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“My father used to take me here when I was a boy,” Bruce settles into the worn leather of the booth, the red starkly contrasting his all-black attire. His hand fingering a rip in the red leather, “and then Dick and I would come here after a tough night, it only seemed right to bring you here now.” Bruce raises his eyes to look at the fourteen-year-old before him, Jason giving him a warm smile back before gazing over the menu.
“What did he order?” Jason raises his eyes, “your dad. What would he have ordered?”
Bruce leans back with a small smile, “Well Mom would have wanted him to have the oatmeal with a cup of tea and fresh fruit on the side. But Dad would have ordered the cinnamon roll pancakes with a side of bacon and coffee.”
“Then that’s what I’m gonna order,” Jason closes his menu and sits up, “sounds delicious.”
“Hi there, have you decided what you’d like, I’ll be your server this evening,” you hold the pencil tightly in your hand, before looking up from your pad.
Jason stops fidgeting, his eyes widening as he takes in your uniform, the pale pink dress and white apron doing nothing to flatter under the fluorescents but from the look on his face, he’s seen an angel. You can feel the heat spread across your face but quickly look down at your pad, “if you need more time I can come back.”
“No,” the boy shouts, “please don’t go.” Your head snaps up to look at him, greenish blue eyes greet you and you can’t help but get lost looking at them.
Bruce looks between the two awkward teens, before clearing his throat, “I’ll have the cinnamon roll pancakes, with a side of bacon and black coffee.”
His words snap you out of the daze as you quickly jot down the order. “Got it, what about you?” you look up through the fake lashes you put on this afternoon in an attempt to look older, the glue still staining your fingertips.
“I’ll have the same,” he closes the menu, looking at your nametag before softly saying your name, “That’s a beautiful name.”
“Thank you,” you reach for the menu, dropping it when your hands graze and an electric shock runs up your arm. “Shit,” you drop to pick them up when you see the boy before you help pick them off the floor, “thank you,” you whisper taking them from his outstretched hands.
“Jason,” he holds out a hand to help you up, the same zing shooting up your arm when your hands meet, “Jason Todd.”
“Thank you, Jason,” you take a step back, holding the menus to your chest, “I’ll be back in a moment with your drinks.”
He nods, his eyes tinged pink as he slides back into the booth. “Girl!” the boss shouts making you jump, “get a move on!”
“Coming,” you shout, quickly moving around the restaurant and refilling drinks before grabbing the coffee pot and rushing back to the table, flipping the mugs and filling them with the sludge.
Jason takes a sip before grimacing, he quickly tries to cover with a smile, “That’s perfect.”
It makes you giggle and a smile spreads across his cheeks, “Try it with cream and sugar, it’s not perfect, but it’s much better.”
He nods, reaching for the cream and sugar and she notes how he makes it, two creams and four sugars, boy has a sweet tooth. “Ahh, that’s much better,” he closes his eyes leaning back in the booth, “thank you.”
“Happy to help, your food will be up soon,” you smile, turning back to the others before the bell rings signaling out an order for pickup. Hal’s Diner is surprisingly busy for a Wednesday morning at 2 AM and it keeps you on your toes. You can’t help glancing at the father-son duo in the corner, quietly chatting over their cups of coffee.
“Order up,” Cookie shouts from the kitchen, “double cinnamon roll pancakes with two sides of bacon!” You rush to pick up the order before one of the runners, grabbing it a second before Veronica does.
“Who lit your ass on fire tonight?” Veronica puts her hands on her hips, “you trying to show off for Bruce Wayne? Hoping he’ll adopt you like one of his other street rats?”
“What are you talking about?” you grab the food and put it on the tray.
“You really don’t know nothing, kid,” she shakes her head, “you’ve been serving a billionaire all night and had no idea.”
“I don’t care about any of that,” you shake your head, “doesn’t change anything.” She laughs incredulously, and you move around her to the table putting down the food. “Two cinnamon roll pancakes with a side of bacon.”
“Wow,” Jason licks his lips, “this looks fantastic.” Without your knowledge, you lick your lips watching him before Bruce coughs gaining your attention.
“Thank you,” Bruce nods, “can I get some more coffee when you get a chance?”
“Absolutely,” you grab the pot off the warmer and refill their mugs before grabbing the extra cream and sugar from your pocket and putting them before Jason. “Enjoy your meal,” you write the total on the pad and turn it over on the table, “I’ll be your cashier when you’re ready, no rush.”
“Thanks,” Jason swallows hard, jolting slightly when Bruce gives him an easy kick to the leg, “before you go though, would you…maybe want to join me next time?”
You blink, before a soft smile crosses your face, “I would really like that,” you write your number on the pad, “text me?”
“I will,” he pulls out his phone, the latest model, and quickly punches in the number before shooting off a quick text, the phone buzzing in your pocket. “That’s me,” he grins, putting the phone face down on the table.
“Got it,” you pull the old flip phone out of your pocket, saving his contact, “see you around, Jason Todd.” You smile, turning back and pocketing the phone before your boss sees.
“See ya,” he puts his head in his hand and watches you walk away. Bruce gives him a nudge pointing down at the food before him and he takes bites in between watching you walk around the different tables.
“Time to get going,” Bruce pulls cash out of his wallet, far beyond what the bill says before standing, “we got to get back out to patrol.”
“One second,” Jason stands, “I’ll meet you outside.”
Bruce nods, going towards the door and out into the pouring rain of the early morning. Jason walks to the counter and hands over the check and payment quickly cutting you off when you begin to protest about the number of bills in your hands. “Trust me, he can afford it. But what I really wanted to say is...can you text me when you leave and get home?”
“It’s not going to be for another two hours,” you wrap your hands around your waist, “I don’t want to bother you.”
“You won’t,” he shakes his head, “I’ll be more concerned not knowing if you got home safe. Gotham isn’t safe, especially at night.”
“Okay,” you nod, “I’ll text you.”
“Thanks,” he looks left and right before quickly leaning across the counter and placing a kiss on your cheek, “see ya around Doll.”
Ten Years Later
You brush the tear sliding down your cheek and look at the plate full of cinnamon roll pancakes, a side of bacon off to your right. The phone before you is newer but far from the newest model, all the extra funds going into the Diner, an impulse buy when it came up for sale, two years ago. The last memory you have of him, is Jason kissing you against the walk-in freezer door before he left for a trip with his father.
You open the phone, glancing down at the text, the last one he ever sent,
I miss you, I’ll be home soon. I have something important to tell you when I get back. Wait for me, Doll. - J
You put the phone face down on the table, letting the tears splash onto the table. “It’s been eight years, and I’m waiting J, right where you left me,” you whisper, putting a hand to your aching chest, “and I still feel lost without you.”