September 23rd
Gotham City
2325 EST

Barbara welcomed her lover with open arms as he climbed into bed and knelt over her. They pressed lips, feeling one another's mood out. When she pulled away quickly only to reach in again, it was clear she was feeling playful. That would do nicely.

Deke brushed her hair out of the way (half the reason she'd tousled it in the first place), and cupped her face, but instead of putting a single deep kiss on her, he rained tiny little pecks here and there, bringing a giggle out of her. She tousled his hair and pulled him in, wanting to feel his chest against hers as much as anything else.

They kissed each other, just happy to be close, for quite a while, before Deke put his hand on her collarbone, and slipped one of the straps of her dress off her shoulders. Barbara covered her mouth in mock scandal, but couldn't hold the expression as he kissed along where his hand had just been.

The sensations, both arousing and amusing all at once, brought a flush to her pale chest, and the teasing feeling caused her breathing to increase, which brought the top swell of her breasts up. Instead of going for those, he slipped the other strap off her shoulder, letting them drape against her arms.

The sight of her like that, in the early stages of arousal, her dress slipping just down her body, while her skin was illuminated in the soft glow of candlelight, it was perfection to his eyes. Deke locked the picture in his mind, holding onto it tight, before leaning back down against her to begin kissing her deeper.

Barbara wrapped her arms around the back of his neck and slid a leg against his side, feeling his body beneath his clothes, the different textures becoming a complex of sensations. She kissed him back but, kinetic as always, she had to do something with her hands, and busied herself pulling his shirt up. She wasn't feeling particularly urgent about the whole thing though, she had nothing to do and nowhere to be the next day, so instead of the impassioned yanking she was coming to realize was her regular MO, she instead let her fingertips crawl an inch at a time, ticking and scratching his back as she pulled at the material covering his torso.

It did indeed tickle him as she crawled her fingers along his back, but it was a good tickle. Well, all of her touches were good, but this didn't cause an involuntary escape reaction. Deke just felt her fingernails work as he slid his hands up her sides, still avoiding her breasts. He wanted very much to fill his hands with those spectacular ornaments of hers, but there was protocol here. Still, she shivered at his touch, the way his fingertips barely made contact against her hips and ribs, eliciting another giggle from her, this time functionally into his mouth as they kissed.

He couldn't help but giggle back at her, which turned into a vicious cycle for a moment, leaving them laughing at each other while trying, and failing miserably, to kiss one another. Barbara, after a moment, decided that it was enough of that, and pulled his shirt off completely, causing him to lean into a kneeling vertical position while she tugged the material off, leaving him bare chested in front of her.

Not pleased at being the first to lose clothing, Deke wrapped his fingers into the shoulder straps of Barbara's dress, and pulled them down, causing the front of her dress to roll away and her nipples to just barely expose, the small stiff peaks standing proud as they were freed.

"Excuse you sir," Barbara said playfully. "Those are mine."

"They are, but I was hoping I could enjoy them a while." He drawled, still inching her dress off of her. She made no move to stop him, instead relishing the way the satiny material slipped across her breasts, the silky feeling exquisite to her.

"Then please, enjoy yourself." She said, and pulled herself up to put her chest into easy reach. It also served to help him slip her dress completely off, the material slipping against her abdomen once it had cleared her breasts, to land in a shimmery black puddle around her knees.

"Did you forget something?" Deke asked as he kissed along the tops of her breasts. He couldn't miss the sight of her dress clearing her body, and was quite shocked at what he saw.

"In my haste to get ready, I might have forgotten a few things." Barbara said while biting her finger, referencing her complete lack of underwear. She didn't go commando often, but on an occasion like tonight, she couldn't resist. She'd honestly hoped they might have been able to slip off at the Spire for another quick little tryst, but they hadn't had enough alone time to make it happen.

"Naughty, naughty girl." Deke said, and took one of her nipples into his mouth, sucking on it softly. Barbara hummed contentedly as she played with his hair. She'd been turned on all day, and while their morning activities were certainly enjoyable, she was feeling particularly insatiable.

"I am a naughty girl. I keep telling you this." She said breathily. His attention was doing wonderful things for her. She could feel her growing arousal quite clearly, the heat between her legs beginning to get harder to ignore. "But I'm your naughty girl, so what's that say about you?"

"I have awesome taste?" Deke said, before kissing her again. She rode his weight down against the bed and brought her legs up to keep hold of him. Their tongues danced and dueled for several moments before Barbara chose to take the initiative, using her legs to flip him over until she was on top.

"I'm happy you think so." She said, loving his surprised reaction at her bedroom jiujitsu. She reached down and undid his belt, but slid off of him and onto her feet at the side of the bed. He obliged, ditching the rest of his clothes, and bounced up to grab her, wrapping her into a hug, and pulling her back down on the bed. She squealed and giggled at the surprise, but went back to happy humming once she felt the entirety of his body pressed against hers, just how she liked it.

He nuzzled her neck, trailing kisses down, between her breasts and across her abdomen, and her old friends the goosebumps erupted across her body. He flicked his tongue just below her belly button, as if she needed any clue as to his motivations, but it did cause her to giggle. She almost stopped him, but he loved taking care of her, and she wasn't so exhausted she couldn't reciprocate.

It was a good decision to make, as he tickled and teased her just the way she liked. He licked her lazily, the sweet salty taste of her sweat from the dancing of the evening just as pleasant as her dew. The sensations were delightful to Barbara, who went from being slowly teased to a greater sense of arousal to happily tickled and amused. Her boy knew how to please her, there was no doubt.

When he eventually made his way to her sex proper, he continued with the long, slow, lazy licks, like he was enjoying some ice cream. He wasn't trying to get her off, just make her feel good, and he kept his focus directly on her to make sure of it. If motivated, he could absolutely wreck her with orgasm, but it wasn't what she wanted, not this time.

