achinglovers

You’re not sure why you even agreed to attend this gala tonight. Dick had insisted you come, you two hadn’t gone together in forever, it would be like old times. But the point that undoubtedly convinced you was the mention of his siblings being there, specifically Jason.

Jason and you had only seen each other a few times since the break up. You mutually decided to end things about two months ago, when one night he came back from patrol broken and bruised, continuing to push you away the following nights until neither of you knew what to do anymore.

You didn’t want to break up with him then, not really. It was just that neither of you saw a way forward without breaking each other, even if the love was there.

Snapping back into the moment, you catch Tim waving you over, standing next to Steph and Cass who are both trying not to look suspicious as they stuff a napkin full off pastries from the buffet.

You place a soft hand on Dick’s shoulder to gain his attention, and with a polite “Excuse me.” you move away from them and through the crowd, letting out a sigh as you drop your shoulders and the smile on your face.

“Hi guys.” you smile softly as you come to stand beside them, though it doesn’t quite reach your eyes.

Cass and Steph throw you a quick smile, Steph cheesing at you through a mouthful of cake. “Here.” Tim hands you a glass of champagne. “You looked like you needed an out.”

You laugh, taking the glass from him and sipping quietly. “You’re right.” you shake your head. “I‘m not even sure why I came.”

Tim grins at you, and you can tell there’s something he’s not saying. “Well, I am.”

“Huh?” your head snap up at his words. Tim’s grin just widens a fraction at what he says next. “He just went to find some peace and quiet.”

Your brows furrow, although you have a feeling you already know who he’s talking about. “He?” you question with a soft voice.

“Jason.” he states, and his expression softens at the same time he notices yours. “He’s here?” you swallow, trying not to let your emotions show.

“Yeah. B did him a favor recently and this is him returning it.” Tim explains. “But he got a bit overwhelmed so he left to go somewhere quiet.”

Tim doesn’t mention that Jason left moments after spotting you.

„Oh.“ is all you can say before taking another sip of your champagne. Tim, Cass and Steph notice your mood shift at the mention of Jason, sharing a quiet look.

“You wann try the pastries? They even have your favorite!” Steph exclaims, trying to lighten the mood. You smile at her thankfully, but softly shake your head, declining. The knot in your stomach doesn’t leave room for any food.

Time flies as you stand with the three of them, trying to put Jason on the back of your mind as you focus on Tim telling his stories from work and Cass telling you about her ballet recital.

Eventually, the three of you drift apart, Tim now stuck in a business talk with old men, meanwhile Steph and Cass have moved over to the other side of the room, listening in on a couple that seems to be arguing.

With a quick scan of the room, you begin your walk to the foyer. You don’t see a point in staying here anymore when everyone is busy, your heels are killing you, and the one person you hoped to see is basically hiding from you. The rest of them would care if you left early, you’d just send them a text tomorrow.

After getting your coat from the checkroom, you pull it over your shoulders as you step out. You just need a moment of fresh air before maybe asking Alfred to drive you home. Or maybe you will just call an Uber. Your lost in your thoughts as you contemplate your ride home, not noticing the person standing behind you.

“Leaving already?”

You spin around, immediately recognizing the voice. Your gaze travels over him, watching him stand there, the tie of his suit a little bit undone, a grand of hair falling across his forehead, his hands tucked into his pockets.

“Jason.” you breathe out, stunned by his presence.

He moves forward in slow steps, his hands still in buried in his pockets, taking his last step so he’s standing right in front of you. It’s silent as the two of you stare at each other, your eyes saying a million words the both of you can’t seem to form.

“You look nice.” you state with a soft voice, almost whispering, scared of ruining this moment. He’s quit as he takes in your words, and you almost think that this is it, he’ll turn around and leave you standing out here, feeling dumb for believing the two of you could talk normally.

You notice his throat moving as he swallows before he answers. “You look… beautiful.”

And although the two of you broke up, as you feel the blood rush into your cheeks, you know exactly why you fell for him.

“Why’d you come tonight?” he asks, trying to let this be a conversation. “Dick asked me to come.” you admit, noticing his expression fall ever so slightly as he lets out a quiet “oh.”

