34. Across the Bed

The party raged on after Jason's speech, now that the crowd felt they had something to properly celebrate. The leadership from the Blüdhaven and Metropolis charters seemed more than satisfied with the show of support towards Jason, so they had relaxed and were partaking in the all the festivities, women, and booze. Dora paid tribute to the triumphant Jessie along with everyone else, drinking during toasts, laughing as they joked with her, but it was all under a guise. She was playing the role of Jessie's girlfriend, so she clung close to her, if not right under her arm. As much as Dora liked Jessie, she wasn't bisexual, so it was uncomfortable pretending. She hoped nobody noticed that.

And all this happened while Cali was also playing the role of Jason's girlfriend.

Dora endured for as long as she could, but then she saw Cali take a seat in Jason's lap, and grind her hips into him. She put her arms across his shoulders so that his face was directly next to her obnoxiously large breasts. Ever aloof, Jason acted like they weren't there, but everyone else did. After that, Dora could no longer stand it.

She disentangled herself from Jessie, who didn't seem to mind, and started collecting empty bottles on the tables nearby. As she did so, she made her way over to Cali and elbowed her to get her attention. With a silent gesture, she told her to help her collect the trash. It was, after all, her job. Everyone here knew they were both bartenders.

Cali gave Dora an annoyed look, but obliged, dismounting Jason, and picking up some empty bottles and cups from the table. Dora and Jason exchanged a momentary look, but she couldn't read his expression behind the mirrored aviator sunglasses. She could feel his gaze follow her to the makeshift bar way back by the loading dock.

The bar was abandoned and relatively isolated, with everyone off socializing near Jessie and Jason. As Dora and Cali bagged the trash, Dora finally gathered the courage to say, "We need to talk."

Cali scoffed and folded her arms. "Yeah, thought so. What about?"

Dora knotted off a trash bag, and tossed it aside, perhaps with more force than necessary. She locked eyes with Cali. "You need to tone down the PDA."

Cali arched an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

Dora took a step forward. "Look, I don't care if it's a cover or whatever. You need to stop slithering all over Red."

Cali sneered. "Back the fuck off. I can do whatever the fuck I want." She matched Dora's step, and glared down at her. Cali was a half-foot taller than her. "And whoever said it was a cover?"

Dora closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She did not want to let out her inner chola. "I'm warning you, puta. Lay. Off." Lily told her not to use her training against other women, but...

"Fuck you, bitch, you're not the boss of me," Cali spat, and pushed her.

That's it. Lily's jiu jitsu lessons took over. Dora grabbed Cali's elbow with one hand, her wrist with the other, then yanked and shoved.

Cali's face smacked into the plywood bar, her arm twisted behind her back.

Leaning down, Dora whispered to Cali, "I am the boss of you." She applied pressure to the hold and Cali grunted with pain. "You work for me at the Alibi. If you want to take home a paycheck, you better fall in line."

"Fuck off, Red's my boss, not you," Cali gasped, straining against the hold.

"Jessie, Reilly, and Red are all in my corner, not yours. You are nothing to them." Dora twisted Cali's arm a little more and the girl whimpered beneath her.

Cali just heaved, trying to catch a breath with her nose and mouth pressed into the wood of the bar.

"I can tell that you used to be one of Ma's girls. We both know her pretty well," Dora continued. "But I know something you don't."

"And what the fuck is that?" Cali spat.

"Ma Gunn is Red Hood's mother. Repeat that and she'll kill you. You have no idea what I have gone through to prove myself to her. No. Fucking. Idea. Do you think Ma would approve of some two-bit gold-digging bitch like you when I barely made the cut? Especially a home-wrecking whore that threatened her son's relationship?" Dora let go of Cali's elbow, but grabbed her hair instead. "All I have to do is ask, and Ma will make you disappear. Without a trace. Or maybe I'll save Ma the trouble and do it myself. Do you understand me?"

Cali tried to nod. "Yes."

Dora pulled her hair, then slammed her head back down on the bar. Cali yelped in pain and started crying. "I said," Dora repeated, "do you understand me?"

Cali sobbed "yes" through her tears.

Dora finally let Cali go, who immediately shuffled away to one of the campers, cradling her abused arm.

