#bart is just focused on winning mario kart

[anxiouslowercase]

sweet escape

fandom: dc comics warning: none? just young adults heavily making out at some point. also it’s 5k summary: it's not that Cassie needs to get away from her friends per se, but if the opportunity presents itself for her to sneak out and meet the guy she's heavily falling for... well, she's going to take it. After all, it's not every day they casually coincide under the same roof at the exact same time - better make the best of it while she can. notes: everyone is of age (they’re in their twenties.) jay and cassie are not a couple, but rather kinda testing the waters and seeing what happens. yes we do love rarepairs in this house. and as always, massive thank you to @achinghcarts for being the best beta <3 ao3 link

Cassie fidgets with the phone in her hands, glancing at the time and, most importantly, at the notification bar atop the screen. It has been flicking alive repeatedly in the last hour or so, her messaging app the sole responsible of it. Not that this is something particularly unpleasant; oh no, on the contrary. Though linked to her rather restless state, the back-and-forth of texts in which she's been participating has done nothing but send occasional tickles to her stomach and put a dumb smile on her face that she's been doing her best to bite down. Which, yes it is kind of unbecoming because she's not fifteen anymore, but at the same time, how could something that makes her so giddy be something bad?

So no, it's not that she wanted that to stop. If anything, she just wanted things to escalate in some way, which in this particular case meant actually seeing the person she kept trying to flirt with via text. (Though whether such flirting was in any way successful is something Cassie cannot tell for sure yet - as much as she'd like to.) And one would think that, considering right now they are both under the same (enormous) roof, that wouldn't exactly be a problem - yet as she glances up at the three loud boys yelling at each other over who was very clearly cheating at Mario Kart, she can't be all that sure.

Though, of course, she can always try.

"Hey, Tim?" There's a sound quite similar to a hum or a grunt, and the girl figures that's an acknowledgement of sorts. "I'm gonna go get some water, I'll be right back."

"Bathroom's not that bad," Bart interjects quickly yet casually, eyes still trained to the screen in front of him.

"Y-yeah, but," she stands up from the bed, trying to act as nonchalant as possible. "I could use some ice cubes."

"If you're not back in forty minutes we'll send a search party." She resists the urge to smack the robin's head in passing, deciding instead to stealthy leave the room, conjuring up the most casual air to her step.

It all changes when she's in the hallway.

It's hard to say if nervous is the right word to describe her feelings. Her breath has picked up a small notch, and the steps she takes along the corridor are a bit unsure, but they do remain consistent; she is moving forward with this. The thing is, though, that Cassandra Sandsmark has never been exactly smooth, so it honestly beats her what is the best possible way to tell your boyfriend-that-is-not-boyfriend that you have ditched your friends to see him for a bit without exactly sounding desperate. Cause that she knows she isn't. Even if she actually chose her clothes carefully and tried to put a bit of make up on and definitely attempted to tame her curls before showing up at Wayne Manor today - that doesn't have to mean she's desperate.

Right?

No, of course not. Which is why she also can't just ask the guy to show up and meet her. It has to be a bit more casual than that, more natural - like yes she wants to see him but also no, she wouldn't just impose herself on him. Plus, Cissie always said you had to let boys believe they were the ones constantly scheming, that they were the ones in control. So he should believe he wanted her. She turns down another random corridor, her head too occupied in its thoughts to properly identify it. Maybe casually show up somewhere he could be? Pass by, expect him to notice her? Then maybe he'd think he is luring her away and--

Oh, who's she kidding - this is ridiculous.

Jason is not some boy, and they're not playing any kind of games with each other; they promised that much, for crying out loud! She is being not just desperate but also a freaking idiot for having left her friends when at no point there was any indication that the guy who isn't even her boyfriend, by the way, wanted to be with her now besides the flirty remarks that, frankly, she couldn't even guarantee were all that because she is the most incompetent flirt who's ever been on this Earth. And that's definitely counting Bart. And Tim. Hera, her aunt Aphrodite is probably ashamed.

And if that weren't enough, now she's Hermes knows where in freaking Wayne Manor, with no idea where Tim's room is, feeling too mortified and embarrassed to let her friends know. Which of course just means she's gonna have to keep wandering along the hallways, hoping that--

"Hey, Goldie." She barely manages to stop herself before awkwardly bumping into something that is very much not a wall. "Come here often?"

