"How do you keep getting strikes?" Kagome covered her face and laughed at her own score reflected on the screen. If she knew how miserably she would lose she wouldn't have agreed to bowling, although there was something about watching his smug smiles that made her stomach flip.
"It's all in the wrist," Jason glanced around the bowling alley and shifted, he had gotten a few stares from a few of the older people that remembered Bruce's second ward. The dark alley had done it's job for the most part in keeping them from staring too long, "good game."
Kagome's nose scrunched as her head tilted at the final score, "you'll have to show me next time."
"Already setting up our next date, you move fast." He kicked his bowling shoes off and dragged his street shoes closer, eyeing the low cut top the woman wore in appreciation before turning his attention back to his laces. "What time did you say you had to be back?"
"I'm not on schedule until 11, I'm closing tonight."
'Plenty of time,' he eyed the clock on his phone as he scooped his shoes up and stood, "hungry?"
"I could eat."
"There's a place not too far from here, best pizza and garlic bread around." He stole a glance down as they moved for the front desk to hand their shoes over, he dug the keys free and matched her shortened stride. "You do like pizza right?"
"Who doesn't?" Kagome looked offended at the question as she tugged the door open and climbed into her seat. "By the way," she slammed the door shut behind her and pulled the belt across her chest, "did I tell you that I'm glad you're alright?"
Jason lifted his head in confusion, key lifted for the ignition as he tugged his door shut, "what do you mean?"
"Last night when I called… with the gunshots, kind of made me nervous." She explained quickly, almost sheepishly as if she had no right to be worried about him. Jason leaned on the center console, watching her eyes widen at the movement as he paused beside her, "takes more than that… aren't you just a little sweetheart."
"That's not exactly what most people that know me would use to describe me…" she swallowed hard and bit her lip, good god this guy smelled good… she had to watch it with him, as much as she didn't want to admit it she needed him and not just to get her laid either, "are you a cop too?"
"Fuck no," he draped his arm over the steering wheel and stared at the side of the bowling alley, "GCPD doesn't do shit in this city." His eyes slid to her face as he contemplated telling her what he did, brow arching when she met his gaze, "I'm a crime boss."
Her breathing hitched and her fingers twitched against the hem of her shorts, "wha—serious?"
"Yeah, shooting's just another night on the job," draping himself back over the console he delivered a sly smirk as he brushed a strand of hair from her face, "what do most people describe you as?"
"Not a sweetheart," she returned the smile allowing her head to inch closer as her eyes dropped to his mouth, "my last boyfriend told me I was fiery and stubborn."
"What happened to your last boyfriend?"
Kagome's tongue darted out to wet her lips, "he uh… there was someone else."
"He cheated on you?" Jason pulled back slightly at the look that crossed over her face, the fun flirtations gone as he regarded her carefully. Regardless of what the last guy called her, this woman was sweet and if he did cheat, she didn't deserve that. She shook her head finally and furrowed her brow in thought, "um… it's complicated… uh," her head fell against the headrest as she scoured her brain for her next words, "friends with benefits… with feelings that started popping up… he was the kind of guy that didn't get tied to one woman so, I knew what I was getting into."
Jason's hand fell against her thigh and squeezed lightly, "so I'm your rebound."
"You can't rebound from a guy you were never exclusive with," she countered easily, "and you're only a rebound if I sleep with you on the first date."
"This is our second, so what're the rules on that?"
Kagome laughed lightly and lowered her head to stare at his hand on her thigh, his calloused palm made goosebumps spring against her skin as she mulled over the question. "You'll have to wait until the third or fourth, just to be safe."
"Whatever you say," his grip on her thigh tightened and eased, left hand lifting to the side of Kagome's face as his own came closer. Her fingers gripped his arm, meeting his lips with a sharp intake of breath as his fingers curled in her hair and anchored her to him. He grunted out a 'no' when her phone started ringing, relinquishing his hold when Kagome began to pull back.
"Sorry," she pursed her lips and tucked her hair behind her ear as she fished her phone free, shoulders dropping with a sigh as she tapped on the screen. "I need to get home… Lark needs me for a double," she managed a weak smile and tilted her phone enough for him to see, "I can… I can tell her no?"
"It's fine, Penguin'd come looking for his lost colony member."
"You don't like him."
Jason nodded and twisted to stare out of the small back windshield as he reversed, "he's no Jon Gotti."
"Do you want to be the next Jon Gotti?"
Kagome's question drew Jason's attention at the stop sign, staring at her longer than he should have as he leaned into his seat. "I want to clean up Gotham, so I'm going to do it from the inside."
'Clean up Gotham?' she blinked at the intense look on his face, raking her hand through her hair and twirling the ends in confusion, "isn't that what Batman's for?"
"Batman's an idiot," he scoffed, pulling into traffic, "he thinks the only thing the city needs is a few more bodies behind bars or curled up in their padded cells."
