Chapter Text
5. I won’t watch you die again.
It was all over the news. It had been for hours.
Bruce Wayne had been shot.
Dick had been just climbing the last of the stairs to his condo after physical therapy when his cell phone had chimed. He had spoken with Maggie before he was turning around and heading back down.
Apparently, Mr. Wayne was asking for him.
Which made no sense.
He may have known the man briefly as a kid, but other than the one visit to his office after graduation Dick hadn’t spared much of a thought for the billionaire or his family. Over the years he had purposefully avoided the press and tabloid, not caring in the least about The Prince of Gotham or his sons.
So that begged the question, why was Bruce Wayne asking for him to come see him just after waking from surgery?
“Aren’t you sick of this place yet, Grayson?”
The two officers at the entrance to the wing were known to him: Walters and Quentin from the 33rd. He offered them a wry grin as he approached. “On my salary, Walters? No way I can afford a room in Old Gotham General. For my convalescent needs I reserve a room at St. Augustine’s.”
Quentin, a man not much older than Dick and sporting a shaved crew cut, snorted, and crossed his arms over his chest. “No shit. Wayne takes one piddly little slug in the leg and the pussy closes off an entire floor for himself.”
The cringe on his face must have shown as both men frowned and looked apologetic. Quentin ran a hand over his head, embarrassed at his comment. “Sorry, Grayson. I have never been shot at let alone shot so I have no right saying shit like that.”
“Forget it.” He waved off the man’s apology and tucked his hands into his jacket. “And the guys downstairs told me it was his son that had the wing isolated, not Wayne himself.”
Walters, a man at least a decade older with a bald head and dark skin, nodded. “He was there when the old man was hit, and nurses were telling me he was tearing through this place like a man possessed. He arranged to have all the patients already on the wing moved to private rooms on another floor and apparently will be paying their hospital bills. Then he was vetting the doctor’s and nurses while he had their personal physician driven in. No one was allowed near Wayne without his son’s say so.”
“That, my friends, is the power of money.” Grayson shook his head and gestured past them. “It’s also why I am here instead of vegging out on my sofa with a beer and Chinese. Gotham’s Prince has summoned me and, like a good little subject, here I am.”
The two chuckled and Quentin pushed the door open for him. “I’m sure the Commissioner issuing the summons had nothing to do with it either. She told us on her way out half an hour ago to expect you. I think they’re the door directly across from the nurses’ station.”
“Thanks.” He passed by them. “And hey, I’d like to see you try saying no to Commissioner Sawyer some time.”
“She’s not our mother.” Walters gave him a little wave as the door swung shut behind him.
The hall was too calm for a hospital, in his opinion, but that was to be expected considering there was only one patient currently within a hundred yards. The handful of nurses at the station were talking quietly with a silver haired man and woman, both appearing to be in their late sixties. The man was tall and well groomed, impeccably dressed in a perfectly tailored three-piece suit. The woman’s hair was cut in a practical pixie cut and wearing minimal makeup, comfortably dressed in a set of scrubs and the standard white doctor’s coat.
The man glanced Dick’s way as he walked nearer and excused himself from the medical staff. “Officer Grayson, thank you for joining us.” He offered his hand when the two stood a few feet apart.
“You’re welcome.” He accepted the hand and they shook cordially. “Though, to be honest, I’m not entirely sure why I am here, Mr. …?”
“Pennyworth, sir; Mr. Wayne’s major-domo. As to why you are here?” He gestured to the room right across the hall with the closed door and curtains drawn around the windows. “Perhaps it would be best to allow Mr. Wayne to answer your questions.”
He bobbed his head in agreement and fell into step behind the man. With a light rap of knuckles against the door, Mr. Pennyworth pushed the door open minutely. “Pardon the interruption, Master Bruce, Master Timothy. Officer Grayson is here as you’ve requested.”
“Thank you, Alfred.” The voice was the same baritone timber he remembered from his few memories of the man, but the image of Bruce Wayne he had in his mind was not the same as the man laying in the hospital bed before him.
Bruce was pasty and pale, dark hair a stark contrast to his skin, and his deep-blue eyes shone with pain and pain relievers. Beneath the blanket he could see the thick bandages encompassing the man’s right thigh and Dick felt a sympathetic ghost of pain from his own left leg. There were several IVs attached to his arm, and a nasal canula secured beneath his nose – which meant the man had lost enough blood that it wasn’t carrying the oxygen he needed throughout his body.
Standing next to Wayne was a young man, maybe six or seven years younger than Dick. He was tall, and lean, but with the suit jacket removed and draped over a nearby chair Dick could recognize the well maintain muscles of the arms and chest beneath the thin white dress shirt. His hair was a shade darker than Wayne’s and gelled into a professional style he had seen Jason wear a time or two. The younger man’s eyes were a lighter blue but older than they appeared as he took the few steps toward Dick with his hand held out in greeting.
