Public Stunt
Jason stared at his phone screen, his expression a mixture of disbelief and murderous intent. “What kind of fuckery is this??” he hissed, scrolling through headlines plastered all over social media. Photos of Roy carrying him while he was asleep were everywhere, and to make matters worse—there were countless shots of Roy kissing his face. Repeatedly.
“Even going as far as to kiss my face,” he could feel the warmth rising up his ears. “All while I’m asleep. In public.”
Flabbergasted, he didn’t know whether he wanted to chuck Roy out of a 70ft building or if he wanted this man blacklisted in every country. Possibly both.
His eyebrow twitched up when he noticed multiple comments and posts mentioning a “certain angle” of the incident that was mysteriously erased from the internet with no trace left behind. “What the fuck are they talking about?” he grumbled under his breath, trying to figure out what people were losing their minds over. As much as he wanted to track down the source, it only made his blood boil more that he couldn’t find it.
Roy, who had been wailing as he was forced to sit on his heels, crumbled dramatically onto Jason’s bedroom floor, clearly trying to nurse his back. “I can’t do this anymore!”
Jason narrowed his eyes and delivered a swift kick to Roy’s cramping leg. “Hey, asshole. What else did you do while I was asleep? I wanna know what the fuck people are losing it over.”
“Nothing that you already know!” Roy groaned in defeat, dragging himself out of Jason’s kick radius.
Jason arched an eyebrow. “Didn’t know you were the type to pull bullshit straight out of Dick’s playbook.” He crossed his arms. “And here I thought you hated his flashiness.”
“I do!” Roy protested.
“Doesn’t seem like it,” Jason shot back, deadpan.
Roy paused, looking genuinely offended. “…Huh.”
“You’re trying way too hard.”
“Well, yeah!” Roy threw his hands up in exasperation. “We gotta fake this relationship for Bruce, man. The whole city’s been buzzing over it ever since your confession—we might as well go all in.”
Jason blinked. “Wait… what?”
“It was a backup plan,” Roy explained, wobbling as he got to his knees, his legs clearly still cramping. “So it’d seem more believable for Bruce, too. You know—a public stunt.”
Jason froze.
…Oh.
…Oh.
The words hit him harder than a crowbar. His chest tightened, and suddenly it was hard to breathe. This is just a public stunt? For Bruce?
It shouldn’t have hurt. Jason had told himself this whole thing was fake. But somewhere along the way, it had started to feel real. The quiet moments, the easy touches—it had all chipped away at Jason’s carefully built defenses.
But now that he thought about it, they had always been like this. The gestures he’s now giving meaning to had always been casual.
Upon the realization, it felt like someone had driven a stake through his chest. Holy shit, is my face red??
Without thinking, Jason bolted. “I HAVE A CASE!”
He jumped out the bedroom window in a blur, ignoring Roy’s startled shout. "Jason, what the hell?!" Roy’s yell echoed through the Manor–attracting the rest of the nosey assholes, at least the ones who weren’t already eavesdropping.
"Oh my god, did he just throw himself out the window?" Dick cackled as he pushed the door open. Eavesdropper number 1.
Tim’s muffled voice chimed in from somewhere nearby. “Five bucks says he lands in the hedges again.” Eavesdropper number 2.
Steph added gleefully, "Make it ten if he comes back with thorns all over himself." Eavesdropper number 3.
Roy stumbled to the window, his face a mixture of confusion and panic. "Jason, come back! What are you—?" He paused, groaning as he saw Jason get on his bike and started driving away. “Oh what the hell.”
“WHAT THE HELL!” Jason roared as he sent a criminal flying with his punch. “Why!”
The criminals on the receiving end looked like they'd just seen the Grim Reaper—if the Reaper wore a muzzle and a questionable sleeveless red jacket . RedHood wasn’t even using weapons. Just pure, raw, unadulterated fury.
“Fucker’s playing with me!” He yelled as he slammed his hand on a newly built railing, making it collapse in a single it.
The railing collapsed instantly.
“Aw, come on!” one thug wailed. “We just put that up!”
Upon seeing RedHood’s twitching eye and seething rage, most of the criminals decided to just shut their eyes and accept their fate like condemned men. If you can’t beat Red Hood, you might as well minimize the dental bill.
But one guy—clearly desperate—decided he wasn’t losing his teeth tonight. He ratted out immediately . Also because he was underpaid.
An hour later, Jason was standing in front of the head of the drug trade, whose face was battered and swollen, looking like he could enter a Darth Sidius look-alike competition. Jason slammed the guy’s head into his desk with a satisfying thud.
“Fuck! Why are you extra pissed today?” the guy wheezed.
“Fuck you mean?” Jason glared. But his threat went nowhere as the guy’s eyes were swollen–black and blue from Jason’s punches.
“Your anger is that of a teen who just got dumped–”
WHACK
In a blink, Jason’s fist crashed into the man’s forehead, adding yet another bruise to the already impressive collection. The man slumped unconscious in his chair, and Jason wasted no time tying him up for the cops to find.
“Asshole,” Jason muttered, wiping his hands on the guy’s shirt. The insult stung more than it should’ve. Mostly because it was true. He was acting like a hormonal teen.