“But really I hoped you’d be here.” you blurt out not being able to stop yourself, wanting to say anything to make the almost hurt expression on his face go away. You never want to see him hurt.

“Yeah?” His voice is hopeful, his eyes lightening up in that unnoticeable way only you seem to catch. “Yeah.” you confirm along with a soft nod.

Its silent again, both of you too stuck in your own heads to say what’s really on your minds. Jason is the first one to speak up. “We… do you think we can talk sometime?” he asks nervously. “About us, I mean.”

You’re taken by surprise as the words leave his mouth but definitely not opposed. You’ve always felt like there were things left unsaid. “Of course we can talk. You know you can always talk to me.”

He nods, another stand of his hair falling across his forehead as he looks down, and you get the sudden urge to brush it away, running your fingers through his hair like you used to.

“You look really beautiful, by the way.” he tells you quietly as he meets your eyes. You laugh softly, shaking your head at his antics. “You already said that.”

He shrugs as a small, smug grin begins to form on his lips. “I know, can’t help it.”

Jason removes his hands from his pockets, but doesn’t step closer, just letting the simple gesture be a way to feel closer. “Do you need a ride home? I can drive you.”

“Oh, ” You’re surprised by his offer. “it’s okay. I can call someone. Or I‘ll ask Alfred.”

He scoffs slightly at that. “You know better than to call a cab this late in Gotham.” He crosses his arms hon from of his chest, and you can’t help but notice how the fabric of his suit strains against his biceps.

“Alfred is busy. Come one, I‘ll give you a ride.” he nods his head in the direction where his car is parked, before he takes off, not looking back to see if you’re following him.

You do, taking step after step, watching Jason’s back as he walks only a step in front of you. He moves to the passenger side, opening the door for you like he’s always done when the two of you would drive somewhere. You send him a thankful smile before getting in the car. You watch as Jason makes sure your dress isn’t stuck in the door as he closes it softly, afterwards making his way around to the drivers side.

The silence doesn’t feel heavy as he starts the car, beginning the drive to your apartment, although you think maybe it should, but it just feels like it used to. It’s a weird feeling, being in a space you left behind but still seeing pieces of yourself. Like the pomegranate chapstick still sitting in the cupholder or the hair ties Jason went out of his way to buy you just so you could keep some in his car.

“What are you thinking about?” Jason’s voice rips you out of your thoughts. He’s got both his hands on the steering wheel, his head faced forwards, his eyes occasionally glancing at you.

“Just… us, I guess.” you shrug, avoiding meeting his eyes as you lay your focus on the city lights that now come into view.

“Us?” he repeats, his voice unmistakably softening. “Do you think there’s still an us?” he asks, half of him wanting, no, needing to know the answer, half of him afraid of your response.

“I think there will always be an us.” you state, now moving your eyes away from the scenery and back to him. You continue as he listens. “Wether it’s past us, or current us, you’ll alway be the most important person in my life, Jay.”

He’s silent after that, and you could swear you see his eyes glistening more than usual, but you don’t comment on it.

As the familiar view of your street comes into sight, you prepare yourself for this being it. This is probably the most you two will talk to each other before it’s back to avoiding the pain of seeing each other, asking others about how you or he’s doing.

Jason quickly finds a parking spot, unfastening his seatbelt as he gets out of the car, making his way around to open the door for you. He offers you his hand and you can’t help but stare like an idiot before taking it. His calloused hand feels warm against yours, and letting go feels like the hardest thing you’ve ever had to to.

“Thank you for the ride.” you tell him. He just mumbles a small “Of course.” before the silence takes over. You think maybe one of you will be brave enough to say something, but the silence continues to grow, so you offer a small smile before turning around and taking the first step to your apartment.

Bu then he calls out your name, and you swear your heart stops for a beat. You turn around to face him, watching as he takes quick steps to stand in front of you. His gaze scans your face, from the corner of your mouth to your nose to your eyes and back to your mouth. A million words are rushing around his brain. “I want to try again.” he finally breathes out.

You’re stunned as you take in his words, but you can’t help the soft tug of your lips as you feel some relief from his words. “You do?” you question, wanting to make sure this is not a dream.

