I slowly open my eyes and take a good look at my surroundings. There is still that awful pounding in my head, but I will survive. I raise my body slowly and carefully and lean on my elbows.
The sound of steady breathing reaches my ears as I notice Jason sleeping on the edge of the bed. A small smile starts to tug on the corners of my lips as I watch him. He looks so peaceful, sleeping like that. Like he doesn't have a single care in the world. Nothing to worry about.
A heavy and unexpected sigh escapes my lips. I shift my body to the edge of the bed and in a swift moment I transport myself into the chair. Hello, old friend. I think to myself, as I roll my way towards the kitchen.
I don't forget to smack Jason on the back of his head as I'm on my way to exit the bedroom.
"Ha? What?" I hear him grunt. "What time is it? Did I spend the night here? Did anything happen?"
Jason's random questions are piling just like the dirty dishes in my sink. "It's almost ten." I say to him, my voice loud so he can hear me. "Yes and no."
"And what's the no for?" I throw a glance over my shoulder and notice Jason leaning against the door aisle, lazily brushing the back of his neck.
"Nothing happened, Jay.." I reply softly, followed with a small smile.
"Do finally have an answer for my proposal?" he chirps, a smile spreading all over his bruised face.
I sigh for the second time this morning. I lower my head, completely avoiding Jason's stare. Have I really? I told him I'll sleep on it. It was risky and honestly, I did not believe in anything supernatural. I was a science person. But spiritual? I'd be lying if I said that I was.
The only time I've been praying was when dad was in the hospital. And even then, I didn't exactly believe in the words I was saying. Or to who I was talking to. God...
Frustrated, I ran my fingers through my hair, gripping a handful of it. Revival. If someone asks me if I believe in it, I would say no right away. But then again, the sole proof that revival existed was standing right there, in front of me.
Staring intensely at me, with those blue...-no, aquamarine eyes of his. The Jason Todd that I once knew was alive and breathing in front of me. Maybe... just maybe. I shifted my stare to the ceiling. I would be able to walk again. I could be Batgirl again. I could walk, run, kick ass again.
I slightly part my lips in order to say something, but nothing comes out of them. "I accept." I say after a year long pause. "Let's go for a dip."
"You okay back there?" Jason's voice reaches my ears, as I have my head leaned against his shoulder.
"Yup.." I say, with a groggily voice.
"We're almost there, Red. Hold on." he breathes out, as I once again put my arms around his torso. Only this time, my grip is tighter. I can barely feel his hands around my legs. I can barely feel anything when it comes to my legs. You can stab me and yet again I won't feel anything. Yup, it's that bad. He got me that bad.
The hot desert air was starting to get to me. Beads of sweat start to slowly appear on my forehead and I my shirt starts to stick to skin of my back. "Almost there.." Jason repeats, as a tired sigh escapes his lips.
"Am I burdening you?" I ask him absent mindedly as my eyes drift in the distance in front.
"Never." He answers, with a small chuckle. "You could weight a ton and you still wouldn't burden me.."
A small smile appears on my face. "Stop it."
"Stop what?" he asks innocently, as he struggles to glance at me over his shoulder.
"Being so damn nice." I reply with a soft chuckle. I shift my hands on his shoulder and gently put my hands around his neck and pull myself closer to him.
"I can't." Jason suddenly stops and turns me around. He gently places me on the warm sand and kneels in front of me. His hand reaches a loose strand of my hair and puts it behind my ear. "You make me that way.."
I raise my eyebrows at his answer and pull my lips into a small smile, that looked more like a smirk. Without any realization I find myself staring deeply into his eyes and start biting my lip. What are you doing Barbara?
"Come on." Once again he picks me up, piggy-back style, and I am now staring at the back of his head, instead of his beautiful blue eyes.
Dick also has blue eyes. But they are nothing like Jason's. They are duller. Not as bright as Jason's. Sure, they are livelier and seem happier, but compared to Jason's they ought to lose. There is something behind Jason's aquamarine eyes that makes me want to stare for a little bit longer. Was the apparent sadness? What was it?
Before... - before he died, there was this mischief in them. Like he was always up to no good, in which case, he always was, but still. I used to love making him think that I was annoyed by him, because he was a brat. Back there, two years seemed like ages in my eyes. But now, he looks like he is even older than me.
He grew up. He grew up into a beautiful young man.
"Babs? You with me?.."
"Ha?" I sheepishly get out of my trance and remove my head from Jason's shoulder. "You said something?"
"Did you just take a nap back there?" Jason asks with a jokingly voice.
"I might've. Your shoulder is quite comfy.." stop doing that! Stop flirting with him!
The inside of the cave was dark. The only light that I was able to see came from the pool of water that was a couple of feet away from the place Jason put me down. He was circling around the Pit like an animal hunting for it's prey.
"You sure know what are you doing?" I finally ask him, my voice echoing around the cave.
"Yeah. I've seen Ra's taking a dip a couple times." Jason replies, whilst quickly shrugging off his leather jacket and carelessly throws it on the ground beside the Pit. "Ready?" with slow steps he walks closer to me and offers me his hand.
I stare at him for a brief moment, mentally preparing myself for what comes next. Taking a deep breath in, I slowly take Jason's hand. With one hand inside my own he places his other arm around my legs and picks me up. "It's gonna be okay." He whispers in my hair as he carries me closer and closer to the Pit.
