Chapter Text
“Come on Jaybird or we’ll only get there next year” Roy said as he leaned against the wall of the hotel room in front of the closed bathroom door where Jason was getting ready.
This mission had gone much better than the duo had expected. Everything had been smooth from A to Z, the drug bust had been a big success, and neither Jason nor Roy had sustained any big injuries. Sure, there was the occasional bruise and cut scattered here and there, but the point was that not one of them had been shot or stabbed, and that was a big win in itself.
They had been work partners for a little bit now, both getting accustomed to one another - on more than just the professional, guns for hire level. These two had formed an unlikely friendship that not many had seen coming. No one had thought that Jason Todd, second Robin, left for dead after being beaten up by the Joker and resuscitated in the hellish waters of a Lazarus pit, and Roy Harper, former sidekick of Green Arrow who had turned to drugs and alcoholism to cope, would become such great buddies after just a couple of jobs together. But what had happened had happened, and no one had complained.
Their friendship was, to say the least, unusual. Jason had taken a little bit to warm up to his partner and trust him enough for them to be deemed friends. Roy, on his side, had put a lot of trust into Jason on the first time they had worked together, and he had had a tough time seeing his friendship unreciprocated for what had felt like years and years (even if it had really just been a couple of months).
“Patience is a virtue, Harper” a voice replied from the bathroom, slightly muffled by the walls and door before it opened on Jason’s figure. The raven-haired male rolled up the sleeves of his light grey blazer, adjusted the luxurious looking watch on his wrist and stopped in front of the wall mirror to brush through his hair and get it just the way he wanted it to be, combing the white streak to the right with his fingers.
Through the mirror, azure eyes crossed emerald eyes, both pairs staring into one another’s gaze for an uncomfortably long moment. It was almost as if time had stopped, the ticking of the clock on the wall above Jason’s bed ceasing, at least to them. Jason and Roy could practically read each other through their eyes. After all, were eyes not the mirror of the soul? After what seemed like forever, the ticktock resumed as both men broke eye contact at the same moment, the lightest of blush spreading across the freckles on the ginger’s face.
“Are you really going to leave dressed like this?” Jason talked, breaking the silence that weighted heavy in the room.
“What do you mean, ‘ this’? ” Roy retorted, his brows knitted together. “Do you have a problem with my clothes?” he added, crossing his arms over his torso like a child pouting his parents after being told ‘no’.
Jason snorted mockingly and turned around to look at his friend, moving his hands up and down towards Roy, gesturing to his beige, knee lengths shorts and his palm tree printed button-up shirt. “I don’t even think you can call these clothes, Roy. Looks like a uniform for a white, suburban dad” Jason scoffed, tucking one hand into his black jeans.
“I am a dad, Jaybird” Roy replied, his head slightly cocked to the side, looking over his friend, not even trying to hide where his eyes were peering. It was almost normal at that point. “What do you recommend then, Mr. Fashionista?” the ginger quickly added, sarcasm lingering in his voice.
Jason sneered at ‘fashionista’ and very lightly shook his head. He almost replied ‘You should wear nothing’ but the words never crossed his lips. It was a thought he would keep to himself and he’d very surely never talk about it. Or he thought.
“You could at least tame that mane of yours. Maybe then you’ll at least look a little bit more presentable” the raven replied instead, soon being rewarded with a seemingly insulted noise coming from his ginger buddy.
“Fine,” Roy replied, taking off his grey cap and putting it down on the bed before he quickly pulled locks of red hair into a half clean, half messy man bun in the nape of his neck. His hat quickly found its way back on his head. “Better?” the man questioned once he was combed to his liking, a small grin lingering on his lips.
“Sure,” Jason answered with a click of his tongue. Whether that sound was to show approval or disapproval was a mystery, but Roy took it as a win either way. The younger man glanced down at his wrist, checking his watch. “We can go now. The limo should be waiting for us in front of the hotel” he added and Roy rose a brow.