“I’m Timothy Wayne, Officer Grayson.”
He shook the hand while he thought of everything he knew about Wayne’s youngest son. It wasn’t a lot. Only that he was adopted a few years prior and was taking the business world by storm. “It’s good to meet you, Mr. Wayne.” It felt odd calling someone so visibly younger than himself Mister, and by the smile the other man now wore he felt the same.
“Tim, please, or Mr. Drake if you’re more comfortable with formality. This one there, is Mr. Wayne.” The poked his thumb in the direction of the man in the bed and quickly returned to his spot next to his father’s side.
“How are you feeling, Mr. Wayne?” He asked politely when he came to stand at the foot of the bed, his hand clasped lightly together behind his back.
“All things considered? It could be worse.” The older man shifted on the mattress and with Tim’s help was sitting more comfortably for the upcoming conversation. “Tim, can you give us the room please?”
The young executive glanced at Dick before looking back at his father. “Are you sure about this, Bruce? JT is not going to be happy.”
“Your brother’s not going to have a say in the matter.” The weariness in the man’s voice was not something one would expect Bruce Wayne to show in front of a relative strange, and apparently the youngest Wayne agreed if his expression was anything to go by.
Still, Tim nodded and grabbed his suit jacket from the chair and headed for the door. “I’ll wait downstairs for JT. His flight landed thirty-five minutes ago so, he should be here soon. It was nice to meet you, Officer Grayson.”
As soon as Tim was gone and the door shut again, Bruce motioned to the chair next to his bed. “It’s good to see you again, Dick. It’s been a few years and I’d been thinking of reaching out to you for the past few month, to be honest.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, Mr. Wayne, why?” He moved to the chair and sat rigidly on the edge of the seat. He only did so because he remembered all too well how uncomfortable it became looking up at everyone all the time.
“It wasn’t too long ago that you were in this very same position.” He answered compassionately. “And when I spoke with Commissioner Sawyer – your mother earlier today we talked about you. She told me about the spat of bad luck you’ve had yourself lately.
He held back a scoff of derision at that, but it was a near thing. The past ten months had been a hell of a lot more than a spat of bad luck. Unsure of what to say he cleared his throat at the discomfort he felt under the man’s scrutiny. “You could say that. But I’m sure commiserating over similar traumatic events in not why you asked me here.”
“It’s not.” Wayne admitted and sighed. “The GCPD has been made aware of threats to myself and Timothy the past few days. While not uncommon, the details of these threats have given credence to the situation. Pictures of myself and Timothy in our offices, in meetings, about town; thankfully never at our home. My eldest, JT, has been out of the country and we thought safe from targeting until we received images just prior to my shooting. They were of my son as he boarded the plane in Hong Kong last night, and another of him sleeping on the plane in flight.”
“Someone was on the plane with your son, and you believe whoever is making these threats will use your incapacitation to make a move against one if not both of your children.” Dick deduced grimly. “If GCPD has been alerted to the situation and the threat against your sons, I still don’t understand why I’m here.”
“We still have no idea as to who they are.” Wayne admitted with a frown. “They had me wounded when they could have killed me.”
“Meaning they want something from you.” Dick leaned forward with his elbows on his knees and met the man’s eyes. “This was a play to prove the seriousness of their threats, of what they are willing to do to get what they want. A promise of what they would do to your sons if you did not cooperate.”
Bruce grimly nodded in agreement. “Which is why my boys need to be protected. Timothy leaves for Metropolis this evening and he has friends arriving this afternoon to escort him there. He will be well taken care of.”
“You oldest is just getting back to the country.” Dick acknowledge with a frown of his own. “And you would not have worried him with this unless you were certain the threat was real.”
“Which I was not until there was a hole in my leg and JT was already halfway home.” Wayne admitted with a sigh. “So, he would have been unaware of the situation until the officers the Commissioner sent approached him upon his arrival less than an hour ago.”
“You want me to protect your son.” Dick concluded with a shake of his head. “I have been on medical leave for several months, Mr. Wayne.”
“I was informed of your status but the Commissioner assured me you were more than physically capable of what I’m asking for. I believe she was planning on reactivating you on a limited capacity until the situation has been dealt with.” Wayne sighed. “And there were other factors that played into my request for you specifically.”
It was true, he would be physically capable. His shoulder no longer gave him problems, the micro-fractures in his feet had healed, and his chest x-rays had been clear this past week even if he still got a little winded if he pushed it too far. The final four weeks of his mandated leave would be geared more to ensure his mental health than his physical.
