson told him. The man wasn't even slightly out of breath, despite carrying Dick in a very impractical hold.

Jason glanced around him. He could believe the staff were competent, there was no reason they wouldn't be. But this place was in a tiny town, rather than the bustling city he had been hoping for. And the equipment was a bit of a stretch, the place looked like it had survived a couple of hurricanes, and as they got closer, he noticed bullet holes riddling the walls of the dusty parking lot.

“ Right, ” he said, dubiously.

“ It's only a handful of years since this place was embroiled in what amounted to a civil war, ” Wilson told him, as he picked up the pace. “ The Wayne foundation donated funds to help resupply the hospitals after the fighting. Of course, it was the Americans that armed the rebels, so maybe you could see it as blood money. ”

“ Wayne donated plenty, ” Ruiz broke in. “ We were grateful, but it was our sweat and blood that rebuilt, while he sat at home on his piles of money. ” She didn't sound grateful, she sounded pissed.

Jason snorted, trying not to grin as he scrambled around a beat up jeep parked haphazardly between two spaces. He wondered if Bruce ever got to talk to the actual people his foundation had helped, away from the cameras and the press. He would pay to see a sit down meeting between Ruiz and the old man, he really would.

His smile fell away as they reached the entrance to the clinic. He was worried about what might happen to Ruiz when they returned. A cop working in the cartel's territory was always going to be at risk, but after this shit show, would she be able to return to her home safely? She had mentioned she had kids, a dog, maybe a partner. Would they be safe? He had hoped that they could work with Bruce to bring her stateside until this mess blew over, but he suspected her pride and fierce love for her weather worn and hardy little country wouldn't allow her to leave.

He suspected the only way to keep her safe would be to bring the whole regime down. Not that he wasn't planning to do that anyway, but it might take a bit of time. And it might not be quick enough. Why was he always surrounded by stubborn, self-sacrificing assholes?

They burst through the front entrance of the clinic, stinking of mud, two day old sweat and blood. Two nurses and a doctor had Dick on a gurney and whizzing off before Jason could take proper stock of the situation. He trotted along behind Wilson as he gave the doctor a full, stark rundown of Dick's injuries, drug intake and general condition.

He asked for an internal exam, administration of antivirals. He used the word rape.

It was the first time Jason had actually let himself think the word itself. Stupid, because it was just a word. What had happened was the same, no matter what term was used, but to hear it was strangely devastating. He fell back and leaned against the wall, this was a real thing that had happened and he didn't know how to deal with it.

“ Are you okay? ” Ruiz asked. She lay a hand on his arm, and he kept looking at her torn and ragged fingernails. He wondered again what she had been though in the three days between her capture and rescue.

“ I'm fine, ” he said at last. “ Tired, but alright. I'm just worried about Dick. ”

“ I am too. But he is strong, I believe he will pull through. ”

“ He's too stubborn not too, ” Jason agreed. “ It's what comes after I can't stop thinking about. ”

“ It wasn't your fault, you know, ” Ruiz said gently. And Jason had to force down a maelstrom of emotion. This is why he hated working with nice people; their kindness and concern was often enough to completely undo him.

“ I know, but I still feel partly to blame, ” he admitted at last.

“ Maybe if you hadn't been there, we wouldn ’ t have walked into that trap, ” Ruiz agreed. “ Or maybe we would have, and there would have been no one there to rescue us. We might still be there, in the dark, and Dick would almost certainly be dead. ” She squeezed his arm. “ What happened, happened. Now we just have to live with it. ”

“ You remind me of another woman I know, back home, ” Jason said, giving her a tired and slightly watery smile. “ She's a pragmatic, obstinate, busy-body too. ”

Ruiz grinned, the expression lighting up her dirty face. “ She a cop? ”

“ Nah, her dad is though. But she somehow still managed to be the boss of everyone. ” He pushed up off the wall. Ruiz was right, sniveling about the past and the things he wished he could change wasn't going to help any of them. “ Come on, let ’ s go find us a couple of nurses to check us over and then get a shower and a bed. An hours sleep was nowhere near enough for me. ”

The nurses were efficient, as was the portly little doctor who poked and prodded him and scolded him for being a fool in heavily accented English. Finally he was left alone, he knew he should go find Dick, check on his condition. But sleep reached out and snatched his consciousness away without him noticing.

He woke suddenly hours later, his senses springing from zero to ten from one breath to the next, danger shooting over his skin like a wildfire

He sat up, reaching for the weapon that wasn't where he had left it. He attempted to struggle out of the narrow cot he had been sleeping in, but got tangled in the blankets.