“You got us a limo? Really? Just how much money do you actually have?” the ginger replied, slightly surprised.
“Don’t ask” was the only thing Jason muttered as he headed out of the hotel room, followed closely by his friend. As promised, a black limousine was waiting for them once they had exited the building.
“You know, Jaybird, we could have just called a taxi” Roy said once he was comfortably seated inside of the luxurious car.
“We could have, indeed. But where’s the fun in that? Didn’t you want to celebrate the closure of this mission, open quotes ‘the right way, by having a lot of motherfucking fun’, close quotes?” Jason retorted with one brow slightly raised, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth.
Roy only groaned in answer, defeated, causing his friend’s smirk to grow in a matter of seconds, even making the raven-haired man chuckle slightly in victory. It was like a deep rumble in his chest that made Roy’s heart flutter. The ginger rarely had the chance to hear Jason chuckle, so he cherished whenever he got to hear that melody.
It did not take long for the two heroes to find their way into a crowded nightclub, elbowing their way to the bar first. Roy leaned forward on the counter and ordered a cocktail, extra strong, while Jason stood up straight and asked for an Old-Fashioned, which had the ginger laughing softly. “Didn’t know you were the kind of guy to enjoy Old-Fashioned” he mocked.
The younger man took a long and slow sip of his alcohol, nodding his head to the pinkish drink Roy was thirstily indulging in. “And I didn’t know you were the kind of man to enjoy a Sex on the Beach” Jason replied, his face very serious.
The ginger choked on his sip, coughing quietly. He cleared his throat after a few seconds and let out a hum. “One point for you” he replied quietlyn before he went back to gulping the liquid in his glass, soon finding himself ordering another cocktail, then another one, and another one.
Jason was usually the voice of reason for the both of them, but he had decided to have fun tonight, because why not? The job was done, he had nothing to worry about and there were plenty of pretty girls trying to grab his attention. The raven found himself downing his drinks at the same pace as his friend. Not even an hour in and empty glasses littered the bar in front of them as they giggled drunkenly at god knew what.
Roy found himself on his feet soon enough, standing somewhat straight. Some wild strands of red hair had escaped the rubber band and framed his face, cheeks reddened by the alcohol running in his veins. Jason’s skin wore the same color, simply less evident given his darker skin tone. A wide grin was spread across Roy’s face, a slight haze in his eyes as he held out one hand to his younger friend.
“Would you gimme the honour of coming to dance with me?” the ginger asked, the words slightly slurred as they left his lips. Jason stared at the open hand that waited in front of him. Even in his drunken state he hesitated to accept this simple invitation. An annoying voice in the back of his head was screeching at him, telling him that it was a bad idea. Warning him that, in that state, he could say things he was trying to keep under lock. Under many, many locks. But god knew alcohol was able to loosen even the tightest and most secure of locks.
The younger man hastily poured the last sip of alcohol from his glass in his mouth, enjoying the tingle in the back of his throat for a short moment. His eyes looked once again at Roy’s hand, and Jason decided to shut the irritating alarm inside of his skull as he finally accepted to take the offer, sliding his hand into Roy’s as he stood up. “Sure. Less’ go” he responded just as the raven felt himself being dragged into the crowd.
The people were packed tightly on the dancefloor, bodies moving to the rhythm of the deafening music that played over the speakers of the club. It was almost as if everything was roaring in the men’s ears as they found a space big enough for their two selves to be able to move comfortably without hitting anyone in the process.
It didn’t take a minute that Roy was already dancing, swaying to the rhythm of the cacophonous music that rang in his and Jason’s ears. And while the older man was waltzing happily, the younger man was rather stiff, despite the alcohol in his blood system. Roy noticed quickly enough that his friend was not really enjoying himself, or at least was a little too awkward to be able to.
The ginger grinned a little and took a step closer to his friend, grabbing both of his hands and making Jason start moving with him, slowly at first, almost as if he was testing the waters. Roy still knew to be careful with Jason, perfectly aware that the raven could clock him anytime. But it never came, and the younger man slowly but surely started to follow Roy’s lead.