'No love lost then,' Kagome shifted in her seat and tapped her fingers against the side of her thigh; she could hear the resentment in his voice and made a mental note to scour the internet after her shift in an effort to find out what had happened between the pair.
"You're turn," Jason filled the silence gruffly, his jaw clenching as thoughts infiltrated his brain. Maybe he was too much baggage for her… hell, he'd died and come back to life; that was too much baggage for himself still, "you talked about your family earlier in past tense."
"Oh you caught that…" she heaved a sigh and bounced her head from shoulder to shoulder, "my brother's the only one still alive, I was on a vacation with some friends and when I came home…" her eyes glossed over as her voice died off, she hadn't let herself really think about that day since it happened, "crime's never really been a problem in Tokyo but… I guess the guys thought the shrine had money."
"Another one of my friends that couldn't get off was checking on them and stopped it," Kagome bit the inside of her cheek and shook her head to clear the intrusive images, "now it's just me and Souta… he's in New York, really sick the doctor's don't know what it is."
"I'm sorry," Jason swung the car in front of her apartment building and turned his attention to her fully, "how long—"
"Five or six months," she shrugged and cleared her throat, "the days have kind of run together since then."
Jason watched her blink the sadness from her face and place a smile over the frown as she turned in her seat, she could give all of them a run for their money where hiding their emotions were concerned. Kagome tilted her head against the back of the chair and reached for his hand, her thumb stroking his knuckles as she blinked lazily at him, "this was fun, even though work called and had to ruin it."
"Yeah, it was fun," his eyes followed the small movements of her thumb, pulling his arm away from the steering wheel to grab the side of her face. Kagome made a noise in the back of her throat as Jason's lips pressed against hers, his tongue coaxing her lips apart as his fingers slipped through her tresses to hold the back of her head.
Jason wondered just how far back the seats would go, the pads of his fingers digging into the back of Kagome's neck. "Jason," she ground his name out against his mouth, lashes fluttering open as she pulled back, "I'm starting to wonder if you can only kiss me in the car now."
"I'll walk you to your door and you can just find out," Jason offered softly as his hand unwound from her hair, turning to the front and turning the car off.
"I hope I didn't come off too strong today," Kagome spun in front of him and began walking backwards with a sheepish smile, "that you don't feel obligated to go out with me again or anything."
Jason smirked at the blush on her cheeks, had she just realized what she said at the bowling alley? "Maybe it should be me asking you, making sure you really want to go out with me again."
"Of course I do," she straightened and turned to tug the building door open, leading him up the stairs as she pulled her keys from her pocket. Her eyes closed in embarrassment, thankful he couldn't see the quick look of mortification that passed over her face; her presence in Gotham wasn't for a boyfriend or to get laid and here she was, almost throwing herself at this man. She shouldn't read too much into it really, she didn't have the best luck with men…
"This is me," she gestured to her door and turned slowly with a smile. "I know," he watched her insert the key and drop her hand from the knob, "thanks for putting up with me."
Kagome laughed at his word choice and lay her hand on his chest, craning her head to look at him, was this the first time she was realizing his stature compared to hers? He had to be a good foot above her… "I should be thanking you."
Jason snorted and stooped to her height, claiming her lips as eagerly as he had in the car. Kagome's hand slid up his chest and circled around his neck, her free hand flying up to fist in his jacket as she attempted to pull him closer. His hand wound in the strands at the base of her head, fingers against her waist twitching as she made a noise; he pulled back slightly, moving his hand to her face and stroking her cheekbone. "You're not just playing nice because I'm a crime boss are you?"
"No," she swallowed hard and retracted her hand to rest beside her other hand on his chest, "although it's kind of hot… I like you Jason, for you."
"Well," he pursed his lips and tilted his head, "gotta say that's a first."
He bent his head to reclaim her lips, jerking to his full height as clattering came through the door. Jason tilted his head slightly to the door as he listened for more noise, gaze sliding to the woman at his side to gauge her facial expressions; she waved off his concern, fingers drumming against his chest before pulling back, "it's just my cat."
"You can never be too careful in this city," he murmured. Kagome stood on her toes and tugged him closer, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek, "be careful tonight."
"Yeah you too…" he back slowly down the hall, pausing on the top stair and watching her give a final smile before disappearing into her apartment.
Kagome placed the chain on the door and bit her lip, she could feel the silly grin all over her face no matter how much she tried to keep it down. Three times is all it took for her to start to like Jason and she honestly hated herself for it… she had to kill Bruce or Batman… she shook her head and pressed back against her door, noise from her room drawing her from her thoughts.
Her hand closed around the hilt of a knife from the block and pulled it free, kicking her shoes to the side with a deep exhale. Her heart hammered in her chest as she pressed her back to the wall beside the doorframe, body tensing at the heavy footfalls that fell across her floor. With a grunt, she brandished her weapon and lunged into the room; slashing the knife across her body before twisting with her fist ready.
A kick to her stomach knocked the wind from her body, eyes searching the room for her hidden blades and grimacing at them still sitting innocently on her dresser.
