Pacing back and forth along the side of his bedroom, Tim held his phone in his hand and sighed when it buzzed again. Stopping at the window, Tim stared outside and watched as the breeze gently blew the leaves on the trees. He could tell it was cold, a frost was starting to settle on the ground and it reminded him to pull out an extra coat.
Checking his phone after it buzzed once more, Tim checked the messages and knew there was about to be a board meeting. There had been problems among some of the divisions of Wayne Enterprises and being the CEO, Tim knew he had to attend no matter what.
And there it was, another buzz of his phone. An emergency board meeting starting in ninety minutes. Going through his wardrobe, he pulled out a suit and a warm jacket, hoping it was enough to keep him warm.
Trying his best not to throw his phone, he rolled his eyes when the device buzzed once more.
"Fuck!" Tim swore, reading the pop up. He had totally forgotten he and Steph had a platonic friendship date at the movies tonight.
Pursing his lips together, he began pacing once more trying to figure out how to be in two places at once. Realising he would have to cancel of Steph, he groaned and stopped on the spot. Jason owed him a favour and he was about to cash it in. Grabbing his phone, he quickly sent Jason a message and told him to meet him downstairs in five.
Heading downstairs to the living room, Tim sat on the couch and impatiently waited until Jason showed up three minutes later.
"Good, you're here. Do you remember how you owe me a favour, I need you to do something for me," Tim said, getting right to the point.
"What is it?" Jason asked, expecting the worst.
"So, an emergency board meeting has been called and I need to leave for it in about an hour. I was also meant to be taking Steph to the movies in two hours and board meetings will take longer than that. Can you please take Steph out for me tonight? I don't want her to get mad that I cancelled," Tim replied, looking at Jason who sat there with an eyebrow raised at him.
"You want me to take Steph out?" Jason asked, clarifying what Tim had just asked him to do.
"Yes. Will you do it?" Tim replied, his anxiety rising.
"Yeah, I can do that, I have nothing else to do," Jason responded, leaning back into the couch.
"Good, I need to go get ready. You'll meet Steph here in like an hour, please tell her I'm sorry," Tim said, running back up the stairs to his bedroom.
Going through his wardrobe, Jason tried to find something nice to wear. He was damned he was going to make tonight enjoyable for them both. They had been teaming up quite a few times over the last year and if Jason could patrol with anyone of his choosing, it would definitely be Steph.
Finding a nice shirt and a comfy pair of jeans, Jason got changed and looked at his reflection in the mirror. Grabbing his hairbrush, he made sure his hair looked perfect, the white streak looking on point. Picking up his cologne, he sprayed himself and checked himself out once more. He looked good and smell good, and he was ready to take Steph on the best date of her life.
Checking the time on his phone, Jason unplugged it and put it in his pocket and headed downstairs to wait for Steph.
"Hey Steph," Jason said, smiling at her as she sat down across from him.
"You look nice, got a hot date or something?" Steph asked, smiling back at him.
"You know what, I actually do," Jason smirked, looking at her. "Tim asked me to take you out tonight. He's been called into an emergency board meeting and he didn't want you to be alone. I'm happy to take you wherever you want to go."
"This is an acceptable compromise. How do you feel about ice skating?" Steph asked.
"I feel positive about that, I don't think I'm that great but I'll give it my best shot," Jason replied, feeling something warm inside of him as he saw Steph smile at him.
"Then let's go," Steph said, getting up and linking her arm through Jason's.
Arriving at the ice rink, they waited in line and when they got to the front counter, Jason paid for them to each have an hour long session on the ice. Getting their skates, they headed through the doors and went down the stairs and sat in the row on benches just in front on the rink.
Taking his shoes off and tucking them under the seat, he pulled his skates on and tightened them so they wouldn't come loose.
"I should probably let you now that I've actually never been ice skating before. I've been roller blading but I could barely do that," Jason said, wanting to be honest with her.