The Red Hood, brought down by overly enthusiastic beading. What an epitaph.

“ Calm down, Red, it's just me. ” Wilson's soft rumble of a voice said, over the sound of blood rushing in Jason's ears. He sounded amused.

“ Fuck , ” Jason said, falling back against the pillows and choosing to ignore the one leg he had managed to extricate from its entanglements, which was now hanging uselessly over the side of the bed. His bad ankle no less. “ Dick? ” he asked, adrenaline spiking again.

“ He's fine. Fever's broken, antibiotics doing their job. He woke for a while, was mostly coherent and is sleeping peacefully now. ”

“ Thank fuck. ”

“ Indeed. ”

Jason wrestled with himself for a moment. “ I owe you, ” he admitted, after a moment.

“ Yes, you do, ” Wilson agreed stepping away from the door and moving closer. All the hair on Jason's body attempted to stand on end at his proximity.

Wilson smirked at him, the expression was mocking rather than cruel “ I'll add it to your tab, ” he said.

“ Can you stop with that shit? ” Jason muttered, scowling in an attempt to cover his discomfort.

“ Why? Worried Dick will get curious? ”

Jason scowled harder, the man was enjoying watching him squirm.

“ You're going to have to have a conversation with him at some point, that boy's smart as a whip, except when it comes to looking after his own hide. ”

There was that wry affection again. Jason hated it. It conjured up weird feelings in him, a mixture of protectiveness and what he refused to identify as jealousy. “ You've done your bit now, ” he said, as coolly as he could, “ Dick will pay you for your trouble. ”

Wilson raised an eyebrow and Jason had a horrible feeling he could read him like an open book. “ You so sure you're clear of them? We are still technically in enemy territory. ”

“ What are you implying? ” Jason asked, dread rising from his gut to choke him. He was getting pretty sick of that feeling of rage and helplessness.

“ These aren't your garden variety drug runners, Red. They're a well established group that span continents. And you and the other two musketeers have not only embarrassed them by escaping, but have been inside their compounds, had access to their computers. They are going to want you dead. ”

“ Can they track us here? ”

Wilson shrugged, still calm despite his words. “ Possibly. If they have an informant who tips them off. ”

Jason nodded. “ Give me twenty four hours to rest up, and then we can go back and wipe out the whole fucking lot of them, ” he said. Hopefully some rest and proper food would leave him fit enough to fight.

“ Oh we can, can we? That's not part of the deal I have with Grayson. I don't think he or Daddy dearest is going to want to cough up for that particular mission. And I don't work for free. ”

The fucker was right of course. “ I'm not broke, you know. I can pay. ”

“ You want me to single-handedly attack a wide spread militia in hostile territory? Red, there is no way in hell you can afford me. ”

“ Not single-handedly. This shit is personal. I'm coming too, ” Jason insisted, stubbornly. Although he had a feeling negotiations were not going to go in his favor.

“ And if they send assassins to this hospital? You will be killing off their disposable foot soldiers, while they are here murdering Officer Ruiz and your incapacitated boyfriend. ”

Jason flushed slightly at that comment, but managed to stop himself from a childish denial. Wilson was just trying to get a rise out of him and was watching his face with a detached sort of curiosity. Perhaps because he was testing the waters in some way or maybe he just enjoyed riling Jason up, the sick fuck. But he couldn't dwell on that, or the blush still on his cheeks, because Wilson was right. He couldn't go and get revenge if it meant leaving Dick and Ruiz undefended.

He tried to think his way round it, he wanted to be the one to end those bastards, needed to know they were dead, needed to feel it.

But he couldn't. If he left and something happened, it would be the end of him.

“ What do you want from me, Wilson? ” he asked, at last. It was obvious the man wanted something , and he may as well find out now rather than further down the line.

“ What have you got? You already owe me for saving your ass before, very literally. ”

Jason ruthlessly squashed down the resentment and anger. Slade wanted something specific from him, and bar a few things, he was willing to at least entertain undertaking whatever it was; if it meant he took down the gang and insured certain people would suffer for their crimes. But, on the other hand he also knew that Slade wanted to kill them too. He was bafflingly fond of Dick, and he was upset by what had happened. He was angry. Maybe not in the white hot way Jason was, but angry enough to put some effort into revenge.

That gave Jason bargaining power, not a lot, but enough if he played his cards right. He was reasonably confident that the price of Wilson's continuing help would not be more than he was willing to pay.