Standing there, Dora's rage ebbed to simmers. When her anger finally died, Dora was left shocked with herself. What had gotten into her?

Then she remembered the times when this side of her emerged, when she was cornered, and her wrath boiled out. When Sergei attacked her, when the cops arrested her, when Alex threatened her, when Jason stole her car.

When she finally admitted to herself that she wanted to kill Black Mask.

Was this side of her ugly or strong?

All she was sure of was that she was exhausted. She looked back at the party off in the distance, and decided she didn't want to bother lying to everyone anymore. Grabbing a bottle of water to sober up, she shuffled off to Jason's garage.

#

A ray of sunshine cast itself on Dora's face and sleep faded away. She found herself lying in Jason's bed, as she had many times over the last couple weeks.

However, this morning was different.

Jason was sleeping next to her.

They slept together often, perhaps too often: nearly every other night (or day, because they were awake at strange hours). But this was a (sort of) new relationship, so she excused herself. After having sex, Jason would wrap his arms around her, and they would cuddle and talk and exchange ideas and tell stories…

It was like they were teenagers again. The conversations would last until sleep finally took over.

But they almost never woke up together.

Jason was always awake before her—either training in his mini-gym, working logistics on his computer, tinkering with his Red Hood gear, or installing new parts on his car or motorcycle… or off being a vigilante gang leader.

During their first few nights together, she had seen why he slept so little.

At random times during the night, Jason would flail and mumble in his sleep, fighting enemies in his dreams. Other times, he would suddenly jolt awake as if an explosion had gone off gasping and sweating, clutching his blanket and pillow. Night terrors.

Least common but most unsettling: he would sleepwalk, which manifested as dissociative exercise like push-ups, sit-ups, planks, or various calisthenics.

Thanks to nursing school, Dora knew why all these symptoms affected Jason and restful sleep alluded him.

Post-traumatic stress.

Not to mention the head trauma. Now after spending a few weeks with him, she had started to notice his prematurely graying hair, especially around the scar the snaked from his eyebrow to his crown, where his skull had been fractured.

Sometimes Dora was so happy to have Jason back, she forgot about everything he went through on his way back to her.

Being tortured by terrorists.

Taking the full force blast from a fucking bomb.

Stuck in a coma for six months in some backwater Quraci hospital.

Grueling rehabilitation and physical therapy.

Years training with the most ruthless and efficient killers on the planet.

Then even more years undercover, infiltrating crime syndicates around the world.

Jason slept shirtless with his back turned to her, and Dora read every single one of those experiences on his skin. Had it all made him stronger? Or had it broken him? In some ways, he was the same Jason she had fallen in love with eight years ago… but he was also different in so many ways that frightened her. She turned over, not wanting to stare at those scars any longer.

As if reading her mind, Jason mumbled, "G'mornin." His hand snaked through the covers, grabbed her waist and pulled her closer to him. He buried his face in her hair. "Mmm… you smell so good."

Dora could feel Jason's nose on her neck and his morning erection burrowing between her thighs. She tried to mentally douse the feeling of lust he had just kindled. It wasn't working very well. "Mornin'…"

A few sleepy breaths later, Jason asked, "Sucks we didn't get to spend time together last night."

(You mean have sex, Dora thought.)

"Why'd you leave so early?" he asked.

Dora took a deep breath, stamping down her jealousy to manageable levels. She pulled his hand from her waist. "You know why."

"Yeah." Jason flipped over onto his back, sighing. "It's just a cover. I thought Jessie explained."

Dora flipped onto her back as well, staring up at the skylight on the ceiling. "I know, but I can't help it. It still bothers me seeing you with another girl. Why didn't you all just tell me?"

"I dunno, ignorance is bliss? And hasn't it been? I just wanted to focus on us for a while, no distractions."

She thought about it for a long moment. She wanted to be mad about it, but decided not to be. She had resolved the problem herself, so there was no point in arguing about it. They had had enough drama leading up to this relationship, it didn't need more of it if they could help it.

"For the record. It bothered me acting like I was with another girl," Jason said, putting his arms behind his head. The covers somehow drifted down to display his rugged chest and stomach. "Don't worry about it. I think everyone bought the act, so Cali can go back to playing hard to get. I'll just tell the guys I got bored of her."