He swallows, nodding almost eagerly as he answers. “I do. Breaking up with you, making you leave me, that was the worst thing I could have done to you. And it made me feel like shit to see you so hurt all because of me, that I pushed you away instead of talking to you.”

He shakes his head as you try to respond. “I know that you deserve better, but I want to be better for you. Losing you made me realize that I don’t want to live a life without you in it. So please, only if you’ll have me, I want to love you better this time.” he admits, his voice subtly shaking as he squeezes his hands into fists. You can see all the emotions coming out and him not knowing how to express them.

You take a deep breath, feeling an overwhelming amount of emotions running through your whole body. But the one that’s most prominent is the love you feel for the man standing in front of you.

Jason can’t read you face as he watches you take in his words. He hopes his nightmares don’t come true, that you’ll tell him you’ll never love him again, that he’s not worth trying again, not worth your time, not worthy of you. He can feel his nerves rising as he prepares himself for rejection, but instead he’s met with your soft voice asking “Do you want to come upstairs?”

You look up at him, waiting on his answer as you watch him take your question in. Then he’s nodding his head yes, and you grab his hand as you lead him upstairs while he follows behind you. One thing leads to another, and you find yourself kissing him against the closed door of your apartment, eager hands brushing his suit jacket off his shoulder and tugging his tie off his neck. He leads you to your couch, his hands gripping your waist. He still knows your apartment, and your body, like the back of his hand.

You rumble down on the couch, him carefully leaning above you as he moves his kisses down to your neck. “Jay.” you breathe out, tilting your head to give him more space. “I missed you so much.” he sighs, bring his lips back against your while his hand travels up your thigh. “I‘ll never push you away again, I promise.”

He stopped. eyes landing on Yuji, then the running sink, then the soaked phone in Yuji’s hands.

Silence. A really bad silence.

“…what the fuck did you do?”

Yuji froze, his tiny shoulders shot up to his ears. “I-I didn’t mean—”

“The hell happened to my phone?”

Yuji’s lip immediately started wobbling. Sukuna stormed forward and ripped the phone out of his hands. Water dripped all over his fingers. His face twisted instantly.

“You put my phone in water?!”

“It had fingerprints—”

“ARE YOU STUPID?”

Yuji physically flinched.

“I was cleaning it—”

“With SOAP?!” Sukuna snapped. “Who the hell washes a phone in the sink?!” Yuji looked seconds away from crying now.

“I didn’t know…”

“This was a brand new fucking phone.”

Tiny sniffle.

“You can’t just throw electronics into water because they’re dirty, dumbass.”

Yuji’s eyes filled immediately, but Sukuna was still too pissed to notice.

“You know how expensive this shit was? Huh?”

“I’m sorry…”

“Sorry doesn’t magically fix it.”

Yuji’s breathing started getting shaky. The second Sukuna saw that trembling little face, his expression flickered for half a second, but he was still angry.

“So now I gotta waste money replacing it because you decided to play housekeeper?”

Yuji’s chin crumpled. That was it, he turned around and bolted. Little socked feet slapping loudly against the hallway floor while Sukuna stood there holding the dead phone.

“…oh, for fuck’s sake.”

A second later your bedroom door slammed open. You looked up from your phone just in time to see a tiny pink-haired blur launch himself onto the bed.

“Save me!”

Yuji crashed into you and immediately tried climbing into your lap.

“What happened?” you laughed softly, already rubbing his back.

“Sukuna hates me,” Yuji whispered miserably. You frowned a little.

Then Sukuna appeared in the doorway looking furious, soaked phone still in his hand. “He washed my fucking phone.”

Yuji hid his face against your chest instantly. “It was a accident…”

“He put it under running water.”

“It had fingerprints…”

Sukuna stared at him like he’d lost his mind.

“IT’S A PHONE. NOT A PLATE.”

You bit the inside of your cheek trying not to smile. “He was trying to help.”

“I don’t give a fuck, he broke it!”

Yuji squeezed your hoodie tightly.

“…are you gonna throw me away?”

The room instantly went silent, Sukuna’s anger visibly cracking. Yuji looked genuinely terrified now. Like he actually thought he’d ruined everything. Sukuna stared at him for a long moment before swearing quietly under his breath.