Hera, if you can hear her, please don't let Kon be monitoring her heartbeat right now. Because right there, in all his handsome glory, stands Jason Todd and, honestly, his smirk is doing things to her. Things as in almost sending her into cardiac arrest because she was very much caught off guard, or completely knocking the breath out of her. Oh, and let's not forget the already getting old leaving her totally speechless kind of thing. So yes, Cassie is not alright and therefore does not need her friends to be aware of such thing at any point soon. What she does need, however, is to say something, because as attractive as the man's smile is, there's only so much he'll make it last before surely look at her gaping self weird. So she takes a breath and-

"Hey," is the only thing she manages to croak out. Literally, the only one before her mind goes completely blank once again. Talk about appealing and attractive, huh? And here she'd thought her texts had been a failure.

Surprisingly though, either due to an altered state of mind, or because he got some kind of kick of seeing her struggle with the most basic functions, Jason does not leave or even look displeased. Instead, he reduces even further the distance between them, one of his hands coming to rest against the wall next to her head with an air of casualness that Cassie wouldn't have been able to emulate even in her best days. Heat creeps up her ears.

"Hey," he repeats, as if she hadn't made a fool of herself. "Looking for something?"

You. All my life, maybe, somehow.

"Uhm. Maybe?" Okay. Alright, that wasn't that bad, right? Could've been much worse, really.

He seems to think something similar, if the smirk turning wider on his lips is anything to go by. Lips that she could've sworn she was not staring at, honestly, but by Hera, now that she's looking into his eyes again, is he... Is he closer?

"Did you find it?" No, yeah, she's definitely trapped against the wall now, suffocating warmth spreading all over her face and heart hammering against her ribcage so bad it almost hurts. And yet she can't find it in her to move an inch; on the contrary, there's definitely a part of her that wants the distance between them to be even smaller. Or not to exist at all, that works too.

"M-maybe..." Her voice is barely over a whisper, and it's a pathetic display of self control, but honestly right now Cassie's only thoughts are about how she's sure she can feel Jason's fingertips almost brushing at her waist and Holy Hera why won't he just grab her already?

"Cool." His voice is low, the vibrations of it crashing against the skin on her neck, mixing with his breath and sending a pleasurable shiver down her spine. Her eyes flutter, and she almost unconsciously tilts her head to the side, inviting him to go ahead and kiss her, nibble, mark her.

... Okay, maybe that was a bit too much. Maybe she actually is a bit desperate. Especially considering they're in the middle of a hallway in freaking Batman's house and anyone could walk past any minute and this could be so embarrassing and why can't she find it in her to care about any of that right now?

Fingers brush gently against her knuckles, and it's only then that she notices not only how tight they were closed, but also how they were somehow gripping almost viciously at Jason's shirt. Oh Hera.

Her fist unclenches immediately, as if she had been holding something hot, yet as she brings her hand to cradle it at her chest she's well aware that she is the one burning in embarrassment. Even without any way to see herself, Cassie just knows that her whole face is crimson red, and her heart is again beating furiously, drumming deafeningly in her ears (or had it never actually stopped?) Her breath also feels a bit ragged, but shamefully enough she can't exactly tell from what that comes.

"S-sorry, I..." She closes her eyes for a second, swallowing and taking a deep breath to kind of put herself together because, honestly, she doubts she's helping her case and making a good impression right now.

But surprising her yet again, Jason does not make fun of her obvious eagerness, nor does he push her away. Instead, he gently looks for her restrained hand and just takes it, holding it for barely a second before softly lace their fingers together. It does not help her sudden inability to think clearly, let alone talk. Things don't necessarily improve when he presses that hand against the wall - some of her thoughts do seem to return, but not exactly the ones she could voice in some random hallway.

"So, what's your alibi? How much time you have?"

"Uh... Ice cubes," she replies after a second, closing her eyes to try and clear her head a bit - those of the Red Hood were not to be underestimated. Thugs really don't know how lucky they are not to have to see them each night. Or maybe she is the lucky one, despite her obvious helplessness? "Tim said half an hour. Before they send the search party." He snorts.