Jason seemed unsure as he swayed, his muscles still slightly tensed as Roy guided him. It was as if the world around them was fading, leaving only them and the music on the dancefloor. Two bodies moving in a drunken unison, soft smiles plastered on their faces as they simply enjoyed themselves. The music, as loud as it was, almost seemed like an echo in the back of their minds.
Twenty-two, he doesn't drink but he needs to
Let loose, he doesn't know what he wants but
I do, and I give into the moment
Hmm, hey
Sweat pearled on their foreheads as hands slowly started exploring. It was light, almost innocent as Roy’s hands found Jason’s waist, holding it ever so gently, not wanting to frighten him or drive him away. The ginger would have probably never done that, but he was largely encouraged by the alcohol clouding his mind and the strange ecstasy that dancing alongside his best friend brought him. It was a bold move, mostly for a man who was trying so badly to hide his feelings.
Hold tight, says he wants to come over
And I'll try, try to keep my composure
But I might, say something that I mean
Yeah
Roy felt his cheeks turn bright red as Jason’s arms snaked around his neck, the younger man’s body inching closer. The ginger’s heart skipped a beat, trying to stay relaxed. Their faces were so close to one another that their noses almost touched. Jason smelled of tobacco, sweat and cologne and Roy took it in fully, also taking the time to let his trail the every line of Jason’s face, from his messy black curls covering his forehead, passing by his crooked nose, contorted after being broken so many time and to his lips, that just seemed to be waiting for something…
It's the last thing I remember, the first thing that I saw
I thought you had surrendered, and you don't pick up my calls
But I know, that you felt it, and I felt it
When you were there, you were there, you were dancing next to me
Roy wasn’t the only one staring; Jason was too. It was obvious and the ginger would have certainly noticed the intense ogling if he had not been doing the exact same thing. The tension between them was so heavy you could have cut it with a knife.
Then, in a sudden -drunken- momentum, Roy leaned forward and broke the couple inches that separated his face from Jason’s. The ginger was ready to break away any second, certain that the feelings he had been hiding for months now were not reciprocated. To say that Roy was surprised when the other man did not run away immediately and instead returned the kiss was a flagrant understatement.
Jason was just as surprised as Roy when he felt lips crash on his own. One part of his brain was blaring an alarm, desperately trying to tell him to pull away, trying to tell him that he could not be kissing his best friend right now, that this could not and mostly should not be happening . But there was also this other voice, gently whispering in his ear that he should keep going, that he should lean deeper into the kiss because he had been wanting this for a while, hadn’t he? Hadn’t Jason contemplated the thought that he liked his friend for a long time now? Hadn’t he had the confession sitting at the tip of his tongue many, many times, deciding against it and swallowing his words back every single time? Wasn’t this exactly what he had been craving ?
The raven ignored the buzzer in his head and slowly ran a hand at the back of Roy’s skull, fingers fidgeting with his loosened hair tie before he pulled it away, feeling Roy’s untamed locks brushing against the skin of his fingers. The older man gasped softly, tongue brushing tenderly on Jason’s bottom lip, asking for entrance, which he was quickly given. Ensued a wild, almost feverish mouth-tango, a rapid choreography of tongues, teeth and hitched breaths. Hands moved, explored, snaking their way under shirts, traveling on skin, scars and muscles. Each caress sent chills down their spines, gradually pushing their body closer until they were pressed into one another, two, frantic men desperately aching for a touch, aching for love .
Slow down, those aren't the words that I wanted
From your mouth, from your lips that I just kissed
One more shot, but I need two
One last touch, and I want you
You were there, you were there, you were dancing next to me
Of course, they were both human, so it wasn’t long before bloodflow migrated down south. And when Roy felt most than just his tight pants, he found the will to pull away. His lips were slightly swollen, his cheeks as red as a very ripe tomato and his eyes sparkling with so many different feelings. Jason had pretty much the same look.