"That's okay, don't worry about it, I'll help you, I can show you what to do," Steph replied, slipping her last skate on. "You ready?"
"Yeah," Jason replied, taking hold of Steph's hand and entering the ice rink.
Feeling as if he was going to fall as soon as the skates hit the ice, Jason grabbed hold of the side of the rink and watched as Steph gracefully skated across the ice, twirling happily as she showed off to a group of kids who looked at her with eyes wide.
Skating a bit more forward, Jason could start to feel his balance was getting a little better. Using only one hand to hold onto the side of the rink, he slowly made his way around, Steph waving at him every time she passed him.
"How're you going?" Steph asked, stopping next to him.
"I haven't fallen yet so okay, I guess," Jason replied, feeling Steph take hold of his hand. There was a sparkle in her eye and he couldn't figure out why.
"Do you trust me?" Steph asked, giving his hand a squeeze.
"I do," Jason replied, surprising himself.
"Good. Now take your hand off the side of the rink and let me lead you around the rink, I will do my best to not let you fall," Steph replied, looking at him.
Taking a deep breath in and slowly exhaling, Jason let go of the side of the rink and straightened up his posture. He was wobbly on his feet but Steph was there and supporting him. She had one hand around his one and the other hand was holding his.
Slowly skating around the rink, Jason felt warm inside at the touch of Steph's hand against his body. She was beautiful and charming, and he felt a lump beginning to form in his throat as she gripped his hand tighter and slowly turned them around to do another lap of the ice rink. Jason had not fallen once yet and he was getting a little more confident in his ability to skate on his own.
"So, Tim asked you to take me out?" Steph asked, trying to start a conversation.
"Yeah he did, he said I owed him and when he asked me to take you out, I was more than happy to. We patrol a lot together and it's nice to spend time with you away from work and everyone else," Jason replied, smiling softly.
"It's nice, just us. Tim would never come ice skating with me, he says he doesn't like it. I'm very happy you wanted to come here with me instead, this is already better than seeing a movie," Steph replied, giving him a gently squeeze.
"I think I might be ready to try skating on my own," Jason said, feeling pretty confident after doing a few laps of the rink with Steph's help.
"Okay, you got this," Steph cheered as she slowly let go of Jason.
Doing his best to keep on his feet, Jason turned and smiled at Steph. He was doing it, he had skating by himself without any assistance. Going a little faster, he felt himself begin to glide over the ice. Seeing the edge of the rink coming up, Jason shifted his weight a little to turn the corner. Over correcting, he began to wobble on his face. Trying to fix it, he felt dread wash over him as he landed flat on his ass and slid a little, gently bumping into the wall of the rink.
"Jason!" Steph gasped, quickly skating over to him. "Are you alright?"
Keeping his eyes on the ground, he did not want to look up into Steph's bright blue eyes. "Yeah, I'm okay," he replied, feeling a soft hand on his shoulder.
"Come on, up you get. You did so well, you can do it again," Steph said, remaining positive as she gripped Jason under the arm and hoisted him up.
"Damn, you're strong," Jason said, impressed.
"I try," Steph replied, flashing him one of her best smiles.
"Let's give this another go," Jason said, trying to keep up with Steph.
"You've got this, once your fall you know what to do afterward, and your cute butt might hurt for a bit but you'll get over it," Steph responded, winking at Jason before she began to skate a little faster.
Finding that he could now keep up with Steph, Jason smiled and came up beside her and took hold of her hand, giving it a quick squeeze as they skated together.
"I'm getting hungry, how do you feel about grabbing a bite to eat?" Steph said, a soft blush on her face as Jason still held her hand.
"Food is always good. The Winter Festival is on tonight, we could go to the stalls and see what they have," Jason suggested, Steph's eyes going wide.
"God, yes, let's go."