"That little shit." Cassie blinks a couple of times, brow furrowed ever so slightly in confusion - how was that a problem? Isn't half an hour plenty of time? What are they doing anyways?

Jason looks back at her, a slightly mischievous smile on his face and it's only then that she realizes she said that last bit out loud and Hera when will she be able to stop blushing and embarrassing herself?

"Well, it's a lot less fun if I tell you," he says, leaning over to, in her humble opinion, very seductively brush the tip of his nose along her neck. For a second, she's actually worried her knees will buckle. "Come with me?" And of course, what's she gonna do but nod, compliant and utterly freaking weak.

Shameful.

To say that she knows or registers where he's taking her or the halls and rooms they pass would be a big fat lie because, to be fair, there's very little that she can think of when Jason holds her hand, or when he pulls her close against him in a turn. Which, yes, it's silly and there's no way in hell she's ever confessing to anyone how much of a teen she felt like doing this. But she does. And she chuckles, because at least to herself she can admit how much she likes this guy. And that's a lot.

"Nice to see you're in a good mood," he mentions, coming to a slow stop in front of a set of wide wooden doors. The demigoddess manages to get a good hold of herself to offer a small shrug, her hand gently tugging at his (despite her being the one to step closer.)

"How could I not? Good things are happening." His smile, though it looks much like his usual cocky smirk, has a certain softness to it this time, she thinks, and it makes warmth bloom on her chest. Hera, she really wants to kiss him.

But before she can even try to do anything, he turns to open one of the doors and silently guide her into probably one of the most magnificent rooms she's ever seen - the library.

"And this is just getting started, Goldie."

Jason had definitely told her about this particular room at the Manor, even with a bit more detail than Tim ever had - it was just plain easy to tell who spent the most time here. Neither of them had been shy in commenting the dimensions of the place or the overall poshness of it, yet whatever mental image she'd previously held of it did not do it justice.

The place was just massive - several tall wooden bookshelves were meticulously placed in the space, all of them filled to the brim with books of every size and dimension, with different spines showing a wide array of colors and materials. There was a reading section, properly equipped with tables, lamps, notebooks and what looked like very sturdy, very comfortable chairs, as well as a... Cozier section, furnished with a couple of armchairs, a love seat, some fluffy-looking pillows and an enormous beanbag with a mess of blankets on it. Cassie knew immediately whose spot that was.

"Make yourself comfortable," Jason says behind her, hand ghosting over her lower back. "I'll go pick up what I wanna show you." And with that she's left standing in front of the furniture, willpower focused on not turning around to see where the guy was going.

Her feet move cautiously towards the love seat, floor barely creaking below her steps. The cushions are just as silent and about the softest, mushiest she's ever sat on. In fact, right away Cassie all but sinks into it, finding it softer and far more comfortable than any mattress she's ever slept on. Out of habit more than anything else, she grabs one of the smaller pillows and puts it on her lap, fingers gently playing with the nice, velvet fabric; it takes her a double take to notice she's drawing hearts. Weak.

"I see you've wisely avoided Timmy's favourite seat." She turns around after a little jump, chuckle easily escaping her lips.

"Well, I've heard it's no good to disrupt a bird's nest." They both lean against the back of the couch - Jason resting his forearms on it, a small smile showing; he gives her chin a quick yet gentle touch.

"Smart girl."

Cassie almost expected him to jump over the back of the love seat to sit on it - it was the kind of thing she was used to, after all, with Kon and Bart. However, he calmly walks around it and takes his place next to her like a civilized person. It's not something she should find herself swooning over, really, but alas, here she is. At least she does manage to not snuggle up against him despite her first instinct which, hey, see? Not desperate.

She gives him a smile, wide and warm, yet slightly timid. He returns it, and though there is no shyness in his, there's again that hint of softness in it, a tiny purse of lips as if he were about to say something, as if he wanted to let some words out. But instead, she finds that they come from his eyes, that it's his gaze that speaks volumes, except she's not versed well enough to understand it. Her head tilts, just barely.

"What?" It's a whisper, gentle so as not to disturb the atmosphere, not to break the spell that's set in the room between them. Yet, it seems that's loud enough to snap him out of his daydream, and he shakes his head making that lovely white streak of hair dangle for a second; she glances at it.

