Chapter 2

"Jason?"

"Helena?

"What are you doing here?"

"Me?" He arched his brow. "What are you doing here?"

"I was…" she looked around the room again, confused. Then she looked down at herself and squeaked. She pulled the blanket up to cover herself. "Jason, what the hell? Is this some kind of come-on?"

That hurt him. "Okay, what the hell?" He frowned, getting to his feet and rubbing the sore spot where his ass hit the ground. "I would never … You know me, Helena."

She held his furrowed gaze for a long moment, then dropped her eyes to his torso. Jason thought he saw the olive skin of her cheeks and chest turn a shade warmer.

Helena hesitated before saying, "Why are you naked?"

"Because I went to bed alone." Jason wore only briefs as well and felt a little self-conscious now. He clasped his hands over his crotch, which only drew her gaze to his torso. "I was here first, Helena."

Helena tucked a wavy raven lock of hair behind her ear. "When did you get here?"

Jason scratched the scar on his cheek, thinking. "Last night around eight. I showered and went to bed around ten. When did you get here?"

Helena sighed, pinching her nose, "Yeah, I got in around two A.M. I was so exhausted, I just bee-lined it to the bedroom, undressed, and fell straight into bed. Didn't even bother switching the lights on."

Jason snickered bitterly. "So it's sheer luck we prefer opposite sides of the bed, huh?"

"I guess." Helena shrugged.

"What makes you think you can just walk in here like that?" Jason ordered. "How do you even know the security codes?"

"Because I've been staying here for a few days."

"I didn't notice any clues you were staying here."

"That's because I'm not a slob like you. I pick up after myself," Helena said with a superior tone he recognized too well.

Jason glanced around the floor and snorted. It was Helena's clothes he had tripped over. It looked like a black and purple motorcycle suit, which enthusiasts wore. It was a complete set with gloves, a jacket, pants, and boots. "Right."

"Sorry." Helena slid to the side of the bed, but she was shivering.

Jason's instincts kicked in. He couldn't see a proper top among her strewn clothes, so he went to his wardrobe and tossed her a flannel robe.

As Helena slipped on the robe, Jason tossed her strewn clothes onto a bench at the end of the bed and folded them. The gear was heavy and reinforced for racing.

He noticed her watching him. When he turned to face her, her eyes darted back up to his face. "Thank you," she said, some color in her cheeks.

So preoccupied with her modesty, he forgot his own. He wore boxer briefs and nothing else. He returned to the wardrobe and put on the flannel pants that matched the robe he'd given her. After digging around, he found a ripped-up tee shirt.

As long as they were ogling each other unabashedly, he figured he could ask, "Where did you get those bruises?"

"Um, motorcycle accident. Fell off my bike." She pulled the robe tighter around herself. "Nothing too serious."

Jason studied her for a moment longer, specifically the arm injuries. Something seemed off. "You ride now?"

"Yeah. I picked it up after you…." She hesitated. "… left."

Jason cringed. Leaving was putting it too lightly.

He'd missed a lot being dead.

"Alright, back to it. Exactly how long have you been here?"

Helena thought for a moment. "A week, two days."

Jason scoffed. "Wait, you've been squatting in my home for over a week ?"

Helena blinked. "I'm sorry