Dora spent a few moments collecting her thoughts and bracing herself. The questions that had been burning holes in her chest for weeks, since their first night together.

"Have you ever slept with her?"

Jason sat up. "Cali?"

Dora locked eyes with him.

He looked almost hurt. "No. Of course not."

"Even before we got together?"

He cupped her cheek earnestly. "Never."

Dora didn't feel relief just yet. She closed her eyes and gathered strength for the next question. "Anyone else?"

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, and combing back his hair, Jason sat completely up. He didn't look Dora in the eye, he stared across the loft, at the military-grade plastic case where he stored his Red Hood gear. "When I started my mission, I had no intention of being with anyone until it was accomplished. I took a vow of celibacy, a warrior's oath. No distractions, just the task at hand. I needed to be ruthless, relentless, with nothing to lose. I was hellbent on killing everyone who had ever harmed another human being for their own person gain."

Jason turned to face her. "And to be honest, as much as I tried to detach myself, it still felt personal. I was born here, grew up here, in Park Row. Gotham is a part of who I am, and I was a victim to all that exploitation and abuse."

He cupped her cheek. "But then you threw a wrench into my plans."

"Really? How?"

"You were a welcome distraction, Dora. Like I said that first night we spent together… You smooth out my rough edges, you remind me of what I'm fighting for. You remind me that I have a soul… a heart." He pulled her up and caressed her shoulders. "Dora. You're not just the reason I'm fighting this war… you're the reason I want to survive it."

Dora tried to shrug off his hands, but she wasn't sure she wanted to… "It's been eight years, Jason. I can't be the only girl that's made you feel this way."

"You are."

"You're saying that in eight years, you've never been with another woman?"

Jason rubbed at his face, bothered. "Of course I've been with other girls, but they weren't serious."

"What do you mean 'not serious?'"

"No," Jason held up a finger. "Don't go there. Get your mind out of the gutter. I wasn't using them for anything like Bruce or Dick. I'm not some fucking playboy. I don't do casual relationships. Yeah, I dated other girls, I did. And okay, it was serious, only to me. I was fucking lonely, Dora. I was searching for something, but they didn't have it. Or they wanted something from me I couldn't give or do. Maybe I'm picky. Maybe I have high standards. Or maybe," he clasped her hands and kissed them, "maybe there was a hole in my heart and the only thing that has ever filled it was you."

Dora bit her lip, reminding herself not to get lost in Jason's allure. She knew he meant it, but his love could burn. He was passionate and earnest, but sometimes too much so. He never went too far with her, however when he pursued something else with his full effort, she would always become collateral damage. That blind passion hurt her too many times when they were younger. The road to hell was paved with good intentions, and sometimes he couldn't see the harm he caused until he was at the end of the road. Maybe those other girls saw that too.

"I gave up looking for love a few years before I set my eyes back on Gotham," Jason said. "I never expected to see you again. I tried to convince myself you were my past, but that night in the alley, when I saw you again... You looked as lonely as I felt. I tried to ignore the attraction, but I couldn't help myself."

Dora bit her lip. That comment stung. "Me too."

She kissed him, and he tasted like last night's whiskey. She had felt exactly the same way, fighting and denying her attraction to him for weeks. And now… she wanted so badly to tell him it was more than lust, that she more than simply cared about him… that she loved—but… she was afraid. Not yet.

"I looked for love too, while you were away," Dora admitted, laying back down and pulling Jason with her. She burrowed into his arms. "But I didn't find it."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I've only ever been with one other man," Dora confessed. "It was years ago, while I was in Gotham University. After I broke up with him, I guess I coped by leaning full tilt into my classes and my work at the Clinic."

"Was it serious?"

"Yeah, it was," she sighed. "His name was Roy… he was a mechanical engineer, in and out of town a lot… but he also turned out to be a drug addict."

Jason stiffened and stopped breathing. He starred at her in shock.

"Yeah," Dora nodded. "I dated a drug addict. He was trying to get clean, but couldn't. I should have known better. I trusted him and he let me down. To be honest…. a lot like you did, when we were kids." Dora caressed his cheek.