But he did wish he wasn't haggling over something so serious while half naked in a hospital bed, still snarled in his own bedding. But he suspected his reputation was shot to shit anyway. “ I could just wait, ” he said, watching Wilson's face closely. “ B will probably be on his way already, he must know that Dick is missing by now. ”

Wilson settled against the wall, lifting one boot to rest against the faded green paintwork. He cocked his head, regarding Jason carefully. “ The problem with B , is that sometimes he forgets you boys are human and make mistakes. And the problem with you boys, is that you believe him to be somehow infallible. Unless they ’ ve contacted him for a ransom, it's quite possible he thinks Dick has things under control. ”

That was disturbingly possible. Bruce seemed to vacillate between cutting them out of an investigation to 'protect' them, and throwing them to the damn wolves. It gave Jason emotional whiplash, but he could only imagine what it was like for Dick who was so caught up in Bruce's crazy rip-tide.

“ We could call in and ask for a pick up. It's after Christmas now, right? Holiday season's nearly over. There's usually a lull in January, when everyone ’ s licking their wounds. ”

“ And how would Dick feel about that, do you think? ” Slade's voice was smooth like a good scotch that still burnt on the way down. “ He wallows in each perceived failure, he doesn't realize half the problem is that his family have too much faith in him. He has unrealistic expectations of himself. ”

He was right, again. And Jason hated it, not just because it was infuriating, but because it was obvious Wilson knew Dick well enough to see that, and to exploit it. Fondness aside, Wilson was a practical man who had no problem at all with using whatever tools he had available to win the game he was playing. If, like Dick and the Bat-Brats, you were playing by Batman's rules, it gave Wilson a staggering and unfair advantage.

Luckily, Jason didn't play by those rules either.

“ What are your terms, Slade? ”

Wilson's lips curved into the tiniest smile. “ A favor. For a job. ”

“ And you need me? ” Jason asked, doubtfully. “ You don't have other people you can ask? ”

“ It's the sort of thing I might have persuaded Grayson to do, although he won't work with me unless he is in full control of the terms. ” Wilson's lips tipped up again, as though at the shadow of a memory. “ But that's off the table in this case. I intend to kill my targets, both because wrangling Dick is too time consuming for my current schedule, and because of the particulars of this job. ”

The particulars.

Jason was fairly sure he was not going to like this. “ I ask again, ” he soldiered on, “ You must have people – when Dick is too difficult to wrangle . So why me? ”

“ You and Grayson are very similar in some ways, tenacious, it must run in the family. Very well, yes there are people I could use. But I want it to be you because it it would be mutually beneficial to me and to Gotham, which would in turn benefit you. And because I know you have - ” he paused and smirked, “ - experience. ”

Jason felt himself flush. He was never going to live that nonsense down. “ Fine, but that's it. Just work, no play. And if you are killing people I have to know who and why. I won't help you murder innocents for cash. Not even for your aid now. ”

Wilson nodded. “ I wouldn't ask it of you in these circumstances. I ’ ll send over the files with the details, when our business here is concluded, you can confirm after you ’ ve read them. ”

“ Fine. In exchange, I don't just want you to bring them down. I want you to make the people that hurt Dick suffer . ”

“ Do you know who it was, superficially? ” Wilson's voice dropped almost into a growl.

Oh yeah, he was going to see this done properly. A weight eased off Jason's shoulders he hadn't realized had even been there. He reached for his pants, which were hanging off the end of the bed, and handed over the baggies with the cigarettes and the condoms. “ This is probably a good place to start. I assume you have facilities you can use to get results fast, find one or two and question them. Get them to lead you to the others. There was an American man there too, earlier, he might be worth finding. Name was Caldwell I think. Kill them all, no fucking survivors. ” Jason's own voice had dipped low and furious as Wilson took the evidence bags from him and tucked them away.

“ Consider it done. ”

“ If, ” Jason paused and licked his lips, “ if there is any other evidence of what happened, find it and destroy it. ”

“ What kind of evidence?"

“ There was some serious security set up there, video feeds, ” he trailed off. If they had known who Dick was, and some of them obviously had, it was very possible they had recorded it. If it was released online it would be an additional trauma that both Dick and Bruce would want to avoid. Not worth as much as a ransom. But still good blackmail material.