What grated on his nerves, however, was that he was essentially not being given a choice. The decision had apparently already been made between Mr. Wayne and his boss’s boss, though he would be speaking with her about not consulting with his Captain or him as she would have any other officer. But then Mr. Wayne’s last statement replayed in his mind and had him arching an eyebrow curiously. “And what exactly are those factors, Mr. Wayne?”
“Three days! I left you and the replacement alone for three days!” The familiar voice preceded the body that burst through the door, causing Dick to feel as if he was falling through the floor. “And I come home to a police escort and – Dick?”
Jason Todd stood in the doorway, briefcase in hand and with a poleaxed expression as he stared at the man sitting next to his father.
His father.
Jason Todd.
JT.
JT Wayne.
And then Dick felt as if everything shifted and suddenly the world was very different. He rose, surprisingly steady, from his seat and when he spoke his voice was calm if lacking any true feeling. “I believe I understand those factors now, Mr. Wayne. I’ll wait outside while you catch you son up on what’s happened.”
He couldn’t help but notice the wince that crossed Jason’s – no, JT’s face. He didn’t want it to affect him, but the reality was that it did. It hurt.
A lot.
“Dick.” Bruce called out to him, but he didn’t stop as he walked to the door.
He was passing by JT, deftly walking around him and out the door when the younger man reached out and placed a hesitant hand on his arm. “I can explain.”
“I’m sure you’ll try.” Dick couldn’t bring himself to look at JT as he carefully extracted his arm. “See to your father, Mr. Wayne.”
The stillness of the corridor was not welcomed. Dick wanted noise, and loud, and anything to drown out the myriad of thoughts racing through his head. Jason Todd was JT Wayne, eldest son of the richest man on the planet. And for months the man had been lying to him. Blatantly and repeatedly to his face.
Walking down the hall toward the window at the end, he drew out his cell phone and sent a text to Maggie. **You couldn’t talk to me first?**
Her response came seconds later. **You wouldn’t have agreed.**
**The pretense of being given the option would have been appreciated.**
**Noted. Walters and Quentin have extra gear in their shop. Take what you need, lock him down. And for god’s sake, protect yourself.**
**Yes Ma’am.**
“Officer Grayson?” The youngest Wayne’s voice was quiet but confident from behind him.
Dick looked to the teen and pocketed his phone. “What can I do for you, Tim?”
“It’s not an easy thing, making friends when our father is who he is.” The youngest Wayne ran a hand through his hair, looking at the cityscape rather than the man beside him. “Most of the time we have to wear the masks and costumes of who we’re expected to be. Timothy Wayne instead of just Tim; JT not Jason. When we get the chance to just be ourselves, we tend to selfishly hang on to that longer than we should.”
“I know a little something about having an influential parent.” Dick sighed unintentionally. “And about the public expectations that come with that.”
“Then you should understand why he hadn’t told you before.” Tim glanced at him from the corner of his eyes before turning back to the view outside the window. “Dating is hard enough, but with Bruce Wayne as your father? How do we know who is genuinely interested or just taking their shot at the billionaire’s sons?”
“We’re not dating.” He interjected automatically, then cringed at how petulant he sounded.
“Not technically.” Tim agreed with a half smile. “I know Jay asked you out a while ago, he was all but giddy while bragging about it to Bruce and me right after he had. But then you’ve been hurt, in the hospital where only family was allowed to see you for the longest time.”
Dick felt a twitch of his own lips when he remembered the couple of times Jason had snuck into his ICU room to visit after he’d been shot, and again after the Firefly incident. Apparently, the man’s little brother wasn’t aware of that fact as Tim continued speaking.
“He’s wanted to tell you for a while now, but there really hasn’t been an opportune moment.” Seeing Dick’s incredulous expression, he pressed on. “Not that this is exactly ideal either, but Bruce likes to meddle.”
“Tim.” Jason’s voice interrupted the pair and they turned to face the man as he approached them. His face was impassive, and he stopped a few feet from the window. “Bruce wants to go over the details of your meetings in Metropolis tomorrow. Are Conner and Cassie still planning to drive up to get you tonight?
“I think they were flying.” The other Wayne corrected as he pushed moved away from the window. “I’m meeting them at the Manor just before six.”
Jason gripped his younger brother’s shoulder as he passed. “Have them pick you up here. Until we know what’s going on, you go no where on your own. Especially at night.”
Tim looked back at Dick before putting his hand over Jason’s and squeezed affectionately. “Same goes for you, Jay. Call me later.”
A moment later it was just the two of them and Dick cleared his throat. “Are you staying here for a while, Mr. Wayne?”