“…kid.”

Yuji sniffled.

“I didn’t mean to…”

Sukuna rubbed hard at his face with one hand. When he spoke again, he still sounded rough, but not nearly as sharp.

“I’m not gonna throw you away, idiot.”

“You yelled really loud…”

“Yeah, cause I was pissed off.”

Yuji flinched again, which made Sukuna immediately look annoyed at himself now.

“But not at you,” he muttered. “At the phone.”

Yuji peeked up carefully.

“…really?”

“Yeah, really.”

You watched the anger slowly drain from Sukuna’s face the more he looked at Yuji trying not to cry. His shoulders dropped a little.

“This is why kids shouldn’t touch expensive shit,” he grumbled.

Yuji sniffled harder. “I can give you my piggy bank…”

Sukuna snorted before he could stop himself. “…you have twelve dollars in there.”

“It’s thirteen now,” Yuji whispered.

“You’re not paying me thirteen bucks for a thousand dollar phone, dumbass.”

Yuji crawled a little closer toward the edge of the bed. “You still mad?”

“A little.”

Yuji immediately hid again.

“But,” Sukuna sighed, reaching over to flick Yuji lightly on the forehead, “I’m not mad enough to stop loving you. So quit lookin’ at me like I’m gonna put you up for adoption.”

Yuji blinked. “…what’s adoption?”

“You ask too many questions.”

You laughed quietly while Yuji finally gave a tiny giggle into your shoulder. After a minute, Yuji carefully held his arms up toward Sukuna, a silent request. Sukuna stared at him.

“You were just hiding from me.”

“Carry me pwease.”

“You’re unbelievable.”

Still, Sukuna scooped him up with one arm. Yuji instantly wrapped around him like a baby monkey.

“…you still love me?” Yuji asked quietly.

Sukuna looked offended. “Yeah, yeah,” he grumbled. “Unfortunately.” Yuji giggled softly against his shoulder. Sukuna adjusted him higher on his hip before muttering, “You’re lucky you’re cute.”

“I said sorry…”

“You also broke my phone.”

“It was dirty.”

Sukuna stared at the ceiling for a long moment like he was asking for strength. Then he sighed and pressed a quick rough kiss to the top of Yuji’s pink hair. “Next time,” he muttered, “you ask before cleaning expensive shit.”

Yuji nodded seriously.

“…okay.” A pause. “Can I wash your laptop too?”

“Absolutely the fuck not.”

SET AFTER:

Rockstar - Brendon Park meets his match against PTMC's fiery new attending.

Pussy Wagon - A spilled drink leads you to see a different side of your nemesis Park The Shark.

The First Time (NSFW) - Fireworks aren't the only explosive thing happening at Jesse's Fourth of July party.

A Loaded Gun (NSFW) - Hate sex has never been so fucking hot...

The Game - Brendon finds himself breaking his own rules when it comes to you.

Pittfest -Brendon comforts you when you fall apart after the events of Pittfest.

Is He Prettier Than Me? - Brandon gets curious when he learns you have other plans.

The Drawer - Brendon realises your relationship may be shifting when he discovers he has a drawer at your place.

Scrunchies - Scrunchies… they’re the downfall of Brendon Park.

Love Games (NSFW) - Brendon and you love to play games, especially with each other.

An Exquisite Form of Torture (NSFW) - Brendon continues to turn up the heat as he holds you captive.

THAT Guy - Brendon is forced to face up to his feelings for you when he finds out your meeting up with an ex.

Seven Days - Seven days is far too long to go without you...

Save It - A thirty six hour shift leads to another admission about your relationship with Brendon.

Doctor Dick - Brendon's day takes a turn when Whitaker gives him some critical information.

A Manipulative Fuck - You and Brendon discuss what happened with your ex.

The Call (NSFW) - Brendon decides to put a stop to David's calls once and for all.

The One That Hates The Ravens - David's attempt at revenge backfires spectacularly.

The Lovin Spoonful - You wake up to an unexpected surprise.

Delete, Block, Rinse, Repeat - A series of cryptic messages force Brendon to confront a secret he's been keeping for almost a decade.

His Father's Son - Brendon reflects on the past as he debates taking that first sip of whiskey.