“ Hmm, ” Wilson said, frowning slightly. He had obviously come to to the same conclusion. “ I'm afraid if footage was made, it might already be too late to keep it from getting out. However, it ’ ll be something to look into. If I can discover if it exists, and find a trail of where it might have gone, then it will at least give us a head start in stopping it. ”

Jason nodded, once again pushing down the feelings that rose up in him, it wasn't a fear he had really been dwelling on – mostly because he had been focusing on the more practical matters of keeping them all alive. But now, the spectre of the future was raising its ugly head.

But, in some strange way, he trusted Wilson with this. It was strange to be drawing comfort from a hard-hearted assassin, but he knew that the man, for all his faults, would keep his word and attempt to destroy any hurtful material. Jason couldn't ask for much more.

“ It's a deal then. ” Wilson held out a hand and Jason reached out and shock it. Hoping he wasn't signing away his soul or something equally dramatic, he was too damn tired to deal with any fallout.

Wilson handed him a phone. “ It's modified. We'll keep in touch – if I discover they ’ re aware of your whereabouts I ’ ll let you know. Otherwise, I ’ ll see you in New York in a week or three. ”

Jason nodded. There was honestly a part of him that was sorry to see Wilson go – it had been good to have the back up. But now it was going to be down to him again, and he was pretty sure he was going to be doing a piss poor job as usual.

Twelve hours of sleep and food later, and Jason was finally able to see Dick. He was in a side room, tucked away. Bandaged and clean, with the flush of fever gone from his cheeks, he looked like he did any other time he got beat up on the job.

He looked the same, but it wasn't the same for Jason. Something fundamental had changed in him, when it came to his complicated feelings for Dick, and he wasn't sure he could ever go back to how it had been before.

“ Hey, Jay, ” Dick said, with a smile. He seemed to think rhyming 'Hey, Jay' was the height of humor.

“ Hey yourself, Dick-face. ” Jason pulled up a chair and sat. He felt uncomfortable, like there were things he should be saying, but couldn't get the words past his own lips.

“ I'm surprised you're still here, ” Dick said, after a moment, he wiggled a little more upright in the bed, wincing as he did so.

“ Where did you think I would go? ” Jason snapped, working down a flash of hurt. “ Did you think I would just leave you? ”

“ No, well, not just go home or something. But I figured you would have taken Slade and gone and blown ZK12 out of the water, so to speak. ”

That made sense, but Jason still felt slightly offended. “ We don't know were in the clear yet, I wouldn't just leave with you incapacitated. ” Dick's eyes narrowed and a small frown started to form between his brows. Jason had some experience with feeling helpless, and how angry it could make a person, so he hastily clarified. “ I'm sticking around to keep an eye on Ruiz too, you could probably best any attacker even with only one good leg, but she doesn't have the training we do. And anyway, I'm sick of lugging your heavy ass around with me. Time you pulled your weight. That means no popped stitches. ”

“ Aye, aye Captain, ” Dick said, the storm apparently diverted for the moment. “ Is Ruiz okay? ” he asked, after a small pause, as he began shoving himself even further up the bed into an almost upright position.

“ Yeah, I saw her earlier. She's doing fine, considering the fact she has three cracked ribs, strained ligaments in her left knee and has been suffering from dehydration and exhaustion. ”

Dick nodded. “ That's good. ”

They sad in silence. There was a lot unsaid, and part of Jason hoped they could just avoid it, pretend none of this had happened. But that was selfish. And he had to remember that if he was feeling uncomfortable, it was likely that Dick was feeling much worse. He needed someone to talk things over with, a friendly face rather than Jason's ugly mug and all the baggage that went with it.

“ Do you want me to call someone? ” he blurted. “ Roy or Babs or Bruce or whoever? ”

“ No! ” Dick said sharply. And then looked a little shame faced. “ I mean, you can call in and tell them we are okay. Just not …” he paused and wet his lips. “ Please don't tell anyone. ”

Jason sighed and leaned back in his chair, tipping his head up to stare at the pale green paint chipping and curing on the ceiling. “ I won't, it ’ s not for me to share. You don't have to worry about that on my account. ” Dick's shoulders relaxed slightly and Jason felt another wave of hurt. But at the same time, he couldn't say he wouldn't have had the same fears, even if he knew and trusted a person. He sighed again. “ You should think about talking to someone though. A friend, a therapist. Me, if you want. ”

“ I don't want to talk about it, I just want to move on. ”

“ I get that, I do. But don't rule it out is all I'm saying. ”

Dick nodded, his eyes on the thin blanket covering his legs. He fidgeted with a loose thread, unraveling more of it, wrapping it round his fingers and releasing. Jason kept quiet, contemplating the ceiling, he figured Dick would get around to saying whatever was on his mind given a bit of time.