“This can’t be real,” Jason sighed, stalking toward the nearest window for his escape. “This isn’t real…”
But fate wasn’t on his side tonight. He misjudged his grip on the grappling hook, and gravity decided to teach him a lesson—dumping him into an alley trash bin with a loud crash.
“Fuck!”
It wasn’t fair. None of it.
“I should be rational,” Jason muttered, dragging himself out of the dumpster. “This isn’t love. I’ve just been comfortable around someone for the first time in forever, and my brain’s short-circuiting.”
It was like a flip had been switched. In a second, all the fluttery feelings he thought he was feeling were gone. Besides, he didn’t think that he’d actually deserve being in a relationship. It was a far-fetched dream.
And he was used to being so close yet so far from his dreams.
He shouldn’t be surprised. Why would he? The world has proven itself time and time again that he’s not meant for stability.
Embarrassed and flushed, he slowly made his way out of the bin and patted himself down. Conscious of his state, he started smelling himself and yes, he smelled like shit. “Oh ew,” he groaned as he started making his way to his closest hideouts, but before he could take even 10 steps, teenage girls started arguing not too far from him.
“Oh my god!!” a blonde girl yelled. “You like her! I knew you were fucking gay!”
The brunette hushed her friend with her hand, almost seeming like a kidnapping. “Shut the fuck up!”
But her best friend was unrelenting–afterall, it’s a best-friend’s job to be the most annoying prick alive. “So, what are you gonna do?”
“Die, duh??”
Jason took a step back, almost pondering. “But I already died though…” It was stupid. But he was seriously listening in on teenage girls struggling with love.
“C’mon, girl! I’m being fucking serious!”
The brunette looked defeated, scrunching her eyebrows before biting her lip. “I’m going to say it outright!”
“Yeah, no,” Jason thought, shaking his head as he made sure that he was still hidden from their view. “I’m never going to do anything like that.”
“Yeah right!” The blonde girl spat with indignation.
“Fine! I’m going to make her fall for me cuz she made me fall for her!” She proudly said with a huff. “I’m going to make her admit it!”
Raising an eyebrow, Jason leaned on a wall as he crossed his arms. “Hmm, that’s funny for sure,” he hummed in amusement until he realized just what he had been doing.
Listening in on teens? That’s new. And weird. Pluus, why was I in agreement with what she said last??
After letting out a long and heavy sigh, Roy’s name popped up on his phone with a message that read: “Time for a fake date! 💕🎯👨❤️👨.”
Jason groaned as he stuffed his phone back into his pocket and trudged toward his hideout. After a long, much-needed shower, he stood in front of his closet and grabbed the first items within reach. The outfit turned out surprisingly good. Not that he noticed.
“Yeah, this ain’t it,” he muttered to himself as he walked down the still bright streets, oblivious to how pedestrians broke their necks trying to sneak glances at him. His shoulders strained against his shirt, and his damp hair clung to his face in a way that added to his undeniable charisma. "Guess I outgrew some of my clothes…"
He tugged at his leather jacket, trying to take it off without shredding it. RIP.
“Shit.” Jason glared at the torn sleeve. One of his favorites too. And it only got worse when the cold air hit him, drawing attention to how suffocated his chest was by his tight shirt.
“Oh…” he muttered, glancing down at the straining fabric. It was a miracle the shirt hadn’t combusted on the spot–it had reminded him how his button once scoped Roy perfectly in his eye.
Couples nearby were in serious danger of breaking up as their significant others blatantly ogled him. Some onlookers already had their phones out, shamelessly snapping pictures.
Jason winced. “You’ve gotta be kidding me—”
Before he could finish his sentence, the familiar vroom of a bike caught his attention. Roy skidded to a dramatic stop, leaned over, and without a word, yanked Jason by the waist and hauled him onto the bike.
“Another public stunt?” Jason huffed as Roy revved the engine and peeled out of the area.
“Perhaps.”
“How’d you even know where I was?” Jason asked, narrowing his eyes.
“Guess,” Roy snickered, but there was a tone that Jason wasn’t all that familiar with.
Jason whipped out his phone and nearly dropped it. Social media was on fire. Gotham’s Edgy Prince Tight Shirt Scandal! was trending, complete with endless posts featuring photos of him unintentionally flexing like he was in a thirst trap. Even the Gotham news had picked it up.
Jason buried his face in his hands. “Oh what the fuck?”
“You survived the Lazarus Pit. You’ll be fine,” Roy quipped.
Jason merely closed his eyes and leaned on Roy’s back, fighting back his thumping heart. “We gotta escape that marriage talk somehow.”
Already ahead of you,” Roy chuckled. “We barely even started da— fake dating.”
Feeling a tug on his heart, Jason let out a sigh. “Yeah…”
Roy grinned. “We barely started the fake dating and already caused a public spectacle. We’re nailing it.”
Jason groaned. "I'm never gonna live this down."
"Probably not," Roy agreed cheerfully.
“So,” Jason exhaled heavily. “Where are we going?”