The Cost of Dignity - Brendon's greatest secret comes with a cost.

A Kiss For Luck - Brendon struggles to navigate working at the hospital after the release of THAT video.

The Craziest Fucking Thing - You take matters into your own hands after receiving bad news from Brendon.

Ride Or Die - You wake up to the sound of an angry blender after Brendon discovers what happened with Rowena.

Diamonds (NSFW) - A bet leads to naughty shenanigans in a five star restaurant.

The Call Out - Brendon's focus on wedding planning is disrupted when he's called out to the scene of a multi-car pile up.

Good Hands - Abbot reminds Brendon you're in good hands as they proceed with the amputation.

Flayed - Brendon's world crashes down as he learns the truth about the accident.

Ten Things I Love About You - Brendon discovers a pink envelope in the pocket of the jacket you were wearing at the time of the accident.

The Parent Trap - Brendon faces your parents, leading to a surprise revelation.

Sledgehammer - Brendon struggles to cope in the aftermath of everything that's happened.

Et Tu Marianne? - Your mother throws Brendon under the bus after you wake up from surgery.

The Fucking Patient - Abbot has some harsh words for Brendon regarding your care.

Chemistry - You and Brendon finally have a moment alone to talk.

Ten days post op and you’ve become a serial absconder.

Brendon’s lost track of the number of times he’s dropped by your room between surgeries to find your bed empty and a pink post it note on your pillow. You should be completely tuckered out after your morning physio sessions but instead, you’re driving the nurses crazy with your disappearing acts.

The interesting part is you have accomplices. People who understand you need enrichment activities in order to function.

Robby and Jesse sneaking you out to play with Trouble in the memorial garden.

Whitaker whisking you away to the gift shop for new books.

Abbot leading you up to the eighth floor for the wheelchair races that he thinks Brendon doesn’t know about. It’s why you have a small stack of cash sitting alongside your bed, Abbot doesn’t use a wheelchair too often anymore, he’s got a little rusty with the manoeuvrability.

“Who broke her out today?” He asks Michelle, the nurse on duty for overseeing the ward during the handover period. He’s just finished up a Shoulder Arthroscopy and has an hour before his ACL Reconstruction.

“Garcia this time.” Michelle informs him, rubbing an agitated hand across her forehead. She seems to be the most irritated by your antics. “The Whitakers had their baby a couple of hours ago, and she wanted to see if they needed anything. I thought she would have texted you.”

That is big news. Huge news in fact. He knows the Whitakers don’t have any family in the city, that Dennis barely speaks to his folks back home in Nebraska except his brother Rick, and Lola was a ward of the system before striking out on her own. Their support network is a patchwork of friends they’ve made along the way, a found family just like his.

“My phones in my locker.” Brendon tells her, waving his hand dismissively at her snarky tone. He hates the way she doesn’t use your name, it’s always a harsh she whenever they talk about your wellbeing and it’s really starting to piss him off. “I just wanted to check in and see how physio went, but I think I’ll take a trip down to maternity ward, see how baby Whitaker is doing.”

“Doctor Park.” Michelle calls out as he pushes away from the desk. “I was sorry to hear about the wedding…if you need to talk about it…”

“Then I’ll talk to my fiancée.” Brendon snorts as he strides away without so much as a backwards glance.

There have been several offers like this since news got around the two of you called off the wedding. There’s a theory that the two of you are hurtling towards a breakup, that he’s only sticking around long enough for you to get back on your feet before he takes off for greener pastures. The thought of it is absolutely abhorrent to the man who spends his evenings catching the game in your room or fighting over what movie to watch and trying not to spill popcorn onto your bed.

It leaves a bad taste in his mouth as he takes the elevator up to the maternity ward. He’s just about managed to shake it off by the time he gets the Whitaker’s room number from the ward administrator. The door is open when he swings through it, but fledging parents are nowhere to be found, instead there you are, wheelchair drawn up alongside a plastic bassinette, watching over the tiny person swaddled up inside.

