He felt confident for about five seconds before the weight of the box started shifting backwards, pulling him with it. 

Tim gasped, struggling to stay upright. 

“Woah, there,” a voice said. The box stopped moving, keeping Tim upright. “Let’s get that down.” 

“Hey-” Tim started to object as the box was pulled from his hands. He turned to find Jason standing behind him, the box securely on the floor. “Oh.” 

Jason grinned, one hand on his hip and the other resting on the end of the box. “Looks like I got here in the nick of time. I’d ask if you need a hand, but I think it’s pretty obvious you do.” 

Tim blushed. “Yeah. I wasn’t exactly planning on the elevator being out when I got back.” 

Jason was a little surprised by the sheer amount of people he saw before they even stepped foot inside the art gallery. Once they crossed the threshold he instinctively took Tim’s hand, lacing their fingers together. 

“So, what’s the usual procedure for one of these things? B never took me to any of ‘em when I was a kid.” 

Tim grinned up at him and he swallowed, trying to convince himself the only reason his smile was so bright was because of the florescent lights beating down on them. 

“Well typically there are three main components to a gallery showing. The first is to drink. Similar to a gala there is lots of alcohol and even some refreshments. Second, and what’s supposed to be the main reason for coming to this, we look at the art and make vague comments about the style or the ‘deeper meaning behind it.’  And third, we make up some bullshit to impress the other guests.” 

Jason tilted his head to the side. “Is the bullshit about our own personal lives or about the art?” 

“Yes.” 

“Great,” he snorted. “Please tell me they at least have something better than champagne.” 

“They typically have wine, too...” he trailed off, standing on his tip-toes to try and see over the crowd. 

Jason spotted a uniformed worker holding a tray of glasses and tugged on Tim’s hand, pointing him in the right direction when he looked at him. They shuffled through the crowd and Jason nearly cheered when he saw the red liquid in the glasses. 

“Thank god it’s not champagne,” Jason muttered as he took a sip. 

Tim snickered as the server walked away to offer drinks to the other guests. “Oh am I going to see what you get like when you get wine drunk today?” 

“Oh my, Tim Drake is that you?” a high-pitched voice called. 

Tim turned and came face-to-face with an elderly woman clutching her purse against her side and cradling a wine glass in a hand covered with so many rings Jason was surprised she could hold it up. 

“Good afternoon Mrs. Geraldine, how are you doing today?” Tim asked, slapping on the smile he used when talking to all of the wealthy snobs. 

“I’m doing wonderful dear,” she said, her eyes sliding past Tim to Jason. “And who is this with you? I do believe I saw the two of you together at the last Gala Mr. Wayne hosted.” 

Tim nodded. “Yes, this is my boyfriend, Jason. I thought it might be nice to show him some of the art by one of Gotham’s local artists.” 

“Well it’s lovely to meet you,” she said, nodding at Jason. “We were all so surprised when you arrived with a date since you normally come to such events on your own. You really should’ve introduced him sooner.” 

Jason watched as more women wandered over, eavesdropping on the conversation. He could tell it wouldn’t be long before they started asking their own questions as well. 

“Well I didn’t want to overwhelm him with too many galas or fancy events. You know how stuffy they can be sometimes.” 

She chuckled. “How did the two of you meet anyway? It must be quite the story if he managed to capture your heart.” 

“We’ve known each other for years-” 

“So you’re childhood friends?” one of the women who’d been eavesdropping asked. 

Tim looked a little surprised at her question. “Um, no not exactly-” 

“Did you go to school together then? University?” a third woman asked, joining the circle forming around. 

Jason kept his eyes on Tim, but he still seemed relaxed despite the extra attention. He was a little surprised he was so easily talking about their supposed relationship. Especially after he was stressing about what their story would be. 

“Our families know each other and through a series of social events we got to talking, started spending more time together, and things just went from there.” 

The three woman cooed. 

“Does this mean there’s a possible engagement in your future?” Mrs. Geraldine asked, gaze sliding to Jason. 

Tim flushed. “No-I mean, not in the immediate future. I don’t think either of us are quite ready for that yet. We haven’t been dating that long even though we’ve known each other longer.” 

The three women didn’t do much to hide their disappointment and Jason could see they were gearing up for another round of questions. Even though Tim’s smile was still in place, Jason could see the weariness tightening his features. 