Roy let out a small laugh and patted Jason’s hands, which were wrapped around his waist. “Well, I gotta thank you somehow for helping me with Lian.”
“You really don’t need to,” Jason declared. “I like spending time with her.”
Roy's eyes gleamed. “So… you’re considering moving in with us?”
“Perhaps.” Jason answered weakly, fingers clinging to Roy’s shirt like it was a lifeline. “Now give me your jacket. I’m fucking freezing. ”
Jason’s breath fogged in the air as they parked the bike near Times Square. Neon lights flashed overhead, and the city buzzed with chaotic energy. Jason blinked at the sheer noise and spectacle.
“ Jesus. You really brought us to New York?” Jason scoffed, shivering. “Thank god I ripped your jacket off you, or I’d be frozen by now.”
Roy pouted dramatically, leaning on Jason with exaggerated offense. “I’m not that mean! The spare jacket I got for you just happened to fall off before I reached you.”
“I ain’t hearing your excuses.”
“It’s not an excuse!” Roy protested.
They were barely in the city for five minutes and already bantering like an old married couple. Naturally, they drew a few amused glances from passersby. As they walked through the crowded streets, Jason noticed a group of tourists whispering and pointing at them.
“Oh, hell no.” He glared at Roy. “Tell me we’re not trending in New York now too.”
Roy smirked. “Wouldn't rule it out.”
Jason sighed. “Fake dating was a terrible idea.”
“Nah, it’s the best idea,” Roy said with a wink. “Admit it—you're having fun.”
Jason begrudgingly grunted. "Shut up."
"You love it."
“…Shut up, ” Jason grumbled, slapping Roy’s back hard enough to make him wince. The impact earned a chorus of “Ooohs!” and “Yikes!” from onlookers—mostly from husbands who were promptly smacked by their wives for laughing too loud.
Roy grabbed Jason’s hand as they started walking down the brightly lit streets. “Don’t wanna ask why I brought you here?” he asked, tugging Jason along.
Confused, Jason raised his brow and placed a hand on his hip. “Fine, I’ll play along for you. Why are we here?”
Roy answered with a small, sincere smile that warmed Jason’s heart despite himself. “I’m planning to move here with Lian… and you. If you’re still up for the idea of living together.”
Jason was stunned. Tongue-tied. He didn’t know how to respond. For once, someone outside his ‘family’ wants him in their life. Including him in their future plans.
“You two might grow to hate me,” Jason laughed sarcastically, feeling as if his heart was being stabbed with a knife. However, Roy merely tightened his grip on Jason’s hand and pulled him closer. “You wish,” he said with a hearty laugh. “Me and Lian are like leeches—we won’t let go!”
Jason's chest tightened—not in a painful way, but in a warm, unfamiliar way that he didn’t mind feeling again. He didn’t know what to reply to such a sweet thing–whether Roy intended for it to be sweet or not.
“If you say so,” Jason muttered underneath his breath begrudgingly before dragging Roy into a clothing shop. “Get a coat.” he ordered, his glare making it clear he wasn’t taking no for an answer.
“But,” Roy tried to reason but was only met with a sharper glare. “Alright fine…”
Despite wearing Roy’s jacket, Jason looked like a bigshot–earning glances and a few business cards while waiting for Roy to finish trying out jackets to get his size. “Are you done?” Jason asked as Roy stepped out the fitting room wearing a brown coat that matched his old Red Hood look. “Yeah, I think I’m done.” Roy grinned.
Jason swallowed hard, trying to calm his fluttering heart. Don’t assume. Don’t be stupid. But suppressing the growing feelings for Roy was getting more difficult by the second. Why is this man tormenting me?
Or worse—was it all just wishful thinking?
Jason paid for the coat before Roy could protest. “Already handled it,” he spat, walking toward the exit with Roy tagging along like a lost puppy.
“You’re not buying one for yourself?” Roy asked, holding Jason’s hand again and intertwining their fingers.
“No need,” Jason said firmly. “The money isn’t for me.”
Roy frowned. “Then what do you do with it?”
Jason shrugged. “Most of it goes to charities and orphanages. I don’t really need it.”
“So, you give money to those who need it because you care for them?” Roy asks, placing their intertwined hands into his coat pocket when he realized Jason’s fingers were growing cold.
Jason shrugged again, “Well, I guess you could say it like that.”
“Then,” Roy started with a beam. “Let me be the one to care for you. I’ll spend for both you and Lian”
He’d never let it show on his face. Ever. But Jason’s heart was beating erratically. What gay shit is this man spouting right now? Does he mean it as friends? As family? Or something more??
“Huh,” Jason managed to say, completely flustered.
Roy tilted his head with a playful grin. “Was that a confession, or am I going insane?”
Jason's lips twitched despite himself. “Fuck would I know what’s going on in your head? You’d have better luck with a therapist.”
“Ouch.” Roy clutched his chest dramatically. “But you’re still holding my hand, at least.”
“Fuck you mean? I thought it’s just another one of your stupid public stunts.” Jason spat before rolling his eyes.
“...oh. Uh, right.” Roy muttered, his voice trailing off as his gaze shifted to the ground.