Vegas Baby!
A Word: Wedded Wednesday for JayTim week.
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"Fuck it," Jason says. His grin is wide and reckless as he spins to face Tim. The lights of the strip and not-so-discrete photographers reflecting in his eyes. He tilts his head toward the brightly lit door of a garish wedding chapel, a sign outside listing the prices of various wedding packages. "Let's get married."
Tim smiles because people are watching and scowling doesn't really fit with the public's image of Timothy Drake-Wayne. Especially not when he's strolling casually down the Vegas strip in the company of a handsome but slightly familiar stranger the press hasn't managed to put a name to yet.
This whole stunt is for Jason's benefit, Tim has to remind himself. The last step in the overly complicated process that's been bringing Jason officially back from the dead and into the public limelight again. The legal paperwork and cover stories have been easy. It was the public acknowledgment that's been the real trial. Carefully staged photos of Jason with the family. Slipping locations to the paparazzi so they could get footage of one of them with Jason doing totally normal things. Giving the public the chance to see Jason easing his way in and allowing them to speculate first before the final bit of paperwork went through and became public record.
It's an awe inspiring plan of social engineering that only had one flaw. The problem being, of course, that the public did speculate about Jason. Wildly.
It'd been funny right up until a disgustingly domestic picture of Jason with his hand on Tim's back -he'd almost been run over by a bike courier and had stepped back to save himself and his bag of bagels- hit the internet and became the go-to picture for the mysterious new man in the Wayne's circle. Speculation had gone rabid that week, and Tim found himself the center of the public eye with his brand new love interest whom he was dating, stringing along, or already married to with plans to adopt a horde of underprivileged babies depending on who you got your rumor fix from.
Jason found it hilarious. Almost as much as Dick did. The two of them going out of their way to stage photos in any way possible to just encourage the rumors. Tim's been manhandled far too much in public in the past few weeks because of them, and the public has eaten it all up.
Tim's sure that this trip to Vegas was all Dick's idea, but the way Jason's taken advantage of it tells Tim he had encouragement. They've been here for three days already and Tim hasn't been able to take a single breath in all that time that didn't smell faintly like Jason. Any way he turns or sits or even leans leads Tim to Jason. Jason's hands have found a home on the small of his back, the curve of his stomach, and the inside of his thigh. He's had to smile as Jason called him by increasingly disgustingly sweet nicknames, had to laugh as Jason whispered insults about the crowd around them in his ears like they were sweet nothings. Had to go pliant in Jason's arms and take the butterfly kisses Jason's taken to leaving on his neck while far too many people gave them knowing looks. Tim's had to wake up every morning, wrapped up tight in Jason's arms, because of course they'd get the suite with a single king sized bed. And, of course, Jason wouldn't know how to stick to his side or how to keep the inevitable morning problems to himself.
Tim's had to smile and laugh and pretend that he's pretending to enjoy it all. Remind himself that Jason's breath on the back of his neck is just a joke. That the sounds Jason makes when Tim escapes to the bathroom in the morning aren't for Tim. The warmth that lingers when Jason pulls away is an after effect of the greatest prank Jason and Dick have pulled on the media to date. That no matter how much Tim likes the charade, no matter how much he wants it all to be real, it will end and then Jason will just be his brother.
It's more than mildly frustrating to say the least, and Tim hasn't had a single break from Jason in the last four days to shore up his usual defenses. That's the only reason why Tim steps up and slides his arms around Jason. Rests his head on his chest and calls Jason's bluff, "Okay, let's do it."
Even Jason wouldn't go that far for joke, right?
It takes two hours all told before Jason and Tim can stand in front of a gaudy altar while an official reads out a really generic passage about love. Jason hasn't stopped grinning, and he doesn't let go of Tim's hand when they exchange the generic rings that came with the amount of money Tim threw at the chapel. Enough to get the rings, the ceremony, and the marriage license expedited.
Tim expects Jason to flinch, to give under the pressure of what they're doing, but he doesn't. Jason's grin is almost manic as he repeats the vows to Tim. Honor and love and faithfulness. His grin only grows when Tim gives his own vows right back to him. Jason says, "I do," with no hesitation or trace of uncertainty, and Tim repeats the words in a numb haze as he realizes abruptly that Jason isn't going to back down.