It took longer than he expected. Jason was in the middle of a daydream in which he had rescued Dick and Ruiz before they had been hurt. Although he was pissing himself off because Daydream Dick was somehow rescuing himself instead of letting Jason do it. Which was fine except it was a bit shitty he couldn't even be the hero in his own damn narrative. But then Real Dick cleared his throat and Jason was forced back to a reality where neither of them had rescued anybody in time.

“ Is it stupid to feel so upset by something I barely remember happening? ” Dick asked softly, still looking at his knees. The thread from the covers had snapped off and was now held taut between his fingers. “ I mean, I know it happened. I could feel it when I woke. Flashes have come back to me, but it doesn't seem like reality. It feels dumb to be so- ” he paused, closed his eyes as he searched for a word. “ I just feel stupid for everything, ” he concluded at last.

Jason let out a breath. “ It's not stupid. ” There was so much more he needed to say, but the words wouldn't come. He wasn't cut out for this, the rawness of it was rubbing at the edges of his own buried hurts. “ It's not stupid, ” he said again, “ violation doesn't even have to be physical to have an impact, its not surprising you're feeling upset about it. ”

Dick looked at him with wide eyes and Jason regretted his word choice, if not his sentiment. He was very aware discussing this subject was something of a minefield, for both of them. He ploughed on regardless. “ Look, all I'm saying is, don't bottle it up. If you're angry, punch stuff. If you're sad, cry. Or eat ice cream straight from the tub and cuddle puppies or whatever your sappy ass does when you feel shitty. ”

He was pleased to see the ghost of a smile on Dick's face, he didn't want to make light of things, but he wasn't a fucking wordsmith either.

Then the smile fell away. “ I know that, I've given versions of this speech in my night job and my day job, ” Dick said, “ I know it wasn't my fault, but …” he trailed off.

“ But it doesn't change how you feel, ” Jason finished for him. “ I get that. ”

Dick looked at him, suddenly serious and intense. It made Jason want to squirm, but he returned the gaze instead. There was a feeling of understanding, terrifying though it was. He didn't think he could cope if Dick gave voice to those thoughts. But he didn't, he just nodded, turning his attention back to the thread in his hands. “ I just want to forget about it and move on, ” he repeated.

“ Fair enough, but don't be mad at yourself if your mind struggles to do what you want. ”

“ That's good advice, I guess. ” Dick was giving him that look again, but luckily for them both he still didn't offer his thoughts on the subject.

Jason shrugged, wincing as the movement reminded him he had been shot twice recently. Even with body armor that was no fucking joke. “ I'm the poster boy for PTSD and how not to deal, ” he said.

“ We're the poster family for that, to be honest, we learnt from the best, ” Dick said with what looked like a genuine smile.

Jason felt the mood lighten for a moment, and he felt guilty from the relief he felt.

“ Where's Slade? ” Dick asked, instantly souring Jason's mood again.

“He's gone to check out if we are really home and dry or if we have to keep running. He'll be back soon I hope,” Jason offered noncommittally. He was hoping that would be the end of it and he could move back to safer topics of conversation.

But no such luck, Dick was obnoxiously observant and nosy as fuck. “ What's the deal with you guys? ” he asked, his blue eyes guileless and curious. Bastard.

“ With us ? What's the deal with you ? On first name basis and everything, ” Jason attempted to deflect, but by the razor sharp glint in his eyes, belaying the innocent expression on his face, it looked like he had only succeeded in increasing Dick's interest.

“ Well, he said you owe him, so I assume you worked together at some point. ” Dick paused and shifted in the bed to get a better look at Jason's face “ Jay, you're blushing! Tell me everything! ” he sounded delighted, and Jason flushed harder.

Well, at least he had taken Dick's mind off his troubles – even at his own expense. The bastard looked intrigued and gleeful and it lightened Jason's heart at some level. This was going to be hard for Dick to overcome, but he didn't think this trauma was going to rule him. He would make it though, with a little help.

So who was Jason to deny him a little levity. “ I would rather not talk about it, to be honest, ” he said, as unconvincingly as possible. Dick of course, caught on to the game.

“ Is it embarrassing? ” he asked, sounding thrilled at the prospect.