Jason flinched at the form of address, his fist tightening around the handle of the briefcase he still carried. “Dick-”
“If you’ll remain in the room with your family,” he interrupted professionally. He would deal with the thoughts and feelings racing through his head later when he didn’t have a job to do. “I have equipment to procure from the officers downstairs and then I’ve been instructed by my superiors to get you to a secured location as soon as possible.”
Several seconds passed in heavy silence before Jason sighed and shook his head. “Bruce was already fighting the pain meds and will be out soon. But he was able to make his position explicitly clear in this matter. I’m to take these documents back to Wayne Tower then remain in the penthouse there until he is released from the hospital. My understanding is that you’re with me until told otherwise.”
“That’s correct.” Dick motioned for the other man to precede him as they started back toward the exit.
The air around them was strained. Dick had them pause briefly and collected a second set of keys from Walters. A few minutes later they were standing in the underground parking, Jason tucked inside the back of Walters’ and Quentin’s shop while Dick took the extra equipment from the back. Without a word between them, he helped Jason into a tactical vest before donning one for himself. He equipped a handgun and shoulder harness to his torso, a second sidearm on his ankle, and a taser on his belt. He stowed two spare magazines of ammunition on his gear belt as well as a collapsible hardened baton.
“Is it weird that I find that incredibly hot?” Jason asked from the backseat, watching intently as Dick geared up.
Dick rolled his eyes as he signed the logbook beneath a list of the items he took. “My car is in the lot outside.” He informed his charge while he took a hand-held radio and closed the hatch. “Less than fifty yards from the building but I want you to stay in front of me at all times, head down.”
“Is this really necessary?” Jason climbed out of the backseat and closed the door behind him. “I’ve been threatened before and never needed a bodyguard.”
“Had your father been shot before?” He replied flatly as he gave Jason his jacket to wear over the vest. Frowning, Jason accepted it without another word. “Let’s go. I want you in that penthouse within the next thirty minutes.”
They didn’t speak again as the exited the parking structure and out into the setting sun. Dick was tense as they quickly walked away form the building and across the open lot. He kept one hand on Jason’s shoulder and his eyes constantly looking around. Even when they reached his Chevy Cruz and were safely pulling away from the hospital he didn’t relax.
“Are you going to ignore me the entire time?” Jason questioned a few blocks later, his palm holding up his head while his elbow leaned against the ledge of the passenger door. “Because if you are, this may be the worst date ever.”
“This isn’t a date!” Dick snapped, effortlessly steering the sedan through traffic.
“I am aware, but at least you’re not ignoring me.” Jason sighed and stared out the side window. “I should have told you sooner.”
He clenched his teeth, focussing on the other vehicles rather than his passenger. “Now is not the time, Wayne.”
“Jason.” He sighed again then motioned to an upcoming street. “Turn there and I can get us into the Executive Parkade beneath Wayne Tower. There’s an express elevator to the higher floors. The only access to the penthouse is through Bruce’s office on the seventy-fifth floor.”
Dick knew he was being petty, but he kept silent as he followed the directions Jason gave him. After inputting the code for the parkade, it didn’t take long for him to navigate through the aisles to an empty stall with a plaque bearing the name ‘JT Wayne’. He wanted to frown at the reminder but kept it in check as he exited the car first. He felt Jason’s eyes on him as he walked around the car, carefully taking in everything around them. There were still a lot of expensive looking cars in the parking structure despite the lateness in the day. After a moment, and satisfied they were alone in the immediate area, he opened the door for the eldest of the Wayne children and followed him toward the nearby elevator.
“How many people will be in the building still?” He asked as Jason opened a covered keypad next to the elevator doors and entered a sequence of numbers.
“Most of the general staff will have left about an hour ago.” He answered while they waited for the elevator car to descend. “Many of the upper management and members of the board don’t leave before eight or nine. Even then, the building never really empties. Between the cleaners and the people burning the midnight oil, there can easily be a couple dozen people inside pretty much every night.”
“And who all has access to this elevator and upper floors?” Dick kept scanning their surroundings.
“The Executive elevator runs directly from here to the sixtieth floor without stop, which will take about three minutes.” Jason explained as he leaned against the concrete wall. “The general elevators stop at all floors between the first and sixtieth. There’s a reception and security desk between that and a second set of elevators that will have access to the executive floors. Visitors are given a key card that corresponds to a single floor. The highest anyone without the last name of Wayne can go is the seventy-fifth. Bruce’s office is there and it’s through there we’ll use the private elevator up to the penthouse on the seventy-seventh. It’s sealed with biometrics keyed to Bruce, Tim, Alfred, and me. Once we get into the elevator, I’ll input a code ensures this car will not stop until it reaches the seventy-fifth floor. It’s programmed to slow down around the sixtieth, so we’re going to be stuck in there for about four minutes.”
