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"What if we just left?" Dick asks, twirling one of his knives between his fingers as he leans back against Jason's desk.
Jason's head appears around the edge of the privacy screen. He looks adorably ruffled, even as his scent flares with confusion. "What?"
"We could just leave. Take the road out west and cross the sea, back to where I'm from. We could disappear and no one would ever find us." Dick says, keeping his tone light, even though he knows the gravity of what he's asking.
"I- Fuck ." Jason ducks back behind the screen and Dick hears fabric rustling before he reappears in his formal tunics, slightly askew from his hurry to throw them on. "We leave, and what? I let it all fall to Damian? I never see any of them again? Do you know what you ask of me?"
Dick sheaths his knife and steps forward to help him adjust his clothes. "I know what I'm asking. I know what it would mean for you if we left. But what is the other option? You marry that man and spend the rest of your life miserable while I spend every waking moment trying not to rip his throat out for putting his hands on you?"
"You could ask to be reassigned." Jason says, quiet and broken and avoiding Dick's eyes, as though it's the last possible thing he wants.
"You know damn well I would never do that." Dick snaps back before he takes a breath to control his temper and scent. He smooths Jason's collar down, briefly resting a hand over the Wayne crest pendant he always wears, and takes a step back to make sure he hasn't missed anything. "Whatever you choose, I will be with you. Damian is already content in his match with the Kryptonian, and I think we both know he would have no qualms running the kingdom. Leaving is an option you have, I just wanted to make sure you were aware of it."
"I-" Jason stops and swallows thickly. "After the dinner, we'll discuss this further after the dinner."
Dick tips his head in acknowledgement and checks himself over to make sure he's presentable. They're both dressed in the black and silver of House Wayne, though Jason's tunics are far finer to befit his station as the omega crown prince and as a knight Dick is permitted to be armed (though that doesn't stop Jason carrying several knives concealed on his person at all times). He watches as Jason fastens the modesty collar and bracelets over his scent glands, again in silver to fit with the house colours.
"Ready?" Dick asks, resting a hand on the pommel of his sword as he walks towards the door.
Jason takes another deep breath. "As I will ever be."
"Given you asked, I assume you already have a plan for how it would work." Jason murmurs as he runs his fingers over the skin bared through the untied laces of Dick's shirt. "He'd send people after me, you know he would."
Dick hums, not taking his eyes off the ceiling as he traces his fingers along Jason's back over the cotton of his nightshirt. "I know. But I have contacts over there he does not, and the people are not so swayed by the will of kings. We can do or go wherever you wish."
"I-" Jason stops and Dick drags his eyes away from the ceiling as he feels Jason move up onto an arm so he can look Dick in the eyes. "What about Damian?"
Dick brings up a hand and brushes Jason’s curls back behind his ear and out of his eyes. "Given how fond Talia is of you, I do not think she would stop you seeing him in her father's palace, even if we left."
Jason considers him for a long moment, blue eyes rapt on his in a way that would make most others break the gaze. "Very well, when do we leave?"
Dick smiles. "Give me two weeks to make all the necessary preparations."
They leave under the cover of darkness, Jason's Wayne crest pendant left behind on his nightstand, a sign of Jason rebelling against his father's decisions. The dark blue cloak hiding Jason's features helps them pass by the night guards unbothered, they just greet Dick with a tip of their helmet as they pass. Red and Nightwing are waiting for them in a little shed on the edge of town, where Dick hid them two days earlier. He thanks the young pup who kept a watchful eye on the two magnificent animals, leaving the pup with some coin and a little house for the pup and its family.
They ride with all their prized possessions and proviant tied up in the back of the saddles and stick to the treelines, not stopping until they have a good head start and feel safe enough to take a break. Dick ties the horses to a nearby tree, unsaddling them and making sure they have access to the fresh water stream, while Jason spreads out a blanket for them to sit on and eat. As soon as Dick is within reaching distance, Jason yanks him down and kisses him breathless.
They pull apart, still so close that their breaths are entangling and creating... something .
"Dick," Jason breathes, sliding a hand up from where it had grabbed onto Dick's hip to rest on his shoulder.
"Jay," Dick whispers back. His eyes flit to Jason's neck - finally bare of any protective garments - just for a second before staring back into Jason's eyes. Jason pulls him back down and their lips slide together. A light, brief touch, before Dick pulls away again, eyes once again flitting down to Jason's neck.
"Do it," Jason tilts his head back, baring the left side of his neck fully. "Please,"
Dick strikes, greedily sucking on the delicate skin until a vivid mark is left behind, he won’t mate Jason here, not out in the open when it would send them into their mating cycles, but it’s a promise for what is to come.
Dick hands the baker the money for the two pastries he's holding with a smile before turning to walk back towards the inn. He keeps his eyes on his surroundings as he walks, which means he gets the pleasure of someone ripping down more of the missing and wanted posters that have appeared overnight. He wonders how long it will take Bruce to realise that bounties from overseas mean nothing in this side of the world. (Part of him wonders if it is just Bruce's way of showing that man he promised Jason to that he is doing something to try and find them, because there is no way that someone with experience in Nanda Parbat doesn't know that only hired mercenaries would undertake a bounty like that).
He pushes the inn door open and nods towards the inn keep before heading upstairs and unlocking the door to their quarters. He shuts it behind him as quietly as he can so as not to wake the other occupant.
Jason is sprawled half on his front, one hand under the pillow and his curls all over the place, and the covers are bunched around his waist, showing off the full expanse of his back, and the semi-healed mating bite that covers the bruise Dick gave him in promise the week before. The sight makes Dick want to climb right back in bed with him; they might have spent years sleeping in the same bed together, but Jason had always been insistent on keeping them both modest and clothed in case something were to happen that required their immediate attention. Since they left though, he's been more than happy to shed the responsibilities and customs he was raised in.
Dick sheds his cloak, boots and weapons and walks over to the bed, depositing the pastries on the side table as he climbs back onto the bed. He skims his fingers over the skin of Jason's ribs and presses his lips to the back of his shoulder, which earns him a shiver and a slight groan as it begins to pull Jason out of his sleep. He kisses his way up Jason's shoulder to his mating bite as Jason stretches out and turns completely onto his front so he can see Dick over his shoulder.
"Good morning." Dick murmurs as he presses a kiss to Jason's temple. "I've bought breakfast."
"Pastries?" Jason asks, finally blinking his eyes open.
Dick hums. "The honey ones you like so much."
"I love you, you know that." Jason says with a smile as he pushes himself up and runs a hand through his curls.
"Yes, I do." Dick says, matching the smile as he reaches for the bag on the side table and hands Jason one of the pastries. "Which is a good thing, considering I love you too."
Dick lets the calm wash over him; they’ll have to move further north soon, find somewhere to truly settle and start building their own life together, but for now, this is enough.