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Jason had been dodging the woman all night. It felt like a game of cat-and-mouse, and he was the prey.
The whole situation was infuriating . It was bad enough that Bruce was forcing him to go to this stupid fundraising party, but the universe had to add a middle-aged admirer who was doggedly chasing Jason through the whole damn museum. Normally, Jason would have told her to go fuck right off, but Bruce pointed her out as an overly generous donor to half of the charities the Wayne Foundation managed.
So, here he was, hiding behind a voluminous fern in the corner of one of the rooms of the museum, watching the woman snake through the crowd looking for him.
“Who are you hiding from?”
Jason nearly jumped out of his skin as a low, husky voice slid over the back of his neck. Hands balled tight into fists, he turned around to see Raven standing behind him. He vaguely remembered Dick mentioning that she was going to be in attendance for this nightmare party, but hadn’t paid much attention to it. It was some undercover Titan recon blah blah blah. Jason usually tuned Boy Scout out after about two sentences, so he couldn’t exactly remember why he had brought her.
Raven blinked, still waiting for a response from him. She was dressed in a simple, strapless black dress, and her delicate hands were clutching a champagne flute. It looked more like she was trying to fit in with the crowd, rather than actually enjoy the champagne.
“I’m not hiding.” Jason rolled his shoulders, but didn’t pull himself to his full height, or he might have been spotted from behind the fern. Being well over six feet tall did have some disadvantages, especially when he was trying to be inconspicuous. “I’m… avoiding the elder Lady Astoria.”
“Lady Astoria?” Raven smirked, amused by his clever skirting of the truth. “You mean the cougar who’s been prowling behind you for half the night? Looking for the perfect opportunity to make her kill.”
He gave her a flat stare. “You could see I was in distress and yet you didn’t come save me? Some Titan you are.”
Raven chuckled, the sound dark, like a far-off storm gathering along the coast. “I had faith you could control the situation on your own. You are a vigilante in your own right, Jason. You have your insignia on your big boy panties and everything.”
He felt the smile tug at his lips before he could stop it. Cheeky . It was a good look on her. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned down a little more, looking into her eyes. “What are you doing here in the privacy of a potted fern?”
“Too many people.” She waved vaguely at the crowd milling around cocktail tables, the edges of her mouth pulling down into a frown. “I can only take so much interaction before it becomes too much of a burden on my powers and I need to take a break. I don’t imagine anyone here wants to be mingling with a demon intent on causing chaos.”
“Touche.” He gave a one-shouldered shrug. “If it’s too much on your control, then why’d you agree to come with Dick to this?”
“He has some suspicions about a donor… he needed to use my empathic powers to see if there was merit to his fears.”
“It wouldn’t happen to be Lady Astoria, would it?”
Raven laughed again, and Jason felt something warm bloom in the pit of his stomach at the sound. He liked her laugh. He could count his interactions with Raven on two hands, but the few times he was around her, he found he enjoyed her company. She was guarded, but also patient and understanding. And she was clever, which definitely made conversation at least marginally more interesting than most of the people Dick had orbiting in his social circle.
“Unfortunately, no. I’m afraid you’re going to have to handle that fight all on your own.”
“Can’t blame me for trying.”
Raven’s eyes flicked behind him, and Jason suddenly felt a shiver run down his spine. It was like someone had sucked all the heat out of the room.
Oh no.
He could hear the rhythmic clatter of Lady Astoria’s heavy jewelry as she approached Jason’s hiding space. He stood there, desperately trying to think of something - anything - that would have dissuaded her from approaching him. Raven stepped closer to him, her hand outstretched as if she was trying to say something, but he didn’t hear anything. All he knew was that he made a decision.
And, god, was it a dumb one.
Without thinking another sane thought, Jason grabbed Raven’s hand and pulled her tight against him. When he thought about it later, he could have sworn that her heart picked up speed, as if she was eagerly anticipating what was coming next. A half second flashed between them as he gave her a moment to protest, but she seemed just as surprised as he was at this stupid move.
And then Jason leaned in and kissed her .
As his lips touched hers, he could feel her stiffen, as though she wasn’t entirely sure what she was supposed to do at the sudden change of events. Another half second passed between them, and Raven eased into his kiss, the fingers of her free hand tightening into his lapel. She was… kissing him back? He should have thought harder about the fact that she was kissing him back (and with more than just passing interest), but he didn’t. He only kept kissing her. Jason closed his eyes and let himself just feel for a second, his heart nearly stopping in his chest.
