Jason watched as Felicity nervously checked her phone for the fifth time. She hadn't said anything when she'd come back the night before. "How's your soulmate?" He asked.
"A complete jerk." Felicity muttered, not meeting his eyes. She said it fondly as though it was an adorable nickname. She was warming up to him. He closed his eyes, trying to ignore the pain the realization caused him. She probably had plans with him...which meant Bruce was going to be coming there at some point.
"I think I'll go for a ride." He said, leaving the store. He wanted to be as far away from their reunion as possible. Every molecule in his body screamed in pain as he forced himself to walk away, leave her behind. Turning on his bike, he drove out of the city, far out until he made it to the top of the hills, surrounding Gotham. Looking out at the city from an observation point. He gripped the handle bars of his bike.
Bruce and Felicity were the two most stubborn people he knew. Felicity was going to try to resist the pull. He knew she could, even if it meant hurting herself. He couldn't have that. She deserved to be happy and he knew she never could be completely happy with him. Maybe with time the bond would sever...
And why should Bruce have her? Why did he deserve her anymore than he did? Jason glared down at the city, taking angry shuddering breaths. Already the separation was pulling at him, urging him to return to her. He shook his head. He wasn't her soulmate. He had to sever their connection, but how?
"I just don't think I can handle you saying that for real, then leaving when your soulmate finds you"
Her words ran through his mind...and suddenly he had an idea. There was a way. He just hoped he had the strength to do it.
Felicity looked up when Jason came back into the shop. "Hey," She smiled at him. He'd been gone for about 3 hours and she'd been worried. Jason rushed by, barely looking at her. "Jay, what's going on?"
"Sorry, Felicity, no time, I need to get my suit."
Felicity coughed in surprise, giving him an amused look. "Your...suit? You hate your suit."
"I've got a date." Jason seemed impatient. Felicity blinked. A date?
"With who?" She asked. Jason was moving from foot to foot, antsy and nervous.
"My soulmate." He said. "I met her out during my ride. She's...amazing, I love her already."
"Oh." Felicity felt cold. Jason seemed so...happy. "Can I meet her?"
"I don't think that's a good idea." He said. "Too much awkwardness. In fact...I think it would be best for me to move in with her."
"Already?" She could barely breathe with the shock, but Jason didn't seem to notice her distress.
"Yeah." He ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know how you resist the pull. All I can think about is her. I don't think I can ever be without her. There's nobody else in this world for me except her. Nothing else matters anymore."
Felicity didn't know how to respond. "I'm...I'm happy for you, Jay." Her throat constricting.
"I'm happy too." He glanced up towards his apartment, then shook his head, coming to a decision. "You know what? Fuck the suit, fuck the date. I'm going over there and skipping all the unnecessary formalities. After all; it's fate." He practically ran out of the shop. Not looking back once. Felicity covered her mouth. She'd known. In the back of her mind she'd known that the second Jason found his soulmate everything they had would go away, but...she hadn't expected it to happen so soon. Or to hurt as much as it did. She was left cold and alone.
Five o'clock rolled around and Bruce came in. "Ready for din-" He broke off as he saw her. He came closer and pulled her into his arms. The tension she'd been carrying all day left. She slumped into his hold, pressing her face against his chest. "What's wrong?" He growled, rubbing circles onto her back.
"It's silly, but...Jason found his soulmate...and I...I should be happy for him." Tears began falling. Bruce tensed slightly, but didn't say anything, allowing her to cry herself out.
"What do you want to do?" He asked.
"Can we order a pizza and just talk?" She asked. She felt tired and weak, but she didn't want to be far from Bruce. His presence was warm and comforting.
"I've got a better idea." He whispered. "Trust me?"
She nodded. He led her to his car, helping her into the passenger seat. Driving her back to Wayne Manor, he stopped the car. "Come with me." He said, leading her away from the house.
"Where are we going?" She asked, looking at the manor in confusion.
"Trust me." He said. They made their way to the edge of the grounds. There was an old treehouse. Bruce climbed up, the branches creaking slightly with his weight. Felicity crossed her arms.
"I hope you're not planning on having me climb up there on those rotten limbs." She said. Bruce chuckled as he pushed open a trapdoor on the bottom of the treehouse.
"I haven't been up here in a few years." He admitted. "and I was much lighter then." He pulled himself up into the tree house. In a few seconds a rope ladder fell down. "This was for those who couldn't get up the regular way."
"Oh, the lowly mortals?" Felicity snorted.
"Or you can climb the branches." Bruce said.
"Or stay down here where I won't die." Felicity retorted. "If you haven't been up there in years, how do I know it's not going to collapse?"
"Because Alfred's been taking care of it in hopes of me having kids one day." He said. "When Dick and Jason were younger, they came out here to... get away from the stress of being Robin. They didn't think I knew." He sighed. "If you get on the bottom of the rope ladder, I can pull it back up and lift you up here."
Felicity relented and stepped onto the ladder, gripping the rope. "If you drop me," She warned. Bruce smiled.
"I'm sure the punishment will be painful and well deserved." He said, pulling her up. Felicity shut her eyes.
"This." She said. "Might be the moment to say that I hate heights. Are you sure you're not too old to do this? Not that I'm saying you're geriatric, but you probably don't have as much strength as you used to and I'm not trying to insult you-"
"Felicity." Bruce's voice was quiet, yet close. She opened her eyes to see that her head and shoulders were inside the treehouse. She gripped the edges and pushed herself up, climbing into the house. Brushing herself off, she looked around. Books, model airplanes and a poster.
"The gray ghost." She read.
"My favorite hero as a child." He said. "I watched every episode and even had a costume." He shook his head, looking away from her. Felicity realized that this was a deeply personal place for Bruce. That he was opening up to her.
"I had a Doctor Who bed spread." She blurted out. Bruce raised an eyebrow "And an action figure and..." She swallowed before continuing. "I also dressed up as Medusa once and-"
He put his hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to explain your entire Halloween history to me."
"Sorry, when I get nervous I babble." Felicity mumbled, looking away. Bruce led her over to some chairs in the corner. "So what made you build this place?"
"My father built it." Bruce said, sitting in one of the chairs. It was hilariously small for him and he had to stretch his legs out in front of him. Felicity bit back a laugh, sitting in one of the other chairs, tugging at the hem of her skirt. "I stopped coming up here after he died."
Felicity swallowed. She'd done some reading on him since discovering he was her soulmate so she knew they had been killed when Bruce was a child.
"It happened in the alley you came through the breach in." He admitted.
"Oh." Felicity said, unsure how to respond. He put his hand on Felicity's arm, squeezing.
"Hungry?" He asked. "I believe you wanted pizza."
"Master Bruce." A voice called up from outside the treehouse. Bruce turned around and opened the window, there was a pulley system outside the window. Lowering a platform, he waited a few minutes before saying.
"Thank you, Alfred." He pulled the platform back up. There was a covered plate on it. Bruce pulled it into the treehouse and put it on the small table between them. uncovering the dish, he smiled. "Volia. Pizza a la Alfred."
Felicity smiled. "Sounds delicious."
"If you want to stay here tonight you can."
Felicity coughed. "In the treehouse?" The thought was horrifying. Bruce laughed.
"I meant in the manor." He said. "But if you want to stay up here, I won't stop you." He motioned to the side. "There's a hammock."
"I'll pass." She grimaced, earning herself a smile from Bruce.
"I'll have Alfred prepare a guest room."
Felicity rolled her eyes. "Do you really expect me to believe that you hadn't already set up a room for me the second we decided to give this a shot?"
Bruce raised an eyebrow. "No comment."