Tim can almost feel Bruce's facepalm, and it's going to be epic when the news gets to him, as the bored official declares, "You may kiss the groom."
There's more than just the single flash of the chapel's paid photographer as Jason quickly pulls Tim into a burning kiss. Just hard and slick enough to take Tim's mind off the fact that the paparazzi have found their way into the chapel at the most inopportune moment. Jason's smiling though when Tim reluctantly pulls back to sign the documents the official witness is holding.
A limo is waiting at the curb and Tim slides into the back amid a scattering of cheers from people drawn by the crowd of photographers. Jason shouts something and closes the door on an even louder cheer. "We're going to be on the front of every paper tomorrow," Tim says to Jason with more than a little bit of horror. Even if they get the marriage annulled in the next hour, the story of their wedding is going to be in the spotlight for at least a week. Two if no one else steps up to give the news another scandal to beat to death.
"I hope you know," Jason says as he pulls Tim under his arm, grin in place but eyes deadly serious, "I don't believe in divorce. So, you're stuck with me now, baby."
"I think I can live with that," Tim eventually manages to say after a shocked moment, because Jason means it. Jason meant everything he's said in the past few hours. Even the painfully dull vows. "You might not when Bruce hears about this, but I think I'll manage being the Todd widow for the rest of my life well enough."
Tim fingers the edges of the license that'll put Jason's name in public record a full week before they'd all planned. He's not even sure if the proper laws have been passed in Gotham to make what they just did legal outside of Vegas. He's been far too busy with two new drug cartels trying to move in on the city to track the passage of those legal actions. Tim doesn't think Jason particularly cares what the law says though. His word has always been the only law he follows.
Jason laughs and brings Tim's hand up to his lips. Placing a gentle kiss on the garish gold ring that Tim's certain will leave a green ring on his finger by the end of the night. They're alone in the back of a limo, and it's not an act for the cameras. Tim sucks in a sharp breath because it's starting to sink in that this is just all Jason. "Gotta find you something better than this though. Don't want anyone thinking I'm a cheap husband."
Husband. Tim feels some of the numbness and euphoria fade at the word. The reality of what they've done setting in fully. "Oh, god, we're married."
"Yep," Jason sounds entirely too gleeful for Tim's peace of mind.
"Bruce really is going to kill both of us," Tim doesn't quite wail as he bonelessly slumps down in the seat.
"I'm more worried about Alfred," Jason tugs Tim until he's flopped over in his lap. Fingers combing soothingly through Tim's hair. "He's always wanted to be able to organize a wedding for one of us. You know he's going to give us looks for depriving him of that chance."
Which is totally and completely true. Alfred is going to be impossible to be around for the next month. Maybe two. Tim rolls over to look up at Jason, his husband. "We're going to have to do this again aren't we? Let Alfred have his party. No, wait, we're going to have to do this two more times."
Jason's wearing the grin he gets right before a particularly good bust. The one that's all teeth and promises of bloody violence. "One for Tim Drake and Jason Todd. And then another for Red Robin and Red Hood."
One for the public and one for the masked community. "You're enjoying this way too much, Jason," Tim protests but can't help the smile edging his lips up. Not when faced with the way Jason seems so very happy about all of this. Not when it's obvious how much the other man wants it. Wants Tim. And there's that euphoric feeling again, creeping up on the panic and stopping it cold. "You're going to hire ninjas to crash it, aren't you?"
If he wasn't before, he is now. Tim can't find it in him to be apprehensive at the calculating look that crosses Jason's face though, or worry about which celebration he'll hire them to crash.
"Of course I'm enjoying this," Jason answers, smug and happy as he urges Tim up. Just enough to lay another distracting kiss on him. His tongue tracing the edges of Tim's lips until he opens up and lets him in. They're both a little breathless when Jason pulls back. "I just married the love of my life in Vegas, and finally get to defile him in the bed we've been sharing for two nights. You have any idea how hard it's been to keep my hands to myself these past few nights Tim?"
Tim's heart feels like it flips as he probably smiles stupidly at Jason. Tim has an idea, yes. He keeps that to himself though as he sits up and slides over to straddle Jason's lap, because he has an even better idea. "Who says we have to wait to get to the hotel?"
"Fuck, yeah," Jason's laugh gets smothered in another kiss and Tim doesn't think about much else than how much better Jason's hands feel on bare skin for a good while.
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