Dick nodded his understanding and the pair stood there silently until the doors slid open with a chime. They entered the car, and Jason stepped over to the operating panel, put the briefcase he still carried onto the floor, and once again entered a series of digits instead of just pressing a corresponding floor. The doors closed and a moment later the car began its smooth ascent into the tower. He moved to the far corner of the car and leaned against the wall, the handrail pressing into his back. He tried not to react to Jason’s unwavering stare and kept his arms crossed over his chest. This was the first time he had been alone with Jason since he’d been released from the hospital after the Firefly incident. And even then, nurses and orderlies had never been far away.
“So, scale of one to ten, how mad are you?”
He looked up into Jason’s verdant eyes and shook his head. “I’m not mad.”
Jason seemed to be examining his face before he spoke again. “You’re mad.”
“I’m not mad.” He insisted wearily. “I get it, JT-”
“Jason.” The other man snapped with a frown. “With you I was never JT.”
“Are you sure about that?” Dick couldn’t help but snap back. “You’ve been lying to me for months-”
“I never lied.” Jason asserted. “Nothing I ever said to you was a lie.”
“No? What about your name?”
“Jason Todd.”
“Wayne.”
“A technicality!” He threw his hands up in the air, his exasperation plain on his face. “I told you I was adopted by my foster father and that I rarely used his last name as my own. I just never told you he was Bruce Fucking Wayne!”
“And I get it!” Dick said with a frown of his own. “But you’ve got to give me time to process all this. Not only are you JT Wayne – which seriously, I get why you didn’t say anything – but now you’re family’s being threatened and I’m supposed to be protecting you until they catch the guys who shot your father who, by the way, just happens to be Bruce Fucking Wayne!”
“And that’s a problem?”
“It is when all I want to do is this.” A single long stride had him across the floor. Dick stepped into the younger man's space, pressed him against the wall, and melded their mouths together. Jason's eyes were wide with surprise but then a second passed and he was returning the kiss with a passion equal to Dick's.
The kiss was hard, demanding, lips and teeth clashing together as they fought for dominance. Dick’s hands were flat on the wall on either side of Jason’s head, his body keeping the taller man pinned. Jason didn't seem to object as his hands grabbed onto Dick's hips and tried to pull him closer. Heat flooded through him when their pelvises touched, and their cocks were rubbing against the other.
Eventually they parted for air, gasping and panting, and their eyes met. Dick could not prevent the smirk that played across his lips at the stunned expression his companion wore. "Is this all right, Jason?" he asked breathlessly.
Jason’s brow wrinkled in consideration then he gave a little frown. "It's against regulations for an officer on protection detail to be in such a compromising position with the protectee, isn’t it?”
Dick swallowed hard and nodded, letting his hands drop away from the wall as he went to step back. He was not prepared for the world to spin as he was suddenly turned and his back thudded against the wall. Jason’s body was flush against his, the man's larger frame trapping him there.
“This is a more suitable position, don’t you think?” Jason smirked before his mouth was on Dick’s again, heavy and commanding. The lips parted, tongues dancing together as if they had done this a hundred times before. Dick mimicked Jason’s earlier action and grabbed onto the bigger man’s waist, drawing him as close as he could. Their hips thrust together, and the purring of Dick’s desire was changing to a full-out roar of want.
Neither man was expecting the jolt of the elevator car as it suddenly started slowing down. Jason would have stumbled to the floor if Dick hadn’t already been holding on to him, and nearly a half minute later they came to a complete stop. Their arousal’s quickly fading, Dick looked over to the control panel. “What happened?”
“We’ve been stopped.” The other man answered incredulously as he pulled away. “Between floors I’d guess since the door aren’t opening.”
“How’s that possible?” Dick drew the revolver from its holster and thumbed the safety off, careful to keep his finger clear of the trigger for now.
“I have no idea.” Jason started pulling open the panel to get a closer look of the controls. He slammed his hand against the emergency button, but no alarm sounded. He didn’t bother with the call button and both he and Dick quickly withdrew their smartphones. Jason shook his head a second later. “No service.”
“Me neither.” Dick unclipped the radio from his belt, but wasn’t surprised to see no light indicating transmission, even when he adjusted the frequency. He looked up to Jason and shook his head. “Talk to me.”
“Unless we want to climb out of the emergency hatch above your head,” He motioned to the trap door. “We’re stuck”
“Chances this is a mechanical issue and not a manmade situation?”
The car shuddered and started to creep its way downward again and Jason gave him a look that did not bode well for them. “None.”
“How long would it take to get that hatch open?”
“Too long.”