"Nothing. - got something for you," he adds quickly, straightening up a little. She mirrors him, intrigued, yet finding it hard to look anywhere away from his eyes, which is why it isn't until he looks down that she follows his gaze and sees what he's handing her; she gasps, quietly.

In his hands, there is a breathtaking book. Its cover is a rich, dark blue embellished with small, beautiful stars of what seems like actual gold blooming from the spine all across to the other side. In the middle, the bottom half of what she can only imagine is a gorgeous woman wrapped in a chiton interrupts the starry scene. There are silver letters spelling the title over it, and she doesn't even notice her fingers are tracing them until she spots them. A bit embarrassed, she retracts, but Jason presses the book swiftly in her direction.

"I know you're really into history," he starts, and maybe if she weren't so enraptured by the volume now in her hands, she'd notice he isn't exactly looking at her. Not like before. "And myths. And that Greek makes up for... A big part of you." They both chuckle, and Cassie lets her index move along the lines of the garment in the cover. "So - women of ancient Greece, their forgotten stories, their relevance..." He trails off and she looks up, a wide grin on her lips.

"This sounds... Amazing. I had never heard of this book. I'm- wow. Wow, this..." Eloquent as always, huh?

"You should have it. Read it." The guy gives the cover a small tap, and she giggles. Ridiculous. "I think you're gonna like it."

"Like it? Jay, I already adore it, I--" she shakes her head, hands carefully caressing the spine of the volume. "It sounds so good, like... They just literally found everything I like and compiled it all together!" A laugh escapes her mouth, and she misses the way his lips twitch, his head tilt. "I'm gonna start it right away and... Hera, I mean, this goes without saying but I'm gonna take extremely good care of it, okay, nothing will happen to it," she says, solemnly, hugging the copy tight. "And I'm sorry, I'll just right off apologize in advance because I'm sure I'm going to ramble about this to you so much and I genuinely can't wait to--" but the words, the idea dies on lips that aren't even her own. They're thinner and a bit more chapped and hot.

It's kind of a paradox, how Jason kisses. It's urgent yet slow, deliberate but careless, in a way. It's rough and exciting, but at the same time gentle and comfortable. It's unique, just like the man himself is, and soon enough Cassie is perfectly lost in feelings and sensations, her previous speech forgotten in favor of basking in touches, grips and caresses. She can feel his fingers tangling on the mess of curls at her nape, just as her hand takes a fistful of his shirt to pull him closer again and... Wasn't she holding a book just now?

But the thought is wiped away when Jason's fingertips dig into the flesh of her waist, and his lips suck a delightful trail along her jaw. If she didn't know any better, she'd find something almost territorial in the gesture. But she's too busy focusing on keeping herself quiet to dwell on the idea too much, and her head still cocks to the side either way, baring her neck even if his mouth chooses to go a bit further up. A shiver travels down her spine as his breath tickles her earlobe.

"You look really pretty when you're excited, you knew that?" In normal circumstances, she probably would've blushed. Now, however, a hum is the only form of acknowledgement she provides, hands tugging him closer with just a bit of super strength. Not that he resists too much, really.

Their lips clash together once again and it feels good, and she really tries hard not to vocalize that in any way because that would sound a bit desperate, right? And yeah, like - okay, she is kinda wishing he'll kiss her deeper, especially when both his hands press against the low of her back. But it's not like she can just go ahead and say it. She gently parts her lips instead, reaching out to cup his cheek, his neck, kinda wishing he'd get her hint. And Hera, he does.

His grip tightens a bit, just enough for her back to naturally arch towards him and elicit the faintest sigh from her lips when she feels his broad chest against herself. She doesn't consider this to be too bad of a thing, if the speeding up of their kiss is anything to go by.

She does however feel his hands splaying out further up her back but... More towards its sides? And there's now a sudden loss where the warmth of his body used to be just now, and a part of Cassie wants to protest at this new development, but then there's more pressure against his mouth and it's nice, but... How is that even happening? And her brow goes ahead and furrows a little in confusion, until there's a brush of velvet against her arm and oh, she's leaning back. She's leaning back and he's right on her and Hera she should not, they should not be doing this in the Wayne's library. 