Walking down the footpath, Steph's eyes lit up as she saw the Winter Festival ahead of them. There were fairy lights strung up around everywhere and they were all flashing in sequences. Buntings of multiple colours lined the market stalls, some stalls were also lit up by glow sticks emitting a neon colour. The smell from the food trucks made her mouth water. She was hungry but she was also excited to be here. A few rides were set up, most of them for kids, but there was a large two storey carousel and a massive Ferris wheel they could both go on.
Entering through the large balloon archway, Steph slipped her hand into Jason's and he held back. Jason's hand was warm in hers and it made the butterflies in her tummy do backflips.
Heading to the food trucks first, they walked the length of them and considered their options. There was plenty to choose from, and the aroma of all the different food filled the air. There was Indian food, Vietnamese food, African Food, Chinese food, random carnival foods like corn dogs and tornado potato. There was also a row of stalls that sold nothing but drinks and they all looked interesting.
"What are you thinking of getting?" Jason asked, weighing up the options he had.
"I'm tossing up between a few things. On one hand I want pho but it's a little messy to eat, then there is Indian and I usually get the curry everywhere. Then there is the Yum Cha truck and I love dumplings and barbeque pork buns," Steph replied, pursing her lips together.
"I was personally thinking of getting Yum Cha too, those pork dumplings look amazing, they are so fat and I just want to eat them, same with the pork buns, the smell is making my mouth water," Jason replied, making Steph giggle softly.
"Let's go Yum Cha then, dumplings here we come," Steph smiled, leading Jason over to the truck.
Heading to the Yum Cha truck, they got into line and looked at the menu which hung over the side of the food truck.
"What do you feel like?" Steph asked, still looking at the menu.
"I think I'm going to get ten pork dumplings and two barbeque pork buns, maybe some pork spring rolls too," Jason replied. "You?"
"I'm thinking the same, ten pork dumplings and two pork buns, I may steal a spring roll from you though," Steph replied, moving forward in the line.
Getting to the front of the line, Jason put their order in and paid for it, taking the number he was given.
Standing to the side, waiting for their food to be ready, Steph looked over at the drink stalls and felt really thirsty. "Do you want me to go grab us some drinks?" she asked.
"Yes please, here," Jason said, shoving a twenty dollar bill in her hand.
"What would you like?" Steph asked, pocketing the cash to give back to him later.
"Something cold, non-alcoholic," Jason replied, checking his ticket to make sure it hadn't been called out yet.
"I'll be back soon."
Heading down the row of drink stalls, Steph took a few moments to read the menu of each one. Skipping past the mulled wine and cider stands, she stopped at one with coloured drinks in lightbulb shaped bottles. Luckily for Steph there was not a line. Greeting the lady, she ordered four drinks, one blue, one purple, one red, and one green.
Carrying the tray of drinks back to where she left Jason, she saw him wave her over. He had managed to grab a table near one of the outdoor heaters and she was very thankful.
"Couldn't decide on what you wanted?" Jason asked as Steph put the drinks on the table.
"Nope," Steph replied, sitting down and opening up her containers of food.
Biting into one of the barbeque pork buns, Steph closed her eyes and savoured the taste. She hadn't had a good bun in so long.
"They're really good, right?" Jason said, shoving the last of his pork bun into his mouth.
"Very good," Steph agreed, chewing.
"What flavours are the drinks?" Jason asked, eyeing them suspiciously.
"They are all various flavours of lemonade, I didn't pay attention to what flavours they are," Steph replied, lining them up between them.
Picking up the purple one, she tested it and couldn't pick what flavour it was. "Fruity, I guess." Moving on to the blue, she sipped it. "This just tastes like blue."
"This one tastes like kiwi," Jason said, putting the green one down and picking up the red. "Strawberry and something."
Tasting the two Jason picked up, she took a moment to think. "Which one do you like best?"
"Blue. You?"
"Green. Split the last two?"
"Sounds like a plan," Jason said, downing half the blue drink in under a minute.