“Let’s take this back to our room, whatcha think ‘bout that Jaybird?” Roy whispered in Jason’s ears, his lips brushing against the sensible skin. Jason had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep himself silent, nodding slightly in answer. Roy pulled away and flashed him a grin, suddenly stealing a much shorter, yet just as amazing kiss before both boys left the club and made it back to the hotel.
The rest of the night had been even more of a fever dream. More kisses, more caresses and even some words neither of them had ever thought they’d say. Clothes taken off in the blink of an eye, even ripped off, for some. But in the morning, all that was left of this heavenly night was a bedframe still happy to be standing, a couple of faint marks on their skin and a throbbing headache.
Roy couldn’t say he was surprised to find his bed empty the next morning. That did not mean that he was not disappointed or slightly saddened, but at least he was not surprised. Jason was probably back in his room, taking a shower or maybe even reading a book. The only thing Roy was hoping for was that his friend -could he still call him a friend after that night?- was not having regrets. Because that would be heartbreaking. Even downright crushing for him.
It was a good thing Roy was used to heartbreaks.
It's the last thing I remember, the first thing that I saw
I thought you had surrendered, and you don't pick up my calls
But I know, that you felt it, and I felt it
When you were there, you were there, you were dancing next to me
Jason, upon waking up and getting flashes of the night before, had froze, not knowing what to think, not knowing what to feel. He couldn’t believe he had fucked his best friend. That couldn’t be true, it couldn’t have happened. But Roy’s naked figure sprawled across the white sheets and the general mess in the room told the raven otherwise. He had indeed slept with his best friend, and there was nothing he could do to undo it. There was nothing he could do to try and repress the messy ball of feelings that was crawling in his throat, now freed from the tight safe it had been a prisoner from in Jason’s brain. So he had done the first thing he could have thought about : running away. He had dressed in a haste and left the room before the ginger would have woken up. It was a dick move, a real dick move , but in Jason’s mind it was the best option. Run away and never talk about it again, like if it had never happened.
Jason was packing when he heard soft knocks on his door. He knew who it was, and he gulped, his throat suddenly feeling very tight. More knocks could be heard before the door creaked open.
“Jaybird?” Roy inquired, stepping one feet in the room.
“I don’t want to talk about it” Jason quickly replied as he closed his suitcase and zipped it up, taking it off from the bed.
“But -” Roy tried to add, cut off as Jason shot him a glare that would certainly make Bruce proud.
“I said I didn’t want to talk about it, Roy” Jason almost growled as he grabbed his phone from the bedside table, glanced at the time and tucked it in his pocket. “My plane’s gonna be here soon. Good work on the mission, Harper” were the last words Jason spoke before he exited the room, leaving Roy standing there by himself, his mouth opened, as if he was going to say something.
Roy felt painful spikes in his throat when he swallowed, biting the inside of his cheek as he tried to tuck back in his emotions, whether they were good or bad. He should have never kissed Jason, never have brought him in his room. But mostly, he should have never confessed his feelings. Because perhaps Jason didn’t remember it, but Roy remembered whispering those three words in the raven’s ear, he remembered moaning it, screaming it, hell, he probably sang it too at some point.
The ginger stood there for god knew how long before he finally walked back to his room, his movements mechanical as he packed. He had no idea when he’d see Jason again, but he knew it surely would not be anytime soon. And he knew this night would soon only be a distant memory, a fever dream both would try to bury very, very deep.
I was yours for the weekend, come sunrise it's time
For you to dodge your feelings, call your girl to deny
What we know is the truth, you were who you wanted to be
When you were there, you were there, you were dancing next to me
And as Jason boarded his flight and Roy sat on the stool of a bar, all they could think about was how they danced together.
Yeah, dancing next to me
Yeah, you were dancing next to me
Yeah, you were dancing next to me
You were there, you were there
Yeah, you were dancing next to me