She moaned and mewled quietly as she enjoyed his tongue going to work on her, the feeling relaxing. He busied himself for what felt like hours, just tasting her, letting the tiny tuft of red hair she kept above her entrance tickle his nose. When he finally stopped, letting his tongue trail back up her body, she prepared to return the favor, but when she felt the tip of him at her entrance, trying to find its way in, she realized she didn't need to worry about it. He was taking care of her and all she needed to do was enjoy it. She did lean forward and kiss him, letting her own flavor mingle in their mouths, and she was far too interested in the taste of a woman's sex to not consider at least a little experimentation.

Deke kept kissing her as he maneuvered himself into proper position, shifting her legs until he was where he wanted to be. In anticipation, Barbara opened her legs further, welcoming him. When she felt the first of him begin entering her, she held her breath, but was suddenly surprised, and a little disappointed, when he withdrew.

She gave him a pouty look at the teasing, but he just did it again, not even a full inch pushing into her before withdrawing once more. Several more times he did this, driving her slowly mad. Each time, he went just a fraction of an inch deeper, but coming out slower when he did. She was beginning to get frustrated by it, her sense of anticipation being sent all haywire.

Barbara opened her mouth to scold him, to tell her lover to knock it off, when he finally thrust in to his full, the sudden shock causing her eyes to roll and her back to arch with a sharp moan. She was perfection personified in his eyes, another moment he burned into his memory.

He moved within her, keeping his pace slow and relaxed. There was no need for intensity here, no rapid fire orgasms or powerful explosions. Barbara fell into the rhythm, her hands playing across his chest and shoulders as her hips moved to put them into physical sync. Usually so vocal, she found herself making tiny noises, pleasurable little sighs as she drew breath.

Outside, an autumn rain began to fall, tiny cold droplets spattering the windows, a contrast to the warmth within their bedroom. The lovers moved with one another, content to just be a part of a whole. Deke smiled at his beloved, and that's exactly what she was. He would follow her into hell, and beat the devil himself in her name. Barbara returned the smile, unable to suppress a quiet moan at the prince she'd chosen for herself. There was joy in her eyes as they made love, content and comfortable and perfect.

This went on for quite a while, neither of them really trying for climax, though Barbara could feel one beginning to creep up on her. Deke noticed her breathing starting to pick up and her hands making more frequent grasping motions on the sheets. Barbara showed him the tip of her tongue but when her breath hitched in her throat, she had to stop, and just let it take her.

Her back and shoulders came off the bed as she gave a long mewling cry. Her sex gripped his, squeezing him tighter than usual, contracting in orgasm. The sight of her set him off, and together, they experienced the numbness in their limbs and the explosions behind their eyes. She could feel him firing off within her, the pulses from his shaft allowing her to surf the wave of her finish even longer.

Deke collapsed onto the bed with her, just gathering himself. Barbara rolled over and kissed her lover. "You made this birthday wonderful. Thank you." Truth be told, it was nice to be able to function after sex every now and again.

"Hey, it's my job to make you happy." Deke said, rolling onto his side to look at her. "I love you."

"I love you too, and you deserve a raise." Barbara said, kissing him on the nose.

Outside, a few buildings over, someone was doing a remarkable job of ignoring the cold. His own body burned hot at what he saw within the apartment, but he had no idea why. Jason set the spotting scope aside and got up from his stomach, trying to put down the jealousy that was threatening to overcome him.

He and Babs had been on one date, and they hadn't even connected that well. He never really felt infatuated with her, just a small crush easily brushed aside. That he wanted to bury his fists into her boyfriend's face for daring to touch her, it made no sense. Logically, he should be telling the guy good luck, and warning him not to break her heart, and he should be hoping Babs was happy.

"There's easier ways to relieve some tension." Jason heard in the quite gruff voice of his former mentor. "And I think they deserve some privacy… Jason"

"How'd you find me Bruce?" Jason said, turning to look the Dark Knight directly in the face. He went ahead and removed his red helmet. He'd been figured out, no sense in hiding it now.

"I almost didn't. Your trail went cold in Mumbai, but you slipped up in Hong Kong." Batman said, purposefully turning his back to the window still lit by candlelight.

Hong Kong, a lot of bodies left there, but they'd all deserved it; Triad gangsters with no care as to how they earned their money. Jason had gotten the feeling he'd telegraphed himself. "It's all I've got left Bruce."

"No, it isn't." Batman said. Jason was his greatest failure. He never deserved to die, not by the hands of the Joker, not by a crowbar. "Talia told me what Ra's did for you. You have a second chance."

"I have nothing!" Jason said, shouted really, but he wasn't certain why he was yelling. His temper, hot before the incident, was positively hair trigger now. "I'm just a walking corpse."

"You're still Jason Todd, you're still one of us." Batman said, the shame at what he'd allowed to happen burning him from the inside out. "You can come back with me."

"I can't ever go back Bruce." Jason said, putting his helmet back on. "And don't try to make me."

For a moment, Batman considered doing exactly that. Talia had explained the side effects of the Lazarus Pit, and Jason didn't need to be out on the streets unchecked, not yet, maybe not ever. If he did that though, people could get hurt. Jason was unpredictable before the incident, but now? He was heavily armed with lethal weaponry, and training from not only Batman, but the All-Caste as well. It was a dangerous combination indeed.

"I won't." Batman said finally. "But I'll always be out here."

"Thanks for the warning." Jason snarked, and leapt off the side of the building, using his own version of the famous Bat family cables to swing away. Once he'd cleared several blocks, Batman looked down at a small device, watching a little red blip move further away. He'd placed the tracker before revealing himself, but he didn't expect he'd get much. Still, Jason was worth the effort.