“ Obviously. I was hoping you hadn't noticed his unsubtle nonsense. ”

“ No such luck, I want all the details. Are you blushing because you did something embarrassing or because of something more sordid? ” Dick wagged his eyebrows. It looked slightly off putting with his black eye and bruised face, but it was a familiar expression – one he had employed on numerous occasions when Jason had been a boy and been caught eyeing up Dick's many hot female friends. Dick had never seemed to notice him eyeing up his hot male friends at the same time though, or maybe he had been attempting to be tactful. It was genuinely hard to tell.

Jason had been so pleased to see that expression on Dick's face he had not really been paying attention to his words, but he didn't even have to pretend outrage when he ran them back over in his mind, “ Why would you even think that! ” he demanded.

“ Even your ears have gone red, Jason. I haven't seen you go that color since you walked in on Kory mostly naked in titans tower! ” Dick grinned at the memory “ I'm frankly surprised you didn't spontaneously combust you were so red faced. ”

Jason felt himself blushing even more. God damn it, clearly the secret to cheering Dick up was going to be a run down of all his most embarrassing moments, thankfully he had a lot to work with. But yeah, that glimpse of tawny skin, hard muscle and full curves had fueled his fantasies for the remaining three and a half months of his young life. The fantasies that were not consumed with the sight of a similarly undressed Dick Grayson, who had been with her at the time, anyway.

Slightly mortifying, but Dick was grinning, and Jason very much wanted to keep that expression on his face and banish the returning shadows.

“ Fine, ” Jason said, mentally preparing himself for the embarrassment ahead. “ You remember that serial killer shit going on in New York over the summer? ”

“ Yeah, nasty stuff. Young men tortured and butchered, before being thrown out with the trash, ” Dick said, nodding.

And sexually assaulted. Jason couldn't bring himself to say it. This had been a fucking terrible story to tell to pick up Dick's spirits. But he couldn't stop now, if he did, Dick would catch on to his discomfort and be hurt or angry. “I decided to look into it, ” he said, hoping the pause hadn't been noticed.

“ New York isn't your patch, what brought you there? ”

“ It was a favor for a friend, I knew her from before. ” Before being when she had been a young hustler called Miguel, working in the narrows, and Jason had been eating trash to survive. She had been kind, and Jason felt he owed her, so when she had asked for help he had agreed, no questions asked.

“ Okay, what did you find? ” Dick, despite his glee in Jason's discomfort, seemed to be an expert in skirting around the worst of Jason's past, only asking questions that he might actually want to answer. And Jason was extremely grateful for that.

“ It wasn't a serial killer – not in the traditional sense. It was a group of people, kidnapping vulnerable young men and selling their deaths. ”

Dick's lip curled, in disgust. “ That's fucked up. ”

“ Yeah. So I traced one branch to this bar, an exclusive 'gentlemen's club' that caters to certain subcultures. ”

“ Was it The Thorn? ” Dick asked, eyes bright with equal parts interest and amusement, “ BDSM and overpriced cocktails served with a side of very attractive people? ”

“ You know it? ”

“ Yeah, ” Dick said, and Jason raised an eyebrow right into his hairline. Dick rolled his eyes, “ What? I lived in New York for a while. I'm familiar with some of the more exclusive sex clubs. For work. ” he grinned, and it almost reached his eyes. “ Mostly. ”

Jason tried to avoid thinking about Dick in that particular establishment. He didn't know if he was feeling overprotective, or slightly turned on by the thought, it was confusing. He cleared his throat. “ Right, so I was going to go in undercover, I thought it would be easy, I had the cash and credentials.

“ But no one could vouch for you? ”

“ Who's telling this story? ”

“ Sorry. ” Dick rolled his eyes, he didn't sound very sorry.

“ I could get into the club itself, but not the VIP area – you could only get in there with someone to vouch for you, or if you were chosen by management as an unclaimed sub. ”

“ I can see where you're going with this. Did you go for it? You must have looked hot as hell all dressed up in leather. ”

“ I always wear leather, ” Jason grumbled.

“ You know what I mean – so how did Slade get involved? ”

Jason squirmed remembering his surprise and embarrassment seeing the bastard there “ I don't know what his deal was, what angle he was working or who paid him to off the guys, but he was there in the VIP area. ”

“ Hmm, ” Dick said, his eyes shining with suppressed mirth, like he was laughing at a private joke.

“ Anyway, ” Jason pressed on, he was committed to this crap now and the faster it was over with, the better. “ I went in, ended up in a bit over my head. It's not a scene I've had to work in before, so I was caught a bit by surprise. ” That was an understatement, he had been completely out of his depth as soon as he went into the VIP area and realized he was going to have to pretend to be prey, rather than the predator he had been envisioning for the evening. He had played along as best he could, although rather poorly he suspected, when approached by his target. Although his confusion and reluctance had probably gone in his favor it was probably the fact he felt out of place and anxious that drew the man to him, like a shark scenting blood in the water.

