"Why are you so scared to feel your feelings?" Jason asked, not understanding where Steph was coming from.
"Because if I allow myself to feel my feelings, I know I'm just going to get hurt when you leave. Everyone leaves and it's not like I'm worth staying around for or anything," Steph replied, feeling a stray tear run down her cheek.
"Steph, look at me, I love you so much. Every night before I go to sleep I think of you, I see your smile in my mind and it always makes me feel better. I know I'm not perfect and I do make mistakes but I know loving you isn't a mistake. I will never leave you and I hope that you'll give me a chance because you are worth the world to me and more," Jason said, softly cupping Steph's face and wiping away the tears.
"I love you too, I really do," Steph quietly replied, looking down at her feet.
Pulling Steph close, Jason wrapped his arms around her and felt her rest her head against his chest. Feeling her shaking from the cold, he held her tighter, trying to give her as much of his body heat as he could. Placing a loving kiss on her head, Jason closed his eyes for a moment and enjoyed holding Steph close to him.
"Is it okay if I stay with you tonight?" Steph asked, not moving from Jason's warm embrace.
"It's more than okay. Let's go home before it gets any colder."
Detaching herself from Jason's warmth, Steph looked up at the clear night sky and could see the moon shining bright as the stars twinkled around it. Feeling a cold gust of wind hit her Steph could hear her teeth chattering as the coolness of the night set in.
"Here, have my jacket," Jason said, taking his jacket off and draping it over Steph's shoulders.
"Are you sure?" Steph asked, not wanting Jason to go without because she decided to run from her feelings without taking a jacket.
"I'm sure, I'm a big boy, I'll live," Jason replied as he wrapped an arm around Steph's shoulders.
Walking along the path that ran through the park, Steph let herself relax for a moment. She felt like a weight had been lifted off her and she felt good. Jason really did love her and she loved him and it just felt right to her, it made her happy. She knew she would have to face the rest of her trauma one day but for tonight she just wanted to be with Jason.
"So, I know this didn't go over well earlier but how would you feel about grabbing a bite to eat?" Jason asked as his stomach rumbled.
"I think we can manage that and I'm sorry. I didn't mean to run away when I saw the restaurant. Everything just got too real and my mind panicked and went to the worst possible scenarios it could think of," Steph replied, feeling a little bad about leaving Jason at the door of the Italian restaurant.
"It's all good. What do you feel like eating?" Jason responded, wanting Steph to feel comfortable.
Checking what the time was on her phone, she let out a soft sigh and placed the device in the pocket of Jason's jacket. "Do you think it's too late to order Indian? I could kind of go some butter chicken and naan bread," Steph replied, knowing her chances weren't very high.
"Only one way to find out," Jason replied as he took his phone out of his pant pocket and scrolled through his contacts. Finding the right one, he clicked on it and put his phone to his ear.
Making small talk with the person on the other end, Jason placed their order and smiled at Steph when he was done. "Food should be ready to be picked up in twenty minutes. I know the chef and he's happy to wait to close until we get there."
"How do you know so many people?" Steph asked, still not able to understand how Jason knew half the people in Gotham.
"Mainly from a bunch of shit I did as a kid, or from when I was kind of a drug lord, but most recently from telling the bad guys where to go and shove it," Jason replied. Digging his car keys out of his pocket, he pressed the unlock button on the fob and watched as the light on the car flashed.
Getting into the car, Jason turned the heating on for Steph and reversed out of the parking spot and headed across town to pick up their dinner. Keeping an eye on Steph as he drove, Jason let a small smile slip onto his face when he noticed that she had stopped shivering and had draped his jacket over her legs.
Pulling up outside of the small Indian restaurant, Jason got out of the car and quickly got their food. Handing the bag over to Steph, he watched as she inhaled and closed her eyes.
"God, this smells amazing," Steph said as Jason got back into the car.
"Just wait until you try it, it's the best I've ever had," Jason replied as he buckled himself in and got them back on the road.
Pulling up outside of his current safe house, Jason got out of the car and took the bag of food. Waiting a few seconds for Steph to join him, Jason took them around the back of the building and through the secret door that led down to where he lived.
Pushing open the front door, Jason let Steph in first. Putting the food down on the coffee table, Jason busied himself and got cold drinks, bowls, and utensils from the kitchen. Joining Steph on the couch, he put down what he was carrying and flicked on the television, leaving it on an episode of Ultimate Beastmaster. They had discovered the reality competition show a few nights ago and they liked to compare themselves to the contestants and see how far they thought they could go.
Handing Steph a bowl, Jason took the food out of the bag and lined it up on the coffee table, opening each container up and placing a spoon in it. Gesturing for Steph to go first, Jason cracked open their drinks and took a long sip of his Pepsi Max.
"What's this?" Stephanie asked, pointing to the container that had chunks of beef in it.
"That's beef madras, it's absolutely delicious, it's slow cooked and if I remember correctly the curry is a coconut base but the meat is cooked with herbs and mustard seeds," Jason replied, watching as Steph placed one piece into her bowl.
Waiting until Steph was done filling her bowl with food; Jason dished up his own food and relaxed into the couch. Eating in silence, they watched the television and snorted when they thought they could have done better. Noticing a little bit of butter chicken sauce on Stephanie's face, Jason wiped it away and offered her a small smile.
Putting his empty bowl down on the coffee table, he placed the lids back on the containers and took another sip of his drink. Realising that their show had finished for the night, Jason channel surfed until he found a movie just starting. Relaxing back into his spot, he watched as Steph put her bowl on the table and curled up into his side, dragging the blanket that lived on the back of the couch over them.
Gently stroking Stephanie's arm, Jason pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. Feeling Stephanie hold his hand under the blanket, Jason let a small smile rest on his face as he enjoyed the night with the woman he loved.