Chapter 2
Jason was feeling rather irked as he climbed up the many steps to the Gotham library.
He knew, truly he did, that Barbara just needed to relay some rather important information and pass along some other important documents to him and the others. Truly, with his heart of hearts did Jason understand that.
What he couldn't understand was why this damn information couldn't have been, oh he didn't know, an Email.
Deep down he knew, truly he did, as he shouldered open the door and shook himself of the harsh wind from outside, passing a quick hand through his tousled hair, that the paranoid bastards he called family just wanted to be extra safe about this info.
He huffed. Seriously, how difficult was it for them to put a little faith in the system Tim, Barbara, and Bruce had all worked diligently to craft so they could send info through the blissfully convenient internet. So Jason wouldn’t have to leave the comfort of his apartment and the comfort of Dogs presence on top of him on the couch.
He just wanted to have one day all tucked away inside reading the damn book he had bought yesterday and yet here he– slammed into a stack of papers.
A small explosion of paper raining over Jason and the guy he’d just ran into.
Shit.
He apologized quickly before dropping to his knees to pick up all the, woah are these photos? They were gorgeous, Jason thought distantly as he picked up picture after picture of Gotham. He paused on one in the early morning hours. It made Gotham look so..peaceful.
He continued building up his stack and even huffed a laugh at a photo of Bruce at the gala from the other day. He was standing next to Clark, his champagne expertly falling in a way Bruce only let when he played up Brucie.
He was still snickering to himself and looking at the photo, reaching out for the last picture without a thought, when he felt a hand on top of his. In an instant his eyes were shooting to look at the hand and then the face attached to it.
Holy shit.
This guy was dreamy. Romance novel levels of dreamy.
His doe eyes, a deep brown, were slightly wide, looking at Jason. He felt his heartbeat slow slightly.
Damn.
This guy was adorable, handsome, and attractive all at once. What his sister Steph might call the whole package so to speak.
He was the kind of pretty that his favorite authors must’ve been gazing at when they wrote of love. Jason had never really thought about what it might’ve looked like until he gazed into those dark eyes.
He felt his breath catch in his throat.
The guy in front of him wore a deep blue hoodie and some black headphones were over his ears. Jason felt his eyes trail up to his fluffy brown hair and distantly wondered if it was as soft as it looked. His hand twitched at the thought of touching it.
His eyes trailed back down to his bright eyes and handsome face. His cheeks had a soft red tint. When he blinked Jason swore his long eyelashes fluttered against his cheeks, that's how long they looked.
Pretty. Pretty. Pretty. Jason thought like a mantra.
His nose was like a button. Cute and round and absolutely lovely. It was what poetry was made of. He’d write a poem about it if he could and then when his eyes finally trailed down to his lips his breath caught again and yeah. That's what the poets would focus on. Probably.
It was a tie between the guy's fluffy hair, his doe eyes, his cute nose, and his lips. Fuck maybe poets would just talk about him. He was a walking poem.
His upper lip was smaller than the plump bottom one. He must've been a lip-biter too, Jason thought distantly, when his eyes were drawn to the small dark spot on his bottom left lip.
It was charming.
The cutie's lips part softly before closing again. Jason wonders why he's so taken by the sight. And then he's back to those damn eyes and his thoughts only manage to form one word.
Pretty.
It was becoming his word of the damn day.
Pretty. Pretty. Pretty.
Those eyes are meeting his and Jason wonders what time even is.
It's peaceful to lose himself in those rich brown eyes, and bask in the moment.
Shit.
Just how long has he been doing that?
The cutie comes to this conclusion in the same moment Jason does as they both abruptly rush to their feet, neither one taking their eyes off each other.
After a moment where they continue just staring at one another, now standing, the cutie shoulders his headphones off his head and it's practiced. It has to be the way the headphones fall down to his shoulders easily. His heart skips a beat when Jason realizes the guy didn't even try to take his hand off his to do that.
“Ah…Thank you.” Comes a soft voice from the cutie before him.
His voice is so damn pretty.
Shall Jason compare him to a warm summer's day?
Fuck.
Shit he should be responding.
“Oh. No problem,” Jason replies back, his voice equally as soft. He's amazed he even got his voice to work.
The two of them go back to staring at each other. It feels peaceful being gazed at like this. Jason knows he might be staring for way too long at this guy, no matter how cute he is. With his fluffy hair and lovely eyes.
What was he thinking about again?
The cuties eyes drop down to Jason's arm full of the stack of photos.
Stack of photos?
Oh right.
Crap.
The pictures.
Jason must look like some asshole just holding onto ‘em.
In his rush to get the stack into their owners rightful arms Jason feels himself trip on the rug of the library. Blissfully he catches himself before he can fall on his damn face and passes the stack of photos into the guy's own stack of photos.
He flushes a bit when he hears the cutie's soft laugh. Fuck. Was everything about this guy lovely?
He felt his stomach do a flip.
He wonders about the other photos he didn't get to see. Those must also look pretty good too, if the ones Jason saw were anything to go by.
Miraculously, Jason finds his voice again.
“Crap. Sorry about that, and for,” Jason's eyes leave the stack of photos and he's caught by how close the guy is now. His breath catches in his damn throat. He must’ve moved closer to the cutie when he’d tripped. His brown eyes are looking up at him. His eyes are crinkled slightly like he's amused.