The target had assumed he was a hustler trying out something new for more cash – it was exactly what Jason had been going for, but it made him feel uncomfortable. Then he had allowed himself to be maneuvered into a position of vulnerability, and he had been a hair's breadth from breaking his cover in a panic. Dumb as fuck. “ Basically, he took the bait and then I got in a bit in over my head and kind of lost my shit for a bit, ” he concluded awkwardly.

Dick was no longer laughing, he looked concerned. “ Thought this way going to be a funny story. That sounds horrible, were you okay? ”

“ Yeah, I was fine, ” Jason said with all the confidence he could put into his voice – why the hell had he started this stupid story? It was just one more terrible idea in a week of terrible ideas. “ It wasn't awful or anything, I just didn't know how to play it, and I don't like restraints. Not on me at least. ” He smirked, trying to regain the lightness he had going before. He ruthlessly pushed down the remembered fear and discomfort. When he had realized he couldn't get free and he had completely lost control of the situation, he had been close to a full blown freak out. Very unprofessional, He would bet Dick would have remained calm and dealt with things just fine, Bruce would have. But hell no, he was not thinking of Bruce in that situation, so much brain bleach needed now.

“ You look like you just swallowed a lemon, ” Dick said, somewhere between concerned and amused.

“ My brain took me to an unrelated bad place. ” Jason shifted himself in his seat. Took a swig of water from the cup by the side of Dick's bed in an effort to distract them both.

“ Give that back, ” Dick said, and reached for it. Jason handed it back over gratefully. Diversion achieved.

“ So is that where Slade stepped in? ” Dick asked, as he sipped from the cup. He seemed to have either decided to trust Jason's assurances that all had been fine, or was allowing Jason to get away with pretending.

“ Yeah, took me by surprise, him being there was fucked up enough but it was pretty unexpected him coming to help me. But like I said, we were after the same guy so he probably saw me as a convenient way to achieve his goal. He told the target I was his for the night, and that he had been waiting for me. The guy agreed and we went off to the side for a bit to, er, talk. ” Jason flushed again at the memory, so embarrassing to be rescued by freaking Deathstroke, especially in those circumstances. “ Wilson asked why I was there, even though he blatantly knew. ”

“ And you told him? ”

“ Yeah, he said I was good bait, and we could keep the guy ’ s interest, then take him out together later. Seemed a good idea. ” Keeping the targets interest had been an eye opening experience, and one he hadn't really finished processing.

“ How'd you play it out? ” Dick asked, he looked intrigued again.

“ Wilson reeled him in by offering to go play at his private residence. The target jumped at the chance. So that's what we did. I found the info I needed and Slade whacked him. He claimed I owed him for stepping in and I had to kind of agree. ” Jason was well aware he had left out a lot of juicy details there, but he had shared more than enough of that mess.

Dick looked contemplative. “ Something doesn't sit right with me about this. ” He looked at Jason through his lashes, a tiny smile giving him a devilish look.

“ Oh? ” Jason asked, cautiously.

“ I just can't see Slade taking on a contract on his own turf. Don't shit where you eat, you know? ”

“ How do you mean? ” Jason had a sinking feeling he was going to regret asking, but couldn't quite figure out what Dick was getting at.

“ He's a regular at that club. I often wondered if he might even be a backer for it. On one hand that would be a great incentive to remove a serial killer from his patch, but on the other hand, he wouldn't do it where he could be associated with the people involved, he would do it quick and quiet. ” Dick shrugged, there was a lot of expression in that small movement, “ That would be my assessment, anyway. ”

“ So, what you ’ re saying, is he was just there having fun, and then - ” And then had fun at Jason's expense. He flushed so hard he was surprised his face didn't burst into flames.

Dick snorted with laughter, at least he looked amused again the bastard. “ The look on your face! ” he said, going so far as to point a finger in Jason's direction.

Jason huffed, feeling pissy and experiencing a weird combination of acute embarrassment over the whole thing and pride in having put that sparkle back into Dicks eyes. “ How do you even know all this, you a regular there too? ” he asked, unable to keep the surliness from his voice.