Jason gazed back at her, silently sending her yet another apology. He had apologized a thousand times for betraying her trust and stealing drugs from Leslie's clinic when they were fourteen. It was something Dora forgave, but never forgot.

"I guess I have a type," Dora said. "Guys who hide behind masks, whether real or metaphorical."

Jason let out the breath he was holding. "One of these days, we're gonna have to fully unpack all our baggage."

"You sure you're up to that? You've got way more skeletons than I do."

"Yeah, Dora, I'm sure. I trust you." He pulled her close and kissed her, breaking it only to say, "I love you."

She didn't say anything and latched back on to his lips. It was a deep, hungry kiss and she knew what it meant. The conversation was over. She shimmied underneath him and wrapped her legs around his waist. Jason wedged himself between her thighs, pushing himself against her. His lips crawled away from her mouth, traveled down her neck, and landed on her breast. Dora bit back a moan, and slipped off her tank-top, letting his mouth massage her bare skin.

But Jason didn't stop there. He continued walking his lips down her body… laying searing kisses on her ribs, her stomach, her bellybutton, until…

… he snarled and bit the waistband of her panties, let it snap back against her skin. He pulled back, grabbed the garment and tore it off. He pulled her thighs apart and buried his face between them.

The air left Dora's lungs, and her eyes rolled into the back of her head. She lost all sense of time and place—she just held on to Jason and rode the wave of pleasure and lust, knowing where the journey would end… pure ecstasy. It wasn't that far away…

Then a phone rang.

Jason ignored it and continued, while Dora tried to focus on the pleasure he was giving her. Eventually the phone stopped ringing, and Jason dug into her with renewed vigor. Dora's eyes rolled back into her head and she just about lost her mind.

But the phone rang again.

"Don't stop," Dora begged, gripping him tightly, her hands tangled in his hair. She was so close.

Jason obeyed, throwing his hand into the mix. The phone went silent.

Yes. She was. Almost. Fucking. THERE.

Then it started ringing again.

"No, don't!" Dora groaned, trying to hold his head in place.

"God dammit!" Jason pushed her away, probably harder than he meant to. She tumbled off the bed. He slapped the phone on the nightstand. "What the fuck do you want?"

"Sorry to bother, Red," came a silky feminine voice. "Wake up call."

Dora grabbed a pillow and screamed into it. Jason pushed his head into the mattress, balling up the sheets in frustration. "Why, Cali?"

"Just reminding you that you've got a big day today," she said clerically, no hint of her usual bubbliness. She had to have known what she was interrupting. "You're riding to Blüdhaven tonight, and there's still prep to do."

"Isn't that Jessie's job?"

"She might've kicked Alex's ass last night, but she's still pretty exhausted. She needs help."

Jason punched the mattress. "What about Reilly?"

"Treating the Blüd and Met brass to brecky at the Vermillion. Sorry, boss."

"Ugh," Jason groaned extra loudly. "I'll be right down, just give me a few minutes to wash up and get ready."

"Okay."

Jason looked at Dora, who was assessing the damage on her torn panties, trying to not look responsible for Cali's drab demeanor. He could still see that she was. "Oh, and Cali?"

"Yeah, boss?"

"It's over. I want to see other people."

There was a noticeable pause. "Not a problem, sir."

"Bye." He grabbed the phone and hung up before she could respond.

"You're going to Blüdhaven?" Dora asked, tossing her ruined underwear aside.

"Yeah," Jason said, flipping over on to his back and combing a hand through his tousled hair. "For a day or two."

Dora looked down at him. He was naked, so it was plain to see he was as unsatisfied as she felt. "Well, I'll miss you. What are you gonna be doing over there?"

"Criminal enterprise stuff. Don't worry about it," Jason said, punching something into his phone with his thumbs.

Crawling back onto the bed, she said, "I know you know how to take care of yourself, but you still have a dangerous job." She traced a finger along the scar across his stomach. "I just got you back, Jay. If I lose you again, I might just lose my mind too."