Which is actually a valid thought, and something the young heroine could try and voice out, but the rational side of her brain is barely operative at best by the time her back lands against the cushions, and it just shuts down completely when Jason's lips start moving towards her throat. Guy's too good of a kisser, to the point of unfairness, really, and she wants to kind of tease him about it, playfully try and banter about him having too much power, but totally unexpectedly (though in retrospective maybe she should have expected it) he manages to find that sweet spot below her ear where jaw and neck converge and the only sound she manages is a breathless gasp.

There's a fraction of a second in which everything is quiet, as if paused, and Cassie can hear her accelerated heart hitting her rib cage arrhythmically as she fruitlessly tries and processes what just happened, tries to keep still and clear the sudden fog in her head. But then there's a gentle, tentative suck on that very same spot and there's just heat and her fingers dig against Jason's neck all but imploring him to repeat the action and suddenly it's like time has been resumed to its normal speed.

Her head tilts to the side to give his mouth free reign while one of her hands tangles in his dark locks as a means to provide just the smallest directions that, fairly speaking, he doesn't even need because he's easily turning her into goo by himself just fine. So her other hand moves to grab his shoulder, to caress his back and keep him grounded against her while her leg unconsciously moves to try wrap around one of his and they really shouldn't be doing this in the Wayne's library.

And maybe some deity from above seems to agree with that annoying part of Cassie's consciousness, for before she miserably fails to bite back a whimper, there's a loud buzzing sound. By her ear, she could've sworn Jason lets out something akin a growl and it should've not set her stomach on fire.

"Yours or mine?" He asks a bit husky and that really isn't much better. She stares at him half a second, trying to remember how does one even talk.

"Neither," is what she ends up managing to breath out, immediately cupping his face and bringing him in for a kiss. He doesn't actually protest.

She ends up finding out that sucking onto Jason's upper lip makes his grip on her tighten in that deliciously nice way that, she muses, could only feel better were his fingers directly against her skin instead of over annoying fabric, but she forces herself not to dwell too much on the thought, for it is definitely not the best moment to do so. Though being fair, it's not like she can focus on something even remotely rational - right now, the only thing she can feel is Jason Todd and you know what? She actually does not mind one bit. Not when she can feel the whole of him envelop her, when he can so easily raise goosebumps and warmth in her like it's no big deal, when he somehow knows exactly which patch of skin to graze his teeth against, when he doesn't manage to fully hold in the groans that she--

Buzz.

Buzz.

Buzz.

She knows it's hers by the way it annoyingly drills at her side, and she doubts there has been any other time in which she's been so tempted to just throw her phone across the city. In fact, she kinda even considers it right before the weight previously pinning her down lifts. It feels disappointing.

"Go ahead," Jason mumbles, and she should actually give him credit for even mustering a smile, no matter how little.

"I'm sorry, I..." She shakes her head as she sits up, picking up the device in the process. Though she can't quite bring herself to look at him in the eye just yet, she does find some comfort in him not moving away and staying sat right beside her still.

Tim's name is the one flashing on her screen, for the first time tonight, and she can't repress her annoyed huff. Better be something important.

» if you're done sucking my brother's face, kon's asking about u

» ABORT » ABORT » HE'S MENTIONED JAY TOO CAREFULLY

Oh, come on.

She's about to hit the reply button when another text buzzes through.

» get back here unless you want to deal with him there

She really wants to shove the stupid thing away. And maybe punch Conner. Actually scratch that maybe, she does - how come she doesn't have to worry about her mother throwing a fit but she has to deal with him? How's that fair, after everything!?

Gentle fingers bring her back to reality, her shoulders slumping as she leans into the touch almost automatically.

"Want me to walk you back?" She sighs, scrunching her nose a little.

"I don't wanna further... Ruin your night with a stupid argument." His snort actually makes her smile, even if weakly.

"As if Superkid had that power." But his expression softens, and he brushes a rebel curl behind her ear. "Come on, I know a shortcut to get to Timbo's room."

And, just as expected, Jason does not lie and she makes it to the family wing basically in record time. Which, in her opinion, is already reason enough to spend a few extra minutes with the guy; most importantly to voice out the thoughts that were nagging on the back of her mind as they walked through the halls.

"Hope this wasn't... Too bad of an interruption of your night." Her tone is shy but sincere, and the amusement on Jason's expression is far too gentle to bother her.