“Dennis is helping Lola take a shower.” You explain, never taking your eyes off the bundle of joy nestled in her blanket. “She looks just like him doesn’t she? She’s got Lola’s hair but those eyes…”

“They’re farmboi all the way.” Brendon agrees as he crosses his arms over his chest. There’s an ache in heart, a dull pain that makes it hard to breath as he watches you with the baby. “What did they name her?”

“Mia.” You say and he swallows past the lump in his throat as he stares down at the child. She stares back, those vivid blue eyes fixating on him as her tiny lips smack together. She starts to fuss and something in Brendon’s chest cracks at the sound. It’s so familiar to the one Toby used to make, but so different too.

“Do you think… do you think they’d be ok with me holding her?” He asks softly as those cries get louder, grating against his nerves.

“She’s been passed around like a football over the past few hours, I’m sure they’ll be fine with it.” You say, scooting your chair back a couple of inches to give him some space.

He reaches into the bassinet, drawing the tiny bundle into his arms. She’s lighter than Toby was, his boy has been a heavy baby just like him. Mia settles almost immediately, her ear pressed to the thrum of his heart as it beats wildly in his chest.

“I thought this would be a lot harder than it is.” He admits, shifting so that he’s supporting the baby’s head better in the crook of his elbow. “I stayed away from kids for a long time after Toby… this feels ok, it feels…good.”

“I’d be careful wielding that baby. Don’t want all of those nurses that are trying to get into your pants heads exploding at the thought of playing happy families with you.” You tease as he sits down on the edge of the bed so that the two of you are on a similar level.

The fact you’ve clocked that doesn’t surprise him, but it does infuriate him because he finds it so fucking disrespectful that they treat you as if you aren’t there while they’re doing it. You seem to be taking it in your stride through. He isn’t sure if it’s the faith you have in him, or the fact you have bigger things to worry about.

Your fingertip smooths over Mia’s delicate cheek and she smacks her lips together, bubbles appearing across them. “I can’t believe they made such a tiny person.”

“Rae, I know we talked about this but… does this change anything for you?” He says, thinking back to the look in your eyes when he first walked in. There was such a tenderness in your expression, a love he never saw from Rowena even with their own son. “I know I’ve had a vasectomy but there are other options if you’ve changed your mind-”

“No.” A soft smile plays across your features as you look down at Mia. “I think being god mother to this little one will be enough for me… that and you know… the dog we’ll be getting when I heal up since Trouble wants to stick with his dog daddies.”

“Yes, Trouble is proving hard to lure over to the dark side.” Brendon sighs thinking of his Godpuppy. He’d brought a lot of joy to your lives even before the accident, and now that the house is almost finished, the two of you will definitely have the space for an additional furry family member. “He’s Robby and Jesse’s baby through and through.”

“You are very cute though Mia…” You console the child in his arms. “Oh, she’s making a face…”

“That’s because she’s pooping.” Brandon informs you, his nose wrinkling as the smell hits him. “Christ, I do not miss that.”

You roll your chair back as Whitaker steps through the door. Lola’s arm is threaded through his as he supports her back to the bed. She looks almost rejuvenated after her shower, her gaze comes to rest on the baby in Brendon’s arms as he holds her out towards her father.

“Just in time.” Brendon says handing Mia over. Whitaker takes her with a special kind of gentleness, one that Brendon remembers from his own experiences as a first-time dad.  “She’s ready for her first diaper change. I can help if you’re not sure. The first time I did Toby’s…”

He trails off, the words dying on his tongue. He senses Whitaker’s confusion before the reality dawns on him. After what happened with Rowena and that video everybody knows he had a son, that he passed away before he got to live a full, meaningful life.

“Yeah.” Whitaker says as he looks up at Brendon, the edges of his mouth tipping up into a smile. “I think we could use all the help we can get.”

Like My Work? - Tip your friendly fan fic writer here!

He hums softly in agreement to your previous statement, continuing to get lost in the scene that is playing.

Both of you are ripped out of your cozy atmosphere by the ringing of your doorbell.

“I’ll get it.” you exclaim energetically, wiggling out from under his arm as you get up. Him and you both know that it must be the food you ordered almost an hour ago. Burgers. Jason’s choice, of course.

As you make your way to the door, you can feel Jason’s gaze following your steps. You know that he’s always as careful as he can be, especially when it comes to you. You never know what kind of people may be showing up at your doorstep, even if it’s just to deliver food.