“If you don’t mind,” he said, flashing his most charming smile at the women. “I think the two of us are overdo for a look at the artwork on display. I’m sure we’ll have more time to chat later.” 

Before they could stop them, Jason pulled Tim into the crowd and put some distance between them. 

Tim sighed and leaned against him. “Thanks.” 

Jason smiled and squeezed his hand. “Now, I was promised some artwork, so how about we find out what the big deal is for this event?” 

“Sounds great.” 

~~

“Is that really supposed to be Gotham?” 

“Jason!” 

“Can you blame me? It looks like the leftovers of a very unfortunate dinner.” 

~~

“How unfortunate. A crayon was murdered. It was so young and had so much potential.” 

“Jason,” Tim hissed. 

“There were so many trees it didn’t get to color in,” he huffed, wiping a fake tear from his eye.

~~

“911, what’s your emergency?” 

“Jay-” 

“It’s terrible, my child ate my blueberry pie and suddenly turned into a balloon! When I tried to lasso him, my foot got stuck!” 

~~

“Really, they aren’t even trying with this one!” 

Tim squeezed his hand, trying not to laugh. 

“They literally drew a pile of shit. I’m surprised flies aren’t hovering around the canvas because that is just...wow.” 

Tim pressed his face against Jason’s arm, trying to muffle his giggles from the rest of the guests. 

Jason grinned triumphantly, glad that Tim’s exhaustion had long since faded and he was able to keep him laughing. Compared to some of the other stuff they got roped into, these gallery showings weren’t half bad. 

“Come on,” he said, nudging Tim’s shoulders. “Let’s go look at that one next.” 

Tim grinned, cheeks flushed. “Okay!” 

Sorry this took me so long, but I hope you like it!

~~

Tim grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair when he heard the call. 

“Drake! Detective Drake!” 

“I’ll be back,” he shouted back, pushing through the front doors of the precinct. He jumped into his cruiser and quickly pulled out of the parking lot, nearly drifting into the second lane in his hurry. 

The Red Hood. The gang leader he’d been following for weeks was finally going to make an appearance again. He’d managed to get in close contact with him once and despite Red Hood’s threats he hadn’t dropped his investigation of him. 

Tim flipped on his sirens, grinning as the path cleared in front of him, civilian cars eager to get out of his way. Technically he wasn’t supposed to use the sirens on his cruiser. Most of the officers didn’t like that he got a cruiser since he was a detective, but it did have his perks and he made sure never to abuse his standing. 

His tires screeched as he whipped around the next corner, heading for the warehouse district near the docks. He knew where this meeting was happening. He knew where the Red Hood housed his operations, but he hadn’t been able to make his move yet. 

Tonight would be his opportunity. 

He killed the sirens a couple blocks away and turned off his headlights, slowing until he found an alley to slide into. He drove a few feet in, wanting to keep his vehicle hidden to immediate detection, but not have it tucked so far away that getting out would be difficult. 

Tim climbed out of his car and paused at the mouth of the alley. The buildings around him were dark and the nearby streets were quiet. He ducked his head and hurried down the streets, mentally mapping out how far he was from his destination. 

He weaved through the streets quickly and circled around the back of the Red Hood’s warehouse. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and ignored it. Now wasn’t the time to risk drawing attention to himself. 

He glanced behind him, satisfied when he found himself alone. He carefully moved along the wall, doing his best to keep to the shadows. 

A bullet ricocheted off the next brick in front of him. He whirled around, trying to keep calm as he took in the figure of the Red Hood looming a few feet away from him. 

“Well, well, well...it seems that I found a little rat hanging around my house,” he said, closing the distance between them, the gun still pointed in Tim’s direction. 

Tim swallowed, trying not to let himself get distracted by the two other guns strapped to his thighs. 

“I know you’ve been watching me. It hasn’t been too hard to figure out. You’re not as sneaky as you might think.” 

Tim swallowed, not daring to move. “Well, it’s not easy when I’m working alone and don’t have easy access to the extent of the precinct’s resources.” He sounded more confident than he felt. 

Red Hood chuckled and after a moment he dropped the gun to his side. “Still...I’m not sure if it’s incredible daring or stupidity that brought you here tonight.” 

“As soon as I catch wind of a lead I’m going to chase after it,” Tim huffed narrowing his eyes. He searched the red mask, wishing he could see what kind of expression the man beneath was making. 