“Right.” Dick grabbed Jason away from the panel and pulled him into the opposite corner next to the door. Using his own body to shield the other man, his back to Jason’s chest, he shifted his finger to hover over the trigger. “You listen to me and I’ll get you out of this. Trust me.”
“With my life.”
Dick chuckled grimly as the elevator finally stopped. “No pressure there.”
The doors opened silently and even without being able to see them Dick could feel the men standing outside on the other side. There were a few seconds of silence before a worryingly familiar voice called out to them.
“We don’t want to hurt you, Grayson. We just want Wayne.”
“Fuck!” Dick hissed before stealing himself and twisting to take a quick glance out the door. He ducked back a second later just as several warning shots chipped into the wall opposite the open door. “What was that about not wanting to hurt me, Quentin?”
“Friends of yours?” Jason’s breath was warm against his ear, and he knew the words wouldn’t be heard beyond the pair of them.
“They’re cops.” Grayson whispered back. “Four of them.”
“Just letting you know how serious we are.” Quentin’s voice came again sounding almost bored. “We’re getting paid a lot to deliver, Grayson, and killing you wasn’t supposed to be part of the deal. I’d really like to avoid that if we can. I don’t suppose you’d be interested in a cut? Send out Junior and I’ll personally deposit twenty grand into your account before we leave the building.”
“I didn’t see Walters out here with you. Your partner getting a cut to look the other way?” Dick called out in response, his mind desperately trying to plan a way out. He could try shooting their way out, but the numbers were definitely stacked against them.
“Walters is shiny, just like you.” Quentin said dryly. “I had to duck out suddenly when my ‘folks’ called with an emergency at their place across town.”
“Flimsy, Quentin.”
“But effective.” Quentin responded. “So, here’s our dilemma. You’re a good shot, Grayson. Quick. But then so are we. How many of us do you think you can take out before we get in there and put you down?”
“What if I went with you willingly?”
Jason’s voice startled him, and he turned his head to glare at the man he was spectacularly failing to protect. “What do you think you’re doing?” He hissed lowly.
“Saving your life.” Jason glared right back and tried to step out from behind him.
Dick twisted around and pinned him in place. “Are you insane?” He growled. “You go out there-”
“You don’t get shot.” The intensity in the man’s green eyes was shocking. “I won’t watch you die again.”
Won’t watch him…? Again?
Confusion stilled his protests as he took in Jason’s steeled expression.
“Are you finished?” Quentin called into the resulting silence. “Mr. Wayne – may I call you JT? – if you surrender yourself to me and my friends, I can promise you we won’t touch a hair on Grayson’s head. We’re all planning on retiring in a non extradition country by this time tomorrow, so it’s really no matter if he’s alive.”
“You think I’m going to let him do that, Quentin?” Grayson snarled, staring hard into Jason’s eyes, and trying to understand the change he was seeing in the man. It was subtle, and if he hadn’t been so close, he probably would have missed the tensing of the jaw or the fire now burning in those emerald eyes.
A clatter of metal sounded on the floor behind him and he looked down at the pair of regulation cuffs lying in the center of car. “Sixty seconds before we come in to get you, Wayne. Grayson won’t be breathing if we have to.”
“Don’t be stupid!” Dick hissed, his body moving to keep Jason in place when he tried to step around him.
“And don’t be stubborn!” Jason whispered back harshly. “I go with them you stay alive to come after me. With you in this elevator they have to take me down to the sixtieth to get me out of the building. That’ll give you about ninety seconds to get to me.”
Dick opened his mouth to protest again but Jason silenced him with a searing kiss. Using his distraction, the larger man spun their positions and had Dick wedged into the corner before he could stop it. “I’m trusting you with my life, Dick.”
Jason stepped back and into the open.
“Very good, JT.” Quentin crowed with satisfaction and Dick flinched when a trio of laser sites appeared on Jason’s neck above the edge of the tactical vest he wore. “Toss everything out, Grayson. Phone, keys, weapons, everything from the list you so thoughtfully left in my shop.”
“Goddamn it, Jason.” Dick growled impotently. “All right!” He bellowed at his fellow officers when a fourth laser site shone on Jason’s forehead.
Thumbing the safety back on he crouched and set the revolver on the floor before sliding it out of the elevator. He kept his eyes locked on Jason’s as he removed the back up piece from his ankle, the gear belt around his waist, and the tactical vest on his torso. One by one he slid them out of reach.
“That’s all of it.” He spat.
“I thought you’d try to keep something.” Quentin admitted with a chuckle. “Come out where we can see you, Grayson.”
Jason held up his hand to stop Dick before he could move. He looked away from Dick, toward the men holding him at gunpoint. “You swear you won’t hurt him?”