She tasted of champagne and there was just a flicker of nervousness clinging to her lips, like she was excited about the thought of kissing him. Ignoring the warning bells ringing in the back of his head, Jason’s arm wrapped around her small waist, pulling her tight against him. She leaned up into his kiss, and it might have been his imagination, but it almost seemed like she was enjoying this. He certainly was, although he would have been stupid to admit that outloud.
Behind him, he heard Lady Astoria’s swift intake of breath, followed by an annoyed huff. He pulled back and stared down at Raven, who fluttered her eyes as if she was clearing a haze of emotion from them. With a frown and a shake of her head, her eyes narrowed into Jason’s face and she mouthed you owe me. She was right, he owed her - big time .
“Mr. Todd.”
Jason felt his muscles tense at the shocked sound of Lady Astoria’s voice, and he turned toward her with a tight, polite smile pulling awkwardly at his lips. “Lady Astoria… I’m so sorry, I didn’t hear you there.”
Her eyes flicked to Raven, who was taking a sip of her champagne and looking off into the side. Jason noted that her cheeks were flushed red and her lips were swollen. There was something genuinely satisfying about seeing calm, cool, collected Raven look so upended. A teasing smirk pulled at the edges of his lips as he watched her, an odd sense of pride tugging at him. So, she wasn’t as closed off to romance as she pretended to be. Interesting.
Lady Astoria stared at Raven for another moment, frowning. “I apologize, I didn’t realize I was interrupting a… moment between you and…” She purposefully trailed off, waiting for Jason or Raven to fill in the details of their relationship.
“Girlfriend, Lady Astoria.” Jason felt Raven glare daggers at him, but a thrilling shiver zipped down his spine at the sound of the word on his lips. Girlfriend. That was an interesting thought. “Miss Roth here is my girlfriend. Raven, this is Lady Astoria, the most generous benefactor of the Wayne Foundation - aside from Bruce, of course.”
Raven’s eyes flicked between them, suddenly realizing why Jason was so careful not to outright rebuff Lady Astoria’s advances. This woman had supported everything from underprivileged youth programs to new parks to animal rescue, and all in the name of the Wayne Foundation. Raven forced a small smile and extended her hand politely.
“Lady Astoria, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Lady Astoria touched Raven’s fingers more out of politeness than actual interest. She turned to Jason, looking somewhat offended. “Mr. Todd, you never told me you had a girlfriend.”
“We try to keep our relationship under wraps, Lady Astoria. Raven is a very private person, and isn’t one to broadcast our… involvement with each other. We don’t want any gossip rags to sink their teeth into our private business.” Jason felt Raven grow more and more tense next to him, and he was pretty sure he was only digging his grave a little deeper with each word. He gave another polite smile, hoping that Raven would find a way to forgive him.
“Ah.” Lady Astoria gave Raven a once-over, as if she was sizing her up. “You look familiar, Raven. Do I know you from somewhere? The yacht club perhaps? Are you a server there?”
Jason could feel Raven bristle at the implication that she was beneath Lady Astoria, and he wondered how much groveling it would take to get Bruce to forgive him for decking the older woman. With near saintly composure, Raven plastered on a saccharine smile and shook her head. “I’m not one for yachts. But I’ve been told I have a familiar face.” She turned and looked up at Jason. “Come on, Jay. You promised to show me around the exhibits.”
Briefly flicking her eyes towards Lady Astoria, Raven lifted herself up on her tip-toes and kissed Jason’s cheek. He blinked a few times, as if he couldn’t believe that Raven kissed him of her own will.
Raven offered another sickly sweet smile to Lady Astoria, as if she’d won a game they were playing. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Lady Astoria. I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of each other around.” With a slight bow of her chin, Raven turned and started walking to the exhibits behind her.
Jason forced out a polite goodbye, and then chased after her. When they were far enough away from a disgruntled Lady Astoria, Jason finally spoke. “What was that about?”
“She’s trying to goad me.” Raven stared at some pottery under bright, museum lights, frowning. “And it worked.”
“She goaded you? ” He gave an incredulous snort. “Into what? Pretending you’re my girlfriend?”
Raven turned and looked up at him, her eyes dark with storms. “I have saved the world countless times. I have enough magic power to destroy universes in my little finger. And she - she -” Raven paused and pointed to the general area where Lady Astoria was. “-had the gall to insinuate that I worked at a damn yacht club. A yacht club . Where rich people and their dumb boats mingle away from the plebeians .”