“Pity you can’t tell a real lead from a fake one.” 

Tim felt his world turn upside down. “What?” he blurted. 

“My gang isn’t up to anything tonight. I just wanted to see if I could drag you out here and it looks like it worked,” he continued. 

“Why?” Tim asked. 

“Because I want some answers from you.” 

Tim frowned, noticing a second too late that the Red Hood was raising his hand. He brought down the gun quickly against the side of Tim’s head, sending him to the ground. 

~~

Tim groaned, his head throbbing. He tried to bring up a hand to rub the sleep from his eyes, but found he couldn’t move. 

“Don’t bother struggling. I tied them myself. You’re not going to be getting out of those bindings anytime soon.” 

Tim’s head snapped up and he found the Red Hood sitting in a chair across from. He was missing the leather jacket he usually donned and Tim was painfully aware of how tightly fitting his armor was. 

“Where the hell am I?” Tim asked. looking around the bare room. 

“Somewhere we won’t be interrupted.” 

“Why did you need to bring me here?” 

“Like I said, I want some answers. Why have you been pursuing me? You don’t have the backing of the precinct. You’re moving on your own. What did you think you were going to accomplish if you ever got close to me?” 

Tim tried to shrug, but knew it was lopsided since he couldn’t move his hands. 

The Red Hood sighed and pushed himself to his feet. He walked forward and gripped Tim’s chin in his fingers. 

“What do you want?” he growled. 

“You remind me of someone,” Tim blurted. 

“What?” he asked, sounding more confused than Tim thought was possible. 

Tim swallowed. “You remind me of someone. It’s not just that you’re a gang leader involved in highly illegal activities, but you remind me of someone. You could’ve shot me in the alley when you caught me sneaking around but you didn’t.” 

“So, you just decided to follow me because I remind you of someone. Again, what were you planning to do once you caught me?” 

Tim winced. “I don’t know. I hadn’t thought that far ahead...” 

“Oh my god, you’re such a fucking idiot,” he muttered, releasing Tim’s chin. 

His tone held a note of familiarity that Tim wasn’t expecting. “So,” he sighed, taking his seat again. “Who do I remind you of?” 

Tim felt his face heat up and looked away even though he couldn’t see the man’s eyes. “A boy I knew as a kid. I lost contact with him. I don’t even know if he’s still in Gotham. Hell, he might not even be alive anymore.” 

“A street rat? A street rat influenced you that much?” he scoffed. 

“He’s not a street rat!” Tim protested. “Or maybe he is. I don’t know. Fuck, I don’t care if he is. The fact is that Jason is someone I’ll never forget.” 

“Jason?” 

“What, are you going to tell me you have someone named Jason in your gang?” Tim sneered. 

“Something like that.” 

Tim paused, unsure where to go from there. 

“Is that it?” he finally asked. “Can you let me go now?” 

“No, I don’t think so.” 

“Why not? Do you have some other question for me?” 

“No.” 

Tim watched, confused as the Red Hood brought his hands up to his helmet. He heard the click of latches and watched as the helmet was tugged off. 

Tim swore he still had to be dreaming. 

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: DCU, Batman - All Media Types Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Tim Drake/Jason Todd Characters: Jason Todd, Tim Drake Additional Tags: Pre-Relationship, Christmas, Christmas Fluff Summary:

Content warning for this update: Tim vomits during the section. I don’t go into a whole lot of detail but it does happen. 

~~

The smell of the old mac and cheese still covering the floor was starting to make Tim nauseous. He was almost wishing Jason would come back and bring him some water to try and settle his stomach. But he wasn’t sure if he was quite ready to talk to him again. 

Not after his last tantrum. 

He might have been embarrassed for exploding the way he did if he wasn’t dealing with someone who refused to give him any kind of information. 

There had to be another way out of this situation. He just needed to be patient and figure things out. There was a slim chance the precinct would be able to track him down if they cared enough. His notes were still on his desk and they pointed to the location of Jason’s warehouse. 

Assuming he hadn’t been moved while he was unconscious. 

Uneasiness mixed with his nausea and Tim swallowed, fighting to keep the contents of his stomach from coming up. 

The lock on the door clicked and Tim braced himself. He wasn’t prepared for how much brighter the light outside his room seemed after being stuck in the dark for so long. 

His stomach roiled and Tim desperately fought to keep it under control. He could tell the person coming in wasn’t Jason. 