Slowly, I swallow the lump inside my throat and once again take a deep long breath in. "I'm ready." I exclaim, my eyes practically glued on the pool of water in front of me. "Drop me."
"Take a deep breath. On three, I'm letting you go. You still know how to swim, right?" was that supposed to be a joke?
"Drop me! Now!" I exclaim bluntly.
" ." I feel Jason's hand nervously shift under my body as he makes the countdown, "Take a deep breath, Red. THREE!"
He lets go of me. I feel my body coming in contact with the water. Still holding my breath, I find myself under the water. Panicking, I start waving my hands around. My eyes grow wider as I stare above me. I can see a glimpse of Jason's silhouette standing over the Pit, watching over me. I am not able to see the look of his face, but I can bet that it's worried.
And then something happens. I am able to move. I catch a glimpse of my legs slowly making movements. I can feel the water slowly wrapping around them. I can feel! Once again, I repeat the same movements. Again. And again. And again.
I reach the surface. I inhale a big amount of air as I check my surroundings. Panting, I come in contact with Jason. His jaw that was clenches, suddenly relaxes. A relieved smile spreads across his lips, as his entire body relaxes. All of a sudden he's on his knees, offering me his hand.
Carefully, I swim my way towards him. "Thank God." He says through a big smile. His hands cup my face as he pulls me closer to him. Without thinking he places a soft kiss on my forehead. "For a moment there, I thought you drowned."
I glance down, and a small smile tugs on the corners of my lips as I spot my legs slowly row under the water. "How long was I under?" I shift my gaze on his face.
"I dunno." Jason shakes his head, sighing. "An hour, maybe? Jesus, Barbie, you scared the shit outta me. I thought I lost you."
"Nope." I shake my head, smiling. "Still here. Alive and breathing."
"Ready to step into the surface, Ariel?" Jason asks with a small chuckle.
"Lead the way.." I reply, smiling.
Jason's hand easily find his way to my torso and with an ease he picks me up from the water. I wrap my hands around his neck, clinging myself to him, like my life depends on it. I feel like my entire outfit has been glued to my body.
"Careful now." Jason says quietly, almost as a whisper. "I'm going to put you down. You ready?"
"You've asked me that, like a hundred times already.." I reply with a small chuckle. "I'm ready, Jay. I've always been."
Jason slowly puts me down, as my feet touch the ground. My legs feel like jello, but hey, at least they feel like something! My hand slowly travel from Jason's neck towards his shoulders, as I now shift my gaze straight into his eyes. And just like many times before, I find myself being hypnotized.
"Thank you." I say barely. "For everything."
"We're not done yet. You still need to take a deep a few more times..." he replies with a whisper.
"Yeah, yeah.. I know that, but still, thanks." I have no idea what I am doing. Why I am like this.. "Jason, I..-"
"You look tired. Better catch some sleep." He shrugs me off and just like before picks me up and carries me towards a part of the cave where he had placed the sleeping bags and the other things he carried on our little trip.
Carefully, he places me on one of the sleeping bags. "Jason.." I call after him. He turns around almost immediately. "I.. need to ask you something.."
"Anything." He kneels next to me, and tugs a loose strand of my hair behind my ear. He just loves doing that, doesn't he?
"Can you please, hand me over my backpack, please? I'm kind soaking wet over here.." I say sheepishly.
"Oh, right.." Jason looks as sheepishly as I do. His cheeks slowly turn light pink and with a swift move he hands me over my backpack. "I'll turn around now."
"Oh please. Don't act like you haven't seen me changing before."
Jason's cheek turn from a light pink to a bright red as he shifts his gaze towards the cave's ceiling. Nervously he scratches the nape of his neck. "What? You think I never noticed?" I laugh at his sudden reaction. "I am trained by the Batman after all, silly. Plus, your stealth moves, weren't as perfected as they are now."
"I was a teenage boy! I had needs!" Jason protests, still refusing to look at me.
"And you don't have needs now?" I quickly pull my wet shirt over my head and unclip my bra while Jason is still in his denial faze and refuses to even glance at me.
"I DO! I'm a nineteen year old boy Babs! Of course I have needs, dammit!" Jason decides to turn around and look at me just in time. I have already disposed of all my wet clothing and am comfortably sitting on my sleeping bag. "Oh, you've changed already?" his voice slightly high-pitched.
"You sound disappointed." A slight smirk spreads across my lips. I love moments like this. You know, when Jason's the one that's getting all flustered and not me. I love it when I'm control. "After all," I slowly shift my body closer to Jason. "you said it yourself, you are a nineteen year old boy with needs."
Jason nervously swallowed the lump inside his throat as he kept staring at me. His cheeks turning into a deeper shade of red by every passing second. "You know.." my hand slowly travels to his face, and my hand is slowly caressing his crimson red cheek. "I am really thankful for what you did for me back there..." I slowly move my hand towards his neck and push his head closer to me. "... and I know just the way to thank you..."
"Really?" I feel Jason's lips slowly tugging into a smirk. "What's on your mind?"
"I will tell you, but first you gotta become a man, I don't do boys." I pushed him back playfully, my smirk still visible, unlike Jason's who was now traded with a quizzical look. "What? You said it yourself. You're a boy. With needs." I covered myself with the blanket and turned my back on him.
"A nineteen year old! A nineteen year old!" Jason shouted, protesting.
"Don't try to fight it Jay. You said it yourself. No take backs."