He took her hand and kissed it. "It'll be okay. Now that we've patched things over—pun intended—I have access to the Blüdhaven charter's contacts. This trip over there is just a bunch of business meetings with other criminal organizations. Might actually be boring. I mean, if all goes well, it should be boring."

"We both know how trustworthy criminals are."

Jason scoffed, "Criminal or not, you can't trust a businessman. Don't get me started on predatory capitalism… could write you a whole damn manifesto. Besides, I have more allies than rivals right now."

Dora took a sobering breath. "But what about Black Mask? His False Face Society is bigger than the rest of the gangs in Gotham, including yours, all put together. He wants to kill you as much as you want to kill him."

"Yeah, and your point?" Jason asked.

"I mean, isn't there a chance he'll try to interrupt your plans?"

"If he even knows about it, but it's minimal risk for this run. We've been super discreet setting this up. Dee, I'm going to be fine."

But her mind was already churning. "Everyone knows Black Mask likes getting his heads dirty, and if it's especially personal, he won't send goons or catspaws. And who does he hate more right now than you?"

Jason sat up, frowning. "I know what you're thinking, and the answer is no."

"I want to come," Dora said anyway.

"I said no."

"Please!

"Dora, the very reason why you want to come on this mission is the same reason why you can't!"

"I can take care of myself now!" Dora urged. "Better than ever before. You trained me!"

"For what? Three weeks?" Jason said. "You're still not ready! Soldiers and cops all train for months before going into the field."

Dora scowled, knowing he had a point. Truth be told, as much as she wanted to put a bullet in Black Mask's skull, she also knew she might not be able to. "But you know what I am fully trained in?"

"Yeah, what's that?"

"Emergency medicine and triage," Dora said, scooting closer to him. "What if you or your men get hurt on the job? You'll need medical attention."

Jason hesitated for a moment. "No… We've got Reilly for that."

Dora shook her head. "Reilly was an EMT—what—ten years ago? His medical experience is not just limited, it's out of date."

Jason scoffed. "He does fine. What's changed about the human body in the last decade?"

"The body hasn't changed but the medical practice has. Besides, two medics are better than one. And you said so yourself, this is a routine gig."

Closing his eyes and deliberating for a little bit, Jason finally said, "You know what, fine. You can come if you really want to."

"Really?" Dora chirped.

"Yeah, and you know why?" Jason said, "It's because I'm certain we won't run into Black Mask. You're coming because you need to get your hands dirty."

"I treated people during both the No Man's Land crisis and during the gang war. Criminals and civilians. I've done down and dirty work. I've seen hard shit, too, Jay."

"Yeah, I know. Everyone know's Leslie's Clinic is neutral ground. But let me make this clear, Dee. Coming with me, you're not an impartial humanitarian third party anymore. You're taking a side, and it's not with the law, no matter how altruistic our intentions are. Are you ready for that? Are you ready to become an outlaw?"

Dora hesitated a moment. If there was no opportunity to reach Black Mask, was it really worth going? She would be aiding and abetting Jason in an actual crime.

She retraced her own words and realized… that yes, it was worth it. Whatever Jason's criminal business was in Blüdhaven, she was confident it was towards an end that benefited people or Jason wouldn't be doing it… and if she could help achieve that end, she should. After all, she had broken the law to help people last year during the gang war. How was this any different?

Jason had been studying her face. "Satisfied?"

Dora nodded, then yelped as Jason grabbed and kissed her. He dragged her down to the bed in a tangle of lips, arms and legs. They snogged and groped for a few heated moments, then Dora pulled back and said, "Don't you need to go to work?"

Jason growled and flipped her over onto her stomach. He nibbled her ear and whispered, "Make them wait. I'm not done with you yet."

Dora arched her back, readying herself for him. A quiver rippled through her body as he pressed himself into her.

Notes

What do you think about chola Dora? What would you do in her position? Honestly, she might have over-reacted, but I wanted to express that she's a bit insecure. Originally, this chapter had her and Cali MMA fighting in the cage, but I really needed to trim things down and move on.

Also, I couldn't help but add one last dose of fluff before moving onto other things in the story. I tried to make this one count by making it sexy… and dropping a small Easter egg. Did you catch it?

Song Reference: "Across the Bed" by Volumes

Version 41.2