“I’m just here to clean-” 

Tim gagged. 

“Hey, what’s-” 

He was grateful he hadn’t eaten anything for several hours. His gags turned to dry heaves which quickly became stomach fluid forcing it’s way out of his mouth. 

He was vaguely aware of the guy who’d come inside shouting something. 

“Someone get the boss! I need some help in here!” 

Tim ducked his head, trying to suck in precious breaths as he continued to heave. He squeezed his eyes shut, wishing he was home and curled up in his bed. 

“Hey, it’s gonna be okay.” 

Tim nodded, hoping that by agreeing to whatever was being said it would make this discomfort go away that much sooner. 

“Tim? Tim!” 

Someone grabbed his chin and pulled his head upright. Tim blinked, fighting to focus on the face inches from his. 

“Ja-son?” 

Jason cursed and turned to the people surrounding him to bark orders. They hastily complied and Tim felt the bindings around his legs loosen. His wrists were lighter once the weight of the shackles disappeared. 

He groaned when the world tilted and he grabbed the shirt of whoever was carrying him before twisting around to dry heave once again, not having anything else in his stomach. 

Tim screwed his eyes shut and took careful breaths. He felt himself being moved, but didn’t want to risk dry heaving again to try and figure out where he was being taken. He just wanted sweet, sweet relief. 

He heard a loud bang beside him and seconds later he was being carefully maneuvered onto something soft. He rolled over, burying his face in the cloud under his head. 

“Don’t fall asleep on me yet, I need to get you out of these dirty clothes.” 

Tim nearly sobbed when he started getting manhandled and was kept from sleeping. He tried to shove the hands away, but he was either weak from whatever sickness decided to rear its ugly head or the person pulling off his pants and shirt was unbelievably strong. 

Thankfully they didn’t go much farther than his outer garments and a blanket was draped over his shivering form. 

The last thing Tim felt before he drifted off were fingers running through the sweaty strands of hair tangled on top of his head. 

Tim shut the door behind him and let out a long breath, sagging against the wood. Part of him wanted to collapse in the entry, but he knew that would just lead to a stiff neck and sore muscles. He pulled off his shoes and shuffled into the living room, throwing himself onto the couch to sink into the cushions. 

He buried his face into a throw pillow with a groan, squirming against the cushions. He couldn’t believe he’d spent three hours pressed against Jason. He couldn’t believe that he’d rested his hand on Jason’s thigh. That wasn’t necessary to keep up their facade. No one would’ve judged him for not doing it and just staying pressed against Jason’s side like a sane person would. 

He knows there are going to be pictures of them all over the internet. There’s no way their presence didn’t do unnoticed and part of him was dreading having to see the two of them everywhere because he was sure the pictures were going to make him wish it was real and they weren’t just pretending. 

Things were only going to get worse when they went to that baseball game the next weekend. 

Tim huffed. And he’d made a comment that it would be a date. He shouldn’t have said that. He really shouldn’t have said that. Jason wouldn’t think any more of it he was sure, but now his mind would be filled with possibilities if it really was a date. 

They could share food and drinks. He could steal Jason’s hat. Maybe the kiss cam would be on them and they’d shyly share a kiss for the whole crowd. But none of that was going to happen. 

It was going to be a normal game and they’d probably act like regular friends watching a game together. And he would hate himself the entire time for letting this get blown out of proportion. 

It wasn’t supposed to be a big deal. It was supposed to be easy. They were just supposed to hang around each other at galas and some of the other shit that Tim was often roped into. But now he was getting attached. Now he was desperate for the little touches and glances Jason shared with him. 

He knew Jason didn’t mean any of it. He’d been the one to suggest it and wouldn’t have if there was any risk of it going terribly. He should stop. He knew he should stop. 

He just needed to get a little bit of distance and forget about this. A week or two without going on a public date with Jason wouldn’t be so strange. They could be busy or maybe they had some quieter dates. He could give any number of reasons if people were curious. 

As long as they didn’t ask him how he felt about Jason. 

~~

Jason grinned up at the ceiling of his bedroom. He was riding high after the tennis match which was something he never thought he would think in his entire life. 

He’d spent hours with Tim under his arm, his palm resting on his thigh and it had felt so right. The sane part of his mind told him that he shouldn’t be so happy about this when admitting his budding attraction would only lead to trouble later on. 