"Goldie, no offense, but if I hadn't wanted you to find me, you wouldn't have." And that... Makes a lot of sense for a bat, now that she thinks about it. But it also means that... "I'm glad you swung by to say hi." Her cheeks redden.

"Well. It was my pleasure." Way too literally, at that. Something that he seems to pick up on, for he smirks.

"Oh, mine as well." And though the kiss that punctuates the statement is nothing less than amazing, Cassie can't help but feel is a bit too short and just a further reason why making the last couple of turns up to Tim's bedroom seem harder.

But she manages, and when she opens the door she can immediately see Robin's posture drop in relief. Ridiculous.

"We were about to send a search party for you." Conner is the first to speak, his blue eyes dancing between her and the screen in front, where they're still playing Mario Kart. She pretends to believe his joking tone.

"It's a big house. I took a wrong turn once."

"Oh, bad choices, who'd have thought?" That part is muttered, but even without superhearing Cassie manages to catch it. She frowns, but his friend is conveniently not looking at her. Coward. "Where's your glass?"

"Why would I want to litter Tim's room, more than it already is?" The aforementioned boy protests, though it could've also been at Bart sabotaging his race. "Just drank my water, had my ice cubes, left the glass there and came back."

Her tone is sharper, an attempt to just cut the stupid conversation there because, honestly, she's not in the mood for this. She even starts walking towards the bed with every intention of just lying there until morning when she sees, in the corner of her eye, the kryptionian's gaze falling to the book she's carefully carrying on one hand. Shit, right!

"Oh, by the way Tim," she starts, doing her best to sound nonchalant. "Found the library on my way, hope you don't mind I went ahead and got that book you mentioned the other day." Conner frowns, dubious as he glances back at his best friend, possibly checking his reaction. Not that this is in any way a problem, for he doesn't even look away from the screen as he shrugs.

"As long as you didn't touch my stuff." Cassie allows herself to sigh in relief, internally. On the outside, though, she rolls her eyes, walking to Superboy's side.

"No, bird boy, I didn't touch your nest. But you need better organization skills."

"I have a perfectly good system going on, thank y-YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

Bart full on laughs out loud as he wins first place, shoving a handful of sweet popcorn into his mouth. Or, well, what's left of a handful after being hit by a pillow-projectile from Tim. This exchange seems to be reassuring enough for Conner, whose shoulders relax, tension leaving his face too. And though Cassie is still annoyed at his attitude and his childish ways, she can't help but smile a little and poke one of his cheeks.

"Stop being so grumpy," she jokes in a whisper, and it even seems to amuse the guy! Though she should've seen something was coming when there was no grin on his lips but a smile instead.

She didn't, though, and so she ends up yelping when he picks her up, a mix of ttk and super strength making sure she had no way to escape before he sat on the bed again, this time with Wonder Girl on his crossed legs. Before she can emit any sound of protest, the book is gone from her hands and a controller is pressed onto them instead, a new game loading on the screen.

"You're good in Rainbow Road, right?" His arms wrap loosely around her waist, his chin resting on her left shoulder.

"Kinda decent, yeah, but--"

"Kick Bart's ass for me? I've been humiliated one too many times." She snorts.

"You do know no one beats Bart, right?" In cue, the youngest member of their group lets out his take at a villainous laugh. On her ear, Conner groans.

"Fine, Tim then. Please?"

Truth is, Cassie doesn't really want to play, she wasn't thinking of it. Her plan was to lie in bed, get started on the book, and possibly go back to texting Jason with updates on it if he was still in the mood to talk to her. But seeing as there was no easy way to get out of there (and quite literally at that,) she gives up and lets out a big, exaggerated sigh.

"Alright, fine. But if I win you owe me." The only answer she gets is a peck on her cheek before the weight of Conner's head sets back on her shoulder, but it seems enough to alleviate the previously building tension and allow them to resume what this was suppose to be from the start - just a chill night in.

Besides, later, when she's back in her own room and a folded piece of paper falls down from the tenth chapter in the book, Cassie's definitely gonna be glad she didn't risk the note getting lost somewhere in Tim's bedroom. Worse, somewhere near Kon.

(This, however, did not cancel out the annoyance she felt when his friend grunted that *she needs a new perfume* after taking a breath near her neck.)