“ No, but I have run into pretty much the same situation with Slade. The first time was very awkward, but by the second time I figured out he was a regular and not about to kill my mark. Although he wasn't above making my life difficult for his own amusement, he did keep things within acceptable boundaries and even helped me here and there. ”

“ What did you have to do? ” He doubted it was as mortifying and sexually confusing as Jason attempting to pretend he knew what he was doing, just to be shown he most definitely did not.

“ I had to give the bastard a lap dance. In front of quite a lot of people, ” Dick sounded wry and a bit fond. “ He kept requesting me to give him more weird and elaborate dances, and he was a shitty tipper. ”

Jason wasn't sure how he felt about that, on one hand the image was disturbingly hot, on the other, after the events of the past week, he was feeling a little raw about stuff. About Dick being vulnerable or uncomfortable in such a situation. And he felt very weird about the idea of Slade being there, touching him in a sexual way, even if it was for show. At least he hoped it had been for show.

He probably needed to stop thinking about it.

“ You look like you're having a conniption, Jay, ” Dick said. “ It was fine, he was helpful even. ” He smoothed down his blankets and gave Jason a sidelong glance. “ What about you though, I've been laughing at you, but you were okay with it, right? With Slade? He didn't upset you or anything? ”

“ Nah, it was fine, ” he was surprised to find that was mostly true. “ It was an exercise in humility. But I guess, finding out he probably wasn't even working a contract makes me feel a bit better about him helping us now. He didn't have to step in, even if he did it for his own amusement. If he had walked away or just watched it might have gone badly for me. ” That was hard to admit, but after this past week, it was hardly like Jason had much of a rep to uphold in front of Dick.

“ I'm glad. ”

“ And you? Do you trust him? ”

“ Yeah. In this at least. The man has his own brand of honor, it's not the same as mine, as ours even, but as long we know what his limits are we can trust he will stick to them. Step outside that and he ’ s as about as trustworthy as a hungry fox in a hen house though. ”

Jason snorted. “ Well worth remembering. ”

“ Yeah. ” Dick reached over and squeezed Jason's fingers where they rested on his knee. “ Thanks Jason, for everything. And for cheering me up with your tale of woe. ”

Jason squeezed back awkwardly. “ Any time, trust me if that's all it takes I got plenty. Next up; the time I went undercover at a college, passed an exam I hadn't studied for and got so drunk I woke up naked in a field with a bunch of cows and two hot cheerleaders. ” Who had been disappointingly fully clothed and as hungover as he was. And dating each other, but whatever, it still made for a good story, and judging from the look on Dick's face he was going to have to tell it at some point.

“ Looking forward to it, Jay. ” Dick's eyes were sliding closed, and he was clearly fighting sleep.

“ Get some rest, ” Jason said, getting ready to heave his aching body out of the chair.

“ Can you stay? Just for a bit? ” Dick blurted, his face flushed and he grit his teeth. Admitting he needed someone close had obviously been hard.

“ Sure, Dickie, whatever you need. ” Jason settled back into the uncomfortable chair and resumed his inspection of the ceiling. He suspected he was going to be struggling to say 'no' to anything Dick asked of him in the coming days.

#jaydick #dick grayson #Jason Todd #Slade Wilson #My writing #my fic #mik trys to write stuff #this night

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logans-chestnuts · 7 years

Text

As You Are, Part 8

Pairing: Logan x Reader

Warnings: Language, Smut

Part 7

Yeah, you were in deep and getting deeper.

You decided to do some grocery shopping and laundry that night. You couldn’t live on Chinese leftovers forever, though statistically they would spoil before they ran out.

Your phone rang as you had settled in on the couch with a book and you grabbed it and saw Future Husband. Why hadn’t you changed that yet?

“Hi Logan,” you answered happily.

“Hey, what’re you doing?”

“Reading and doing laundry. How’d you sleep?”

“Lousy. Weird dreams. You doing anything this weekend?”

“Nope.”

“Too bad you’re not doing me.”

“That is too bad. But there’s plenty of time for that when you get back,” you said cheerfully.

“I don’t have to be anywhere for a couple hours. Video chat?”

“I am not having video sex with you, Logan,” you answered matter-of-factly.

Logan laughed. “You know me so well. And we’ve only been together a couple months.”

“Four days.”

“Like I said, couple months and we still haven’t had sex.”

“I bet we have in your mind.”

“Like we haven’t in yours. Remember, I know what a dirty girl you are, now.”

“This is true. You do inspire some pretty lewd thoughts. In fact, I’m guessing that you’re doing one of my lewd thoughts even as we speak.”

“And what do you think I’m doing?”

“Hmmm whatever could you be doing?”