He's shorter than Jason.
Shit, talk. Damnit.
“..For crashing into you in the first place. I wasn't looking where I was going.” He finally finishes his damn sentence. A simple sentence that should’ve taken him no more than a few seconds to say. His eyes are drawn right back into the cuties.
Though, Jason couldn't find it in himself to be apologetic for it anymore. He'd never be sorry to get to look at someone so breathtaking.
“It's no worries. I wasn't paying any attention either.” The cutie replies and smiles up at him softly. He's so pretty. Pretty. Pretty. Its law breaking levels of pretty. Jason has half a mind to call Dick down to have him arrest this pretty boy.
Jason can feel his heartbeat beating so loud he swears the cutie can hear it too.
Only further confirmed when he seems to laugh out of nowhere.
Jason is by no means a romantic, but he swears the guy laughs like a fucking bell. It's absolutely gorgeous to listen to. Fuck.
Jason finds himself smiling as the guy laughs at a joke only he knows. Sue him, it's endearing. He even chuckles softly himself.
When the both of them stop, Jason finds himself enjoying the quiet the two settle into. The ambient environment of the libraries' own soft sounds further allows Jason to feel himself melting under this guy's gaze.
When the cutie takes a small step closer to him Jason feels his heart stutter in his chest. The guy's eyes have not left his once.
That shouldn’t be as hot as it is.
The cuties eyes drift to their touching hands and Jason almost forgot about it. He was so taken by the guy.
He finds his own eyes drifting down and suddenly the guy's touch is all Jason can think about. His hand is so soft and shockingly only slightly smaller than Jason's own hands. Jason's fingers are much thicker than cuties are though and Jason is once again taken by that.
Cutie is lovely.
Then, the cutie slides his thumb over the closest scar to it and Jason feels his whole body tremor for a moment.
And all too fast the soft hand has fallen to its owner's side and Jason has to shove away his disappointment. Stretching his fingers slightly he looks down at the photo they were both holding.
Gotham has truly never looked so pretty, Jason remarks to himself.
With much difficulty he places the photo onto the cutie's stack and the only thing tethering the two together at this moment is now in the cutie's arms.
“Sorry ‘bout that.” Jason adds. He was kind of holding this guys photo hostage. Albeit absentmindedly. The brown eyes turn back up to him with a blink.
Jason really should stop staring.
Should, but he can’t find it in himself to stop.
“No worries.” The cutie gives him another soft smile. Jason feels his knees go a bit weak, fuck.
The two fall quiet again
“I…I should be going.” The cutie frowns a bit when he says it and his eyebrows pinch together. Jason wants to soothe the pinch. His hands twitch.
Right…The moment had to end. Jason thought a bit bitterly.
“Right. Right.” He finds his voice. He hopes it doesn't carry the slight disappointment he's trying to keep at bay. Especially when the cutie takes a small step away from Jason.
“Thanks again.” Cutie adds softly.
“Of course.” Jason adds, voice equally as soft.
The cutie hesitates for a moment, a small bite to his lip, Jason was right about him being a lip-biter, before he waves at Jason and fixes his headphones back into place. WIth one last small smile and glance at Jason, he turns to leave.
As Jason turns to watch the cutie rush out of the library a poem he read a long time ago comes to the forefront of his mind. It was by Florence. It might've been called ‘When Love Begins.’ Though it's been so long since he read it he could be wrong. He’d never forget the way it went though.
‘I always knew that love would come find me someday,
but never did I know that it would be you who was headed my way.
You caught me off guard and took me by surprise,
but you simply captivated me, the same way you do when I look into your eyes.’
Jason huffs a small laugh softly to himself.
Right, love may be pushing the encounter he just experienced to the extreme.
And yet as he finally looks away from the area the door the cutie just exited from he can't help but remember those large brown eyes. How they’d captivated him, so to speak.
Try as he might, Jason can’t help but think of the poem again as he walks up to the desk with a stunned Barbara. With a blink Jason realizes Dick, Tim, Steph, Cass, and Damien are all here too. They must’ve arrived before he had.
He doesn’t dwell on that for long though, as his mind drifts back to brown eyes, a bitten lip, and fluffy hair.
Perhaps…perhaps he wasn't too peeved about his family's paranoia anymore.
After all, it did bring him face to face with someone as lovely as a love letter.
Gosh. He huffs. That was so corny.
When was Jason ever that corny?
______________________
When Jason returns to his apartment, placing the files from Barbara onto the small table beside his door. His best girl Dog demands sustenance and love and who is he to deny her?
As he goes about getting out Dog’s plate and kibble, his mind drifts off to the cutie from the library. What was his name again?
Wow he's drawing a blank…
He drops the spoon he was using to pile some meat into Dog’s plate. Dog huffs at him from her spot on the floor.
He never even got the guy's name.
Fuck.
He looks down at Dog and she offers him no solace as she boofs at him to hurry up with her food. Who is he to deny her?
As he melts into his couch and stares at the ceiling, the distant sounds of Dog eating her food, Jason finds himself once again thinking about those brown eyes. He hopes he runs into the guy again.