"Release it."
Kagome winced and grunted at the fingers digging into her wrist, turning her shoulder into her attacker and biting down on his hand. Ripping her arm from his hold, she darted over her bed and flung herself at the blades, slipping one over her wrist and fumbling with the clasps as she turned and allowed the blade to slip free.
"Still so dramatically fiery, Little Bird."
"Ezio…?" her head turned to look at the picture of him on her dresser and back, no… Ezio was dead… "Get out!"
Her legs propelled her back onto her mattress, dropping the knife to her cover and grabbing her pillow before flinging it at him, diving forward with her blade drawn and ready. Ezio stepped back easily, knocking her blade away as the pillow hit him in the hip, "Kagome—"
Kagome's left hand stung from the slap she delivered, cradling the appendage to her chest and sliding her feet back with a nervous stare. This had to be some kind of trick.
"I have been slapped by many women and somehow yours always seem to hurt the most." Amusement laced Ezio's words as his eyes danced, reaching for her and sighing as she scuttled from his hands, "come, I must speak with you about what's happened."
"No, no way!" she spun on her heel and tripped, pulling back quickly from his approaching form and darting for the bathroom. The door slammed behind her, bracing her back against the barrier and sliding to the floor. "Ezio is dead, has been for the last 500 years!"
"I know," his voice cut through Kagome's head and sent shivers down her spine, she hadn't gotten a good look at the man on the other side of the door to pinpoint any inconsistences with her memory, pressing harder against the door and swallowing hard.
"Do you remember when you left Roma? When I tried everything I knew to get you to stay at least until we had dealt with the Borgia's, I was being selfish with you Little Bird; I never wanted to send you back to Japan."
Kagome drew her legs to her chest and turned her head to eye the shadow under the door, "I know…" he had told her as much before she left their room that final time. Standing slowly, she turned and pulled the door open, Ezio glancing up from where he sat beside the door and watching her carefully. Kagome averted her gaze tugged at the straps on her wrist, setting the hidden blade carefully on her dresser, "I have to get ready for work…"
"I met a man in Constantinople named Ra's—"
"—I don't want to hear this—"
"—years later I ran into him again before my death… next thing I know I'm awoken in the middle of a green lake, he said the world still needed me. Your demon friends have housed me—"
Kagome whirled on him and lifted her hand to cover his mouth, lip trembling and forcing a smile. "Please, today's been really great and I'm trying to process this…" she gestured around his body with her free hand, "I have to get ready for work… so if you could sit quietly that would be just amazing…"
Ezio nodded and gripped her hand to lower it, sitting on the edge of her bed. His dark eyes followed her every movement, brow arching as she disappeared into the closet. "What was so great about today?"
"Come on," her head popped out from behind the door with a half-hearted glare before disappearing back behind the door, "I had a date and I like him."
"That's good."
Kagome grunted her agreement and made for her dresser, pulling open the top drawer and pulling out the cuffs and bowtie.
"Mio Dio…"
"Not now," she met his eyes in the mirror with a frown, pulling her inky tresses atop her head and fixing it into a messy bun, "not again."
He held his hands up in defense, giving her his charming smile that he she wouldn't resist when she moved to stand in front of him. "Of course Little Bird," he folded his hands together between his knees as his smile widened, "he's a lucky boy."
"Right," she dropped her hand from her hip and pointed to his thigh, shoving down the temptation to tell him that Jason was no boy; it was what he wanted, it was his way of testing her with the new guy. "You're sitting on my sweatpants."
Ezio shifted and pulled her clothing free, pulling them from her approaching hand as he stood. "Are we going to talk about how you are using the teachings of the Brotherhood to kill innocents?"
Kagome shook her head and retreated quickly, she knew that was coming. "They're hardly innocent, I check before I kill them…"
"Kagome—"
She shoved him back to the bed, climbing over him for her pants with trembling hands, "I have to go to work."
Ezio's hands on her hips stopped her cold, eyes shutting tight and peeling them open as she tentatively sat back. "I'm not leaving until we've talked."
"Fine," she swallowed hard as she gazed down at him, her cheeks heating up as she remembered all of the other times she had been in this position with him. "Let me go."
His fingers tightened at her request and fell to the mattress, shoving himself to sit up as Kagome tugged her pants on over her stockings. "Her name was Sofia, you were right Little Bird I did meet a woman that would tame me."
Kagome froze and straightened, eyes growing wide at the idea of Ezio actually settling down for real before shrugging and clearing her throat. "I told you it wouldn't be with me," she strode from the bedroom and grabbed her bag, checking the contents inside with a fuzzy head as she snatched her key from the counter, "don't destroy my apartment…"
Slipping her sneakers to her feet, Kagome slipped through the door and exhaled sharply, holding her hand to her chest as she slid the key in the lock and turned. She had another bone to pick with Inuyasha now… 'still a damned jackass…' Trudging down the stairs slowly, she drew another deep breath and sighed, "my head hurts…"