Her magic snapped at her fingertips, and Raven took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she tried to calm down. After a moment her shoulders dropped and an almost sinister smile spread across her face. “So, I took from her the one thing she wanted.”
With a groaned curse, Jason closed his eyes and dropped his head into his hand. “ Me. ”
“ You. ” Raven gave a nonchalant shrug and moved onto the next case. “A little white lie to put a rich old coot in her place.” She glanced at him from the corner of her eye, smirking. “Besides, you’re a decent kisser.”
That was a surprising admission. “Yeah?” He chuckled. “You’re not so bad yourself.”
Raven turned to face him, her expression suddenly unreadable. “Do you want to continue playing this game, Jason? Do you think it will deter her from making you her sugar baby?”
A shiver ran down his spine. “Are you asking if you want me to pretend that we’re dating for the rest of the night?”
“There are worse things than dating me, I’ve been told.” She glanced up at the ceiling, pretending to think. “Not many things worse than dating me, but a few at least.”
Jason found himself laughing and he crossed his arms over his chest. “So… what? We just go around acting all lovely-dovey with each other, just to rile her up? What happens when she gets upset, and decides to take her donations elsewhere.”
“I don’t think she will.” Raven looked practically devious. “Lady Astoria will try to prove that she is a better love interest for you. She can’t win on age, so she’ll have to show you a different way - by being generous with her heart. And since money is the only way she has to show how generous she really is…”
Jason laughed and leaned back on his heels, letting the pieces click into place. “You think she’s going to donate even more money?”
“Oh, I would bank on it.” Raven glanced over his shoulder and she stepped up to him. “What do you say, Todd? I get to put a rich old lady in her place, you get to spend a night avoiding being hounded by a cougar, and the museum gets a bigger donation for the repatriation of artifacts exhibit. It’s a win-win-win.”
She was devious . Jason felt himself grinning down at her, a small laugh humming in the back of his throat. “I say you have a deal.”
“Good.” Raven hooked her arm through his as they meandered past the other exhibits. “Now, let’s go see if we can bleed a donor dry.”
Jason led her into a busier part of the party, feeling the curious and surprised eyes of his family members follow them. Raven was one of the few people who knew of the Wayne family secret, more because she figured it out herself than anyone told her. But she had proven that she could be trusted over and over again, so it wasn’t entirely strange that she’d be with his family. It was strange that she was being so open with Jason. But… whatever kept Lady Astoria from chasing him around the museum, he was willing to do it.
Besides, Raven was right, there were worse things than pretending to date her.
“Should we set ground rules for the evening?” Raven asked as they approached an empty cocktail table. “No under the clothes touching?”
Jason snorted into the back of his hand and he stared at her. “But over the clothes touching is allowed?”
“Whatever works to sell the bit.” She shrugged. “Besides, didn’t I say you were a decent kisser?”
Jason tried not to preen at the compliment. “No falling in love with each other,” he said with a laugh. “Isn’t that the usual rule?”
“I thought that was a given.” Raven leaned forward, propping her chin up on a hand. There was a teasing glint in her eyes, and Jason found himself smiling. There was something about her that drew him in, and he found he couldn’t pull himself away. He could get lost in her dark eyes and slow smiles, and that was a dangerous thought.
“Mm. So, no under the clothes touching, and no falling in love with each other. Anything else?”
She pretended to think. “No, I think that covers it. Everything else is on the table. Like I said, whatever works to sell it.”
Jason leaned over the small cocktail table and looked into her eyes. “And if I kissed you right now?”
He watched as a faint flush stained her cheeks, but her expression remained otherwise unchanged. She glanced around the open space, as if looking for someone. “Lady Astoria is nowhere in sight… what would be the point?”
Jason shrugged. “Curiosity.”
“You’ve satisfied your curiosity already.” Raven tilted her head to the side. “You’re just trying to tease me.”
“Maybe.”
Raven rolled her eyes and moved to step away from the cocktail table. “Come on, loverboy. I’ve still got my mission from Dick to finish up. Let’s pretend to romantically walk through the exhibits, and you can tease me to your heart’s content.”
Jason found himself laughing as he followed her, his hand taking hers easily. A soft, gentle heat warmed him where they touched, and he could feel the faint edge of her magic spark along his skin. A weird niggling in the back of his mind made him wonder what it would feel like to actually date her. Raven was usually so closed off - and not without reason - but it felt like there something inside her that craved connection like anyone else.