But he’d never really been that sane since he came out of a glowing green pit and it would be too much trouble to get that side of him under control now. 

And they were going to a baseball game next weekend. He’d have Tim all to himself for another several hours. He could wrap his arm around his shoulders and buy all kinds of food. 

When Tim said it would be a date he knew he didn’t really mean it like that, but the insane part of his mind was overjoyed that this was a date. It was a date and he was going to make it as great as possible. 

If this was the last thing they ever got to do while pretending to be boyfriends, he was going to cherish every second of it. 

Tim was shocked Jason let him make it all the way back to his apartment before he confronted him. A part of him was expecting him to be ambushed while walked through the shadows between one street light and the next, but he was largely left alone despite being followed. 

Tim loosened his tie as soon as he was inside and threw his jacket across the back of the couch, not bothering to turn on the lights as he made his way to his kitchen. 

He grabbed a glass and filled it with water from the tap, taking a long drink as he felt a cool breeze hit the back of his neck. 

Tim set his glass down on the counter and turned, taking in the sight of Jason standing in the open door of his balcony, the curtains billowing around the imposing figure of the Red Hood. 

He mulled over what he wanted his first words to be. He had no intention of playing the ignorant damsel in distress, but he couldn’t just come out and say he knew who Jason was. 

Perhaps a knowledgeable middle ground was best. 

“I was wondering when you were going to finally show up,” Tim said, crossing his arms and leaning against the counter behind him. 

Jason stayed silent for a moment, no doubt trying to strike fear within him. But Tim wasn’t afraid. If Jason tried to hurt him he knew how to defend himself. He didn’t want to fight, not with Jason. Not when they were connected on a deeper level than Jason knew. 

“And you still willingly isolated yourself?” Jason scoffed. 

Tim raised an eyebrow. “You’d only kill me if you had a good reason to. And if you wanted me dead you could’ve put a bullet in my head long before I even reached my front door. So, care to tell me why you decided to pay me a visit?” 

“I want to know why you’re buying up all of Black Mask’s stocks. What do you intend to do with his companies?” 

“I thought that might be what you’re after,” Tim said with a nod. He sighed and let his arms fall to his sides. He pushed off the counter and walked around the kitchen table into the living room, closing some of the distance between them, but not getting close enough for Jason to reach out and touch him. 

“Don’t worry, I’m not planning on getting in your way if that’s what you’re worried about. His businesses are disgustingly corrupt and I want to fix them. He has some valuable resources that could help the people of Gotham and I want to ensure they’re used properly.” 

“And if I don’t believe you?” 

Tim shrugged, trying not to shiver when a burst of chilled air rolled over his skin. The colder months would be coming sooner rather than later and he wasn’t looking forward to it. 

“You came here to ask my reason and that is my reason. Whether I’m lying or not is something you’re going to have find out.” he said, allowing himself a little smirk. 

Tim gasped when Jason moved between one blink and the next, grabbing the front of his shirt and forcing him back a step. He wasn’t able to stop the spike of fear that ran through him, sending his heart racing in his chest. 

He swallowed, trying to get his emotions under control. He’d let his guard down, finding comfort in his connection with Jason. The only problem was that Jason had no idea they were soulmates. There was still nothing stopping him from leaving him for dead if he really wanted to. He’d only know the consequences of his actions afterwards. 

“Listen closely, I’ll do you a favor and let you make it through tonight alive, but the second I catch wind of you doing anything dirty, don’t expect to last another five minutes in that comfy office of yours. You claim that you want to make these companies better and help the people of Gotham, but you business types are always looking out for your gain,” Jason hissed. 

Tim knew he was probably baring his teeth, but his angry expression was hidden behind his helmet. He swallowed, fighting to keep his emotions in check. 

“Then I guess I’ll just have to show you that I’m different from the rest.” 

Jason released his shirt, but didn’t step back. “Don’t get too comfortable, Tim Drake. I’ll be keeping an eye on you to make sure you do as you say.” 

Tim nodded, holding his breath until Jason finally pulled away and stalked over to his balcony, disappearing over the edge. 

He took a moment to catch his breath, trying to calm his rapid heart beat and his fight or flight instincts that were on high alert. He rubbed his chest and walked over to the open door, shutting and locking it. 