“Honestly, I doubt you’ll believe anything I say, but I we’re not going to hurt him unless he forces our hand.” Quentin assured him. “You can stay between him and us; secure him with the cuffs to the handrail and we’ll be on our way.”
Jason looked down at the restraints and slowly picked them up. The red dots steady on Jason’s vulnerable spots kept Dick from further hesitation and he stepped out next to the other man. Without a word, he held his hands out.
The larger man snapped one of the gleaming rings around his left wrist before guiding him toward the railing at the back of the car. Jason weaved the chain links around the slat of wood and fastened Dick’s other hand in place. A peculiar expression was on Jason’s face as the two looked at one another.
“I promised myself the next time I put you in handcuffs it would be for something a lot more fun that the first two times.” Jason’s voice was pitched lower than normal, his words hushed and only audible to Dick. It was a tone of voice Dick had heard twice now and his stomach twisted as the pieces fell into place. Jason lightly pressed his lips to Dick’s stunned mouth as footsteps suddenly approached them. “Ninety seconds, Grayson. Your turn to save my life.”
Wide-eyed, Dick could only jerk against the shackles – carefully schooling his features and movement when he felt how loose the handcuff was on his right arm – as Jason was dragged away from him and out of the elevator car. Quentin was standing there with a smirk of victory while he casually held a gun in his palm and Jason’s hands were cuffed behind his back.
One officer picked up all of Dick’s discarded gear and took the lead. The other two held on to Jason’s arms and dragged him down the corridor toward the stairs. Quentin was still wearing the smug expression when he entered the elevator and picked up the forgotten briefcase. He stepped into Dick’s personal space and pressed the barrel of the gun against his temple.
“You son of a bitch!” Jason’s voice roared through the hall and Dick glanced over to see him fighting against the grips on his arms as he was manhandled into the stairwell. “You kill him you won’t make it out of the city let alone the country!” The door shut but did nothing to diminish Jason’s yells.
Quentin was still staring at him when Dick looked back, but the smugness was gone. He looked uncertain though the hold on his weapon didn’t waver. “I should kill you.”
“Probably.” Dick agreed with a vicious sneer. “But you would have shot me from a distance if you were going to.”
“I’m not a killer.” Quentin defended himself as he drew back and holstered his revolver.
“But I am.” Dick promised with a look that had the man cringing and hurrying to the stairwell.
As soon as the man was gone, Dick wasted no time slipped his right hand free of the metal. Letting the restraints dangle from his left wrist he was bolting out of the stalled elevator and toward the stairs. He pulled to door open carefully and peered through the crack. The square staircase had eight steps going up and down the four walls with a small landing in each corner. There was no movement going up, and Quentin’s head was just disappearing around the ledge. He stepped out into the stairwell, closing the door silently behind him, and tried to time Quentin’s descent.
Dick was only going to have one shot at this.
Pausing for only a few seconds, Dick exploded into motion. He planted his hands on the railing directly in front of him and leaped. His body sored over the metal rail and across the plunging gap in the center. He fell a dozen feet before his hands wrapped around the rail opposite and an entire floor down. He planted the balls of his feet on the concrete of the stairs themselves and pushed, reversing the direction of his momentum, and vaulted over the rail. He twisted his body, bringing his feet to collide with the side of Quentin’s head.
His fellow officer gave a shout of surprise at Dick’s sudden appearance, but it was stifled quickly between the blow to the head and the force with which he hit the concrete wall. The briefcase clattered down the few steps to the next landing and Quentin slid boneless down the stairs after it. Dick slowed long enough to take the pair of cuffs from Quentin’s gear belt and use them to secure the unconscious man to the metal rail. He relieved the other man of his revolver and taser and jumped down to the next landing.
Below he could hear the muffled sounds of a scuffle and glanced over the edge. He could see shadows a few flights below and continuing to move down the stairwell. He tucked the pistol into the back waistband of his jeans and readied the taser in his left hand. Without hesitation, he repeated his previous action and leapt over the railing.
He allowed his body to fall two stories before reaching out with his right hand and grabbing onto the opposite rail and placing his feet again on the concrete to stop his fall. He felt something pull in his shoulder but buried the sudden pain as he fired off the taser. The prongs stabbed into the man in the lead’s face and electricity sent him convulsing to the stairs.
The gun was pulled from his waistband as he was hurdling over the rail and onto the stairs above the remaining men and their captive. He had the safety off and his finger over the trigger as he pointed at them and growled, “Let him go.”
Dick had never heard himself sound like that – enraged and animalistic – but seeing the rapidly bruising mark on Jason’s cheek, and the thick strip of tape one of them had gagged him with, was enough to have him seeing red. He took two steps down toward them and the last of the would-be kidnappers quickly let go of Jason’s arms, allowing the younger man to meet Dick half way up the stairs.
