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Building Trust

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She's quiet for a long time. He doesn't let it bother him.

He has already decided that he definitely likes this girl, hero or not. There's just something about her when they talk, something that just clicks. Let alone she already knows what he looks like without the mask, so he needs to stay on good terms with her.

That's just a minor motivation, however.

After some consideration, he has determined that she is not just using this as an opportunity to conspire against him. Unless she is a completely flawless liar. And there's only one person he has ever met that could lie so perfectly.

And Raven is nothing like The Joker.

No, her eyes stay focused. Her breathing doesn't escalate when he mentions her friends. He doubts she has even mentioned anything at all to them.

Yet.

But there may come a time. Indeed, there must come a time. They can't just meet secretly like this for forever.

Or can they?

Surely she doesn't want to. He definitely doesn't. But he doesn't want to do anything about it yet, either.

"What exactly is it that you are after, X?"

Finally she comes out with it. However, he's currently enjoying a rather delicious bite of his spicy salmon roll.

Thankfully, she continues without waiting for a response.

"Robin talked to me yesterday. I was nervous that he might suspect that something was going on between us, but he doesn't. For now. He's smart though, and he will figure it out soon enough. So. What will he find out?"

Of course Boy Blunder had her all worked up. He smiles. So she's worried about their relationship. Or whatever this is. She's confused, not quite sure if they are officially in a relationship, and not sure if she even wants to be. But he needs to know, and she has to decide. So he turns it around. "What do you want him to find out?"

She looks down at her plate. Not the question she wanted to hear. "I'm not sure."

"Well, I saw a pretty girl in a cafe and I wanted to talk to her. She swept me off my feet I could tell her who I was. It's not typical first date material," he grins.

She rolls her eyes. "Hardly the case."

"Best I've got."

And what was it really? It was impulse. Pure impulse made him sit down in the chair across from her that day, weeks ago. A little intrigue. An innocent curiosity, if any innocence can be attributed to Jason at all. And when she figured him out so quick (at least, his alter ego, not so much his true identity), he www immediately horrified and fascinated.

What probably would have simply been a little drive by meeting, a quick flirt and go, had quickly and irreversibly escalated into a dance with the devil.

Or rather, the devil's daughter.

But he can't stop now.

And it just keeps getting better. And to think, he's doing so well and he's never had a single dance lesson.

"I brought you something." He reaches into his pocket and pulls out the box.

Her eyes narrow. He smirks.

She takes the little velvet box from him when he offers it, eyeing it suspiciously. "Is it a bug?"

He laughs. He had done that to Barbara Gordon once. No, he's not seven anymore.

"Is it a bomb?"

He stops laughing. That would have been a cruel joke. All this time, all this wooing, all this talking to one of the most amazing girls he has ever met, and she wonders if he would take the opportunity to rid the city of a pesky Titan? No. Not funny.

"Is it stolen?"

He pretends to be offended. He's not surprised, really, but he knew better than to give a hero a stolen trinket. "Bought only with honest money." He salutes for extra measure. "Scout's honor."

She raises an eyebrow. "You were never a Scout."

That's not calling a bluff. That's a guessing game. He counters. "You don't even know my name."

She pauses and thinks about that. "Point taken. So, were you ever a Scout?"

"No."

She laughs.

But she's still not opening his gift. Does she really not trust him that much? I suppose there's not much to go on. "Are you going to open it?"

Raven gives another hard look at him. "What if I would rather know your name than accept your gift?"

Well, he was prepared to take some steps to make her trust him, but he had definitely not expected that. Here goes nothing. "You can have mine if I can have yours." He wants her to trust him. He doesn't want her to think he's just some thief about to sell her and her team off to the highest bidder. This isn't just a fling.

He needs her to know that.

But it's also gotta be mutual.

He's worked enough jobs to know that trust - even if it's just an ounce - has to go both ways.

She looks him in the eye and says, "Raven."

What? Really? Who uses their real name as their superhero alias? This girl has some serious guts.

I like it.

He reaches out his hand from across the table. "Jason."

They shake.

"You can still have the gift."

She sighs. And after a final hesitation, she flips it open.