“Jaylove? Do you have cash for a tip?” you question, turning to face where he’s now sitting facing the door, his shoulders squared broad and his legs spread. You know he would look menacing to whoever would stand at the door and see him behind you, glaring.

“My wallet‘s in my jacket pocket.” he answers, his voice soft in comparison to the way he holds his body.

You huff quietly, rolling your eyes at his antics while your turn to where his jacket is hung up next to the door, reaching into his pocket. Even if you think he’s being dramatic, you love him for it. That’s why you can’t help the smile creeping across your face as you turn back around, now with his wallet clutched in your hand.

Before you can make a teasing remark, the whole interaction is cut off with a knock at the door, and you quickly open it to find your delivery driver holding out the bag of food to you.

You exchange a quick greeting as you take the bag and press a five dollar bill in his hand, and he thank you quietly before he’s already on his way again.

With the bag of food in one hand, and Jason’s wallet in the other, you gently nudge the door closed with your hip, turning to make your way into the kitchen, when a small piece of paper catches your eyes.

Maneuvering his wallet into the same hand holding the bag, you quickly bend down and pick it up.

Now that you can see it up close, you recognize that it’s a receipt. Specificity, the receipt of the first time the two of you went out together.

You still remember how nervous you were, finally crossing the line from friends to something more.

You still remember how nervous Jason was, trying not to let it show but failing miserably as he stumbled over his words and almost knocked over his drink.

You still remember insisting that you could split the bill, but he insisted on paying for you the both of you.

And you still remember how the two of you doodled together on the back of the receipt while waiting for the waiter to come back.

Meanwhile in the kitchen, Jason is now getting plates out of the both of you. When he notices you not moving, he looks up, softly calling out to you. “Baby? You coming?”

You’re snapped out of your memories by his voice, and you look up to find him watching you already. Then his eyes drift down to what you’re holding.

He raises a brow. “What‘d you got there?”

Eyes crinkling, a cheesy smile lights up your face as your mouth forms a subtle pout.

Moving towards him, you set the bag and his wallet down on the counter across from him.

“You kept the receipt from our first date?” you question softly, even though you know the answer already. In a split second, you see his face going from confusion, to embarrassment, finally ending up in a sheepish expression.

“That’s so fucking cute, Jason.” you tell him straight up, already knowing he’s searching for the right way to explain himself. But you don’t need him to.

His eyes widen slightly in surprise. “It is? I thought you’d think it would be… weird.” He confesses.

“What?” you exclaim. “No way! Why would that be weird?”

He just shrugs, shyly avoiding your gaze. You round the counter, now taking his face inbetween the palms of your hands, tilting his head so he’s forced to meet your eyes.

Your smile brightens when you notice the flush on his cheeks. God, he looks so cute you just want to squeeze him.

“That’s really sweet of you, baby. I mean it.“ you express.

Jason mirrors your smile, if somewhat smaller. “I‘m glad.” he admits. “I’ve kept it in my wallet since that night. Right next to the picture of you.”

He swallows before he continues. “Sometimes I take it out and just look at it, and I’m reminded of our first date. That was arguably the best day of my life back then, and it always reminds me what I’m coming home to.” he shrugs sheepishly, like he didn’t just made your eyes well up only with words.

You could melt right there and then at his confession. Instead, you move your hands away from his face and place them around his waist, pressing yourself against him in a hug. You squeeze your eyes shut as you nuzzle your face into his chest.

Jason is a little taken aback, but when he realized what you’re doing, he sees no other option but to wrap his arms around you, too.

The two of you stay like this for a while, before Jason hears a small sniff coming from you. He pulls his head back, trying to catch a glimpse of your face. “Are you crying?”

The only response he gets is silence, that’s then interrupted by another small sniff and a quiet “No.” from you.

He chuckles, shaking his head as he presses a long kiss on top of your head. “Come on, let’s eat.”

You pull back, quickly wiping under your eyes. Then you place on hand in the side of his face as you lean up, placing a quick peck on the opposite cheek. “I love you, Jason.” you smile, before turning to finally unbox the food from the bag.