"So, how's your hot date been so far?" Steph asked, teasing him a little.
"Well, you see, it's actually going very well. How'd you feel about going and exploring the stalls in the market area?" Jason replied, standing up and offering her his arm.
Walking through the row of stalls, they stopped to smell various candles and soaps, looked at heat packs with the bat symbol on them, and little homewares.
Losing Jason for a moment, Steph looked around to see if she could spot him. Just a minute ago he was right next to her, smelling a sachet of bath salts.
"Here, I thought we could match," Jason said, coming up next to her and placing a glow stick necklace around her neck. It was a mix of various colours and it made her smile as she looked at Jason and saw he was wearing an identical one. "Now you can't lose me," he smirked.
"You're pretty easy to spot now," Steph said, her eyes going wide as she saw something behind Jason.
Quickly making her way over to a stall she hadn't been to yet, her eyes fell on a silver bracelet. It was mostly made of the same charms, two hearts sat together with a link linking it to a beautiful piece of amethyst. The pattern continued and Steph thought it was stunning.
"How much?" Jason asked, standing next to her.
"For you, fifty dollars," the man said, happily taking the money Jason handed over.
Looking at Jason with a suspicious look on her face, she was surprised when Jason picked the bracelet up and carefully put it around her wrist. It was beautiful.
"Thank you," Steph said, hugging him tightly, smiling when he hugged her back.
"Want to go on the carousel?" Jason asked, Steph looking up at him excitedly.
"Of course I do," Steph replied, pulling him over to the short line.
"So do you want a horse or sleigh," Jason asked, looking at the carousel.
"A sleigh, join me?" Steph replied, offering him a small smile.
"Of course," Jason replied. Paying for their tickets at the gate, they got on and found a free sleigh.
Sitting down on the cool seat, Jason joined her a moment later and put his arm around her shoulders. Jason was warm, Jason was kind of hot, and Steph was having many feelings.
"Tonight has been really amazing," Steph said, finding herself nuzzling into Jason for warmth.
"It has been," Jason agreed.
The ride was calming, and it was the warmest she had been all night. Jason was next to her, a smile on his face, he looked relaxed. The lights of the carousel shone brightly and Steph looked at the bracelet on her wrist, it was stunning.
Feeling the ride stop, Steph didn't want to move but she knew she had to. Accepting the hand Jason offered her, they got off the ride. Walking out of the small fence and back into the open area, Steph slipped her hand into Jason's and let him lead the way over to the line for the Ferris wheel.
It didn't take long for them to get to the front of the line. Night had set in and most of the families with small children had headed home long ago.
Helping Steph into their carriage on the Ferris Wheel, Jason sat across from her and smiled. Their knees were touching and Steph looked magnificent under the moonlight. Her blonde hair was perfectly framing her face and Jason thought she was beautiful.
Feeling the Ferris wheel begin to slowly spin, Steph looked down at the ground and watched as they rose into the air.
"Thank you, seriously, this has been the best date I've ever been on," Steph said, a genuine smile on her face and a small blush on her cheeks.
"It was my pleasure, tonight was really amazing," Jason replied, smiling back at Steph.
"If you want, maybe we could perhaps go on another date?" Steph suggested, hoping Jason wouldn't laugh at her.
"I'd love that," Jason responded, giving her hand a quick squeeze.
Falling into a comfortable silence, they moved a little higher and stopped at the very top of the Ferris wheel. Hearing the clock strike, the sky erupted in a series of fireworks.
They were at the top, there were fireworks, and Steph suddenly felt as if she had been hit by some confidence. Closing the small gap between them, Steph pressed her lips against Jason's, kissing him gently. Feeling Jason hold onto her and deepen the kiss, Steph felt as if the fireworks were also going off inside of her as well.
Slowly pulling apart, Steph rested her forehead against Jason's for a moment before Jason pulled her close and they finished watching the firework display, sitting at the top of a Ferris wheel overlooking Gotham.