He staggered over to the couch and landed heavily on the edge, dropping his head into his hands. He was a little worried he’d just thrown himself into the deepest depths of the ocean completely unprepared. 

“So,” Jason drawled when he landed next to Tim on top of one of Gotham’s skyscrapers. “How are things going after last night? Did you get the concerned Dad talk from B?” 

Tim chuckled and knocked their shoulders together, unable to hide his grin. “Of course I did. He wanted to make sure we were absolutely sure of what we were doing and was very adamant that as long as this was going on I wouldn’t be able to date anyone for real.” 

Jason snorted. “Not like you could anyway.” 

“Exactly,” he huffed. “But other than Bruce, most people who scour the local tabloids seem to be buying it. There are just a few who have given me a bit of an idea about how we can make this a little more realistic for our fans.” 

“We have fans now? Are you kidding?” 

Tim grinned. “I’m completely serious. If you thought you were going to get out of this without a cult following then I have news for you.” 

Jason groaned. “I really hope this doesn’t mean I’m going to be followed randomly down the street.” 

“There’s a good chance. Just be glad you don’t have any social media accounts or they would be blowing up. And try to keep your apartment a secret. I’d hate for you to be on the receiving end of death threats.” 

Tim kept his face blank even as Jason’s helmet stared him down. He wasn’t going to laugh. He wasn’t going to break. He wouldn’t. 

“Okay, now I know you’re fucking with me,” Jason muttered. 

Tim shook his head, pursing his lips. 

“You are, I can fucking tell you are, you little shit.” 

Tim grinned and laughed, enjoying Jason’s fake sense of frustration. 

“You’re lucky I don’t hate you.” 

“Love you too, Jay,” Tim sang. “But anyway, what I was going to say before we got off track, is that we should probably go on a couple of more informal dates in addition to the fancier public appearances. A lot of people were wondering why we were suddenly making ourselves known now when there’d been no word of us being seen together before. I’m not afraid to admit they have a point since bringing someone to a gala on a first date would definitely be pretty high stress.” 

Jason crossed his arms. “That’s not actually a terrible idea. What did you have in mind?” 

“We have the art showing coming up pretty soon, so I was thinking we could have lunch beforehand.” 

“So, a pre-date date.” 

Tim shrugged. “Basically, yeah.” 

“Sure. I’ve got no problem with it. As long as you’re paying of course.” 

Tim waved a hand at him. “It’s no problem. I can cover the bill. This time at least. I’ve already got a place picked out and everything. Make sure you come pick me up at noon before the event.” 

Jason gave him a thumbs-up and rolled his shoulders. “Easy enough. Now, should we get this night started or what?” 

Tim rolled his eyes and slapped Jason on the arm before he sprinted across the rooftop and dove over the edge, laughter lost to the wind while Jason scrambled after him. 

~~

Tim glanced up when he heard a knock on his door. He finished tying his shoes and straightened, grabbing his phone and wallet before he pulled the door open. 

“Right on time,” he said with a grin, taking in Jason before him. He was wearing a cardigan over a plain tee and a nicer pair of jeans. “And you don’t look too bad either.” 

“Please, I’ll have you know that more than a couple of women stopped and gave me a look on my way here. If you’re not careful, everyone at the showing is going to fall in love with me and you’ll have some new competition.” 

Tim chuckled and locked his door. “Oh, I need to be careful? The whole reason we set this up was so I wouldn’t be bombarded by available socialites anymore. Don’t think your competition has disappeared so easily, Todd.” 

“Then I’ll just bare my teeth and growl a little bit. That should be enough to scare them off.” 

“Looks like your manners need some work, too,” Tim sighed, leading Jason down the street. “I’ll have to get you in shape or everyone is going to think I’m dating such a brute.” 

“Status isn’t important when you’re in love. Isn’t that right, baby?” Jason asked, throwing an arm around his shoulders and making a kissy face at him. 

Tim rolled his eyes and pushed his head away, but didn’t do anything about Jason’s arm, leaving it in place. 

Before long they reached a small cafe and were given a table on the patio, the umbrella shading them from the sun. It had been a while since he’d done something that wasn’t a planned event and found that he’d missed having the chance to get lunch with someone that was easy to be around and who he didn’t have to met certain standards for. 

He was starting to think that pretending to date Jason was going to have some unexpected perks if he could wrangle him into meeting up for lunch more often. He wouldn’t mind paying if it gave him a chance to relax in public.