He pushed that thought away to the recesses of his mind as they moved through the museum. It was better not to think about things like that. They spent the rest of the evening wandering through the museum’s exhibits, offering small talk to people around them, and making sure that they were especially affectionate whenever Lady Astoria was in the room. She leaned into the ruse harder than he expected, giving innocent touches and making teasing gestures. Even Jason had to admit that he was almost beginning to believe her, and that was a very dangerous thought.
When the party had ended and most of the guests had left, Raven and Jason were still pressed against a cocktail table nursing their last drinks for the evening, laughing over a terrible joke that someone had butchered earlier. Raven finished the last sip of her third glass of champagne and she glanced around the room, watching people leave. Jason could feel the night starting to come to a close, and part of him felt like he was scrambling for something to hold onto. He didn’t want to let go of this moment just yet, and he didn’t want her to leave. He was having fun.
He sipped at his drink and met her eyes. “Did you learn everything you needed to know for Dick?”
She gave a one-shouldered shrug, the gesture nonchalant. “The donor is a shady asshole, but… nothing technically illegal. Dick’s not going to appreciate or accept that answer, so…” She sighed and gave him a deadpan stare, obviously annoyed by the outcome. “You may see me haunt one of these stupid fundraisers yet again. You know Dick, when he gets something in his head, he’s bound and determined to see it through.”
Jason felt his heart twist in his stomach, anticipation suddenly spilling into his veins. Normally he wouldn’t have cared, but he was finding he actually liked being around her. “Well, if that’s the case then you can save me from Lady Astoria again.”
Raven laughed. “I’ll be more than happy to taunt her any time you want.” She shifted on her feet, as if she wanted to leave, but also didn’t. That was curious.
Jason smirked. “Do you want me to walk you home?”
“Nah, I have a ride coming.” Her fingertips snapped with her black magic, reminding him that she could move through dimensions. “But… thank you for this. I actually had fun?” She sounded amused by that thought. “Which is saying a lot for a Wayne Foundation Fundraiser.”
“That is saying a lot. These things are usually pretty boring.”
“The company made it significantly less boring, so I appreciate it.”
Her eyes searched his face for a long moment, and Jason found the urge to kiss her again rise up into his chest. He wanted to kiss her, not because it would save him from Lady Astoria, but because he liked Raven. He liked the way she laughed, and the way her temper flared. He liked her teasing and occasional low-brow jokes. He liked her smile.
Jason’s hands twitched next to him, and he found his thoughts floating in between . He didn’t know how he was supposed to say goodnight to a girl he had pretended to date all evening, and somehow found himself liking. Raven’s expression softened, as if she could feel the emotional turmoil inside him. And without another word, she leaned up and kissed him. It was soft and gentle, but there was something warm and genuine behind the gesture.
Jason closed his eyes and pulled her close deepening the kiss. His tongue traced her lower lip, tasting the last few drops of champagne clinging to them, and she shivered, her hands pulling at the lapels of his jacket again. Jason’s heart raced as their kiss turned into something deeper and richer, each pass of their mouths stoking a fire that burned like hot coals in the pit of his stomach. They both lost track of time and place, standing there kissing each other until they were both left gasping, their thoughts dizzy.
Finally, Raven pulled away and looked up at him, her lips swollen and her cheeks flushed. Her lips tugged to the side and she smirked. “You sure do know how to show a girl a good time.”
His hand tightened on her hip and he laughed. “ Same .”
With reluctance, Raven stepped out of his embrace and started for the door. “Have a good evening, Jay. I’m sure I’ll see you around.”
“I’ll be here.” He watched her give a half-hearted wave before walking into the night and disappearing into the shadows.
Jason stood there and stared blankly into the night, until he felt Bruce sidle up beside him.
There was a brief pause before Bruce started talking. “What did you do to Lady Astoria?”
Oh, shit. Right. They were trying to antagonize a rich old lady. Jason felt his shoulders tense, wondering if Raven was wrong, and Lady Astoria had withdrawn all her donations. He shoved his hands into his pants pockets, looking over at Bruce. “Nothing she didn’t deserve.”
“Huh.” Bruce let go of a breathy laugh and raised an eyebrow. “She donated three times as much as last year.”
Jason felt the grin pull at his lips. Of course Raven was right.