Guiding him with a gentle hand, Dick maneuvered Jason to the step behind him and motioned to the two cops with the gun in his hand. “On your knees, face the wall, hands on your heads.”
They complied and Dick was on them in an instant. He used the handle of the gun to strike them both on the back of their heads, rendering them unconscious. He could feel Jason watching him as he searched through their gear belts and tactical vest, divesting them of all weapons and keys. He used the handcuff key he found to free himself from the restraint and then used it secure one of the men. He found a second set of cuffs on the other and in seconds both men were cuffed back to back, their arms hooked together.
He glanced at the still twitching man that had slid down to the next landing when a hand entered his vision with an open set of cuffs in the palm. Dick looked up at Jason who had – somewhat unsurprisingly – freed himself from his own restraints and peeled the tape from his mouth. “Thought you might like to use these.”
The last dirty cop was unconscious from the taser and his trip down the stairs and Dick had him locked with the cuffs to the rail quickly. Taking a few seconds to regain his breath, and to start feeling the pain in his shoulder, he motioned for Jason to join him and they walked the few stairs to sit on the next landing. Silence hovered around the pair, Dick massaging gently at the growing stiffness in his shoulder. Even when he opened his mouth to talk, he realized he didn’t know what to say and closed it again.
They sat like that for nearly a full minute before Jason finally pulled out his phone from the pocket of the jacket he was wearing. “We’ve got service again.”
Dick looked up at the closest man unconscious on the landing above them. “I think he’s got my phone.”
Jason chuckled and sent off a text. “I’ve let building security know they were played; they would have had to give these guys access to the upper floors. They’ll get a team up here in a few minutes.”
With an absent nod, he continued to stare at the blank wall in front of them. After another near minute of quiet, he ultimately gathered his thoughts to speak. “That was you who broke into my condo.”
The apparent vigilante beside him didn’t answer right away, but after a few seconds his guilt-ridden whisper came. “Yeah.”
“And at the club.”
“… yeah.”
“Fuck.” The spot on the wall his was staring at went out of focus and he scrubbed a hand over his mouth and chin. “And I thought you being JT Wayne was hard to process.”
“I think they’re using all the cuffs if you planned on arresting me.” Jason stated flatly.
Dick couldn’t stop the almost hysterical laugh that passed his lips. His hands came up to cover his eyes and he allowed himself to lean back until he was laying on the cold concrete beneath them. “I couldn’t even if I wanted to. I talked to the DA and had all those charges dropped a week ago.”
“Wait, what?” The sound of Jason’s incredulity had Dick opening his eyes and looking up at the man that was staring at him in bewilderment. “Why would you do that? You didn’t know-”
“No, I didn’t know it was you until just now.” Dick admitted with an amused smirk. “But I did know that that guy was only doing what he thought he had to. Maggie showed me the report about the ‘Pay-to-Play Club’ and while I’m not thrilled with being kidnapped and locked in a trunk, I get why he did it. Then the bastard had to go and save my life two more times and, well, I sort of felt like I owed him.”
“Well, fuck!” Jason exclaimed, his eyes finding the spot Dick had been staring at and locking on to it himself. “I think I need a minute to process that. Huh, not that long. I am, unsurprisingly, okay with that. Now I just really want to drag you up to the penthouse and spend all night fucking.”
Dick laughed heartily and reached up with his uninjured arm, grabbed onto the sleeve of Jason’s jacket, and pulled him down. Jason caught himself with one hand on the concrete next to Dick’s head and their faces were barely an inch apart. They both moved to close the distance. Their mouths slatted together perfectly, their tongues tangling and pulsing against one another. Dick felt his body arch into the feel of Jason’s free hand coming to rest against his hip and he fisted his hand tighter in the fabric of the jacket. His other hand reached up instinctively, and he allowed his fingers to weave through the satiny strands of dark hair.
A breathless mewl of frustration escaped him when Jason pulled away several long seconds later. He let his forehead rest against Dick’s as they both breathed heavily. “Are you good with all this?”
Dick peppered a light kiss to the corner of Jason’s mouth. “There will be conversations to be had, apologies to be heard, and decisions to be made. But what I’ve been feeling for you is not something I’m willing to ignore just because I’ve learned exactly who your father is and what you like to do in your spare time.”
“Talking. I can do that.” Jason lifted his head to gaze down at Dick with a playfully worried expression on his face. “But tomorrow, right? Because, you know…”
“Fucking.” Dick tightened the fingers wrapped in Jason’s hair and pulled their faces together, murmuring against the other man’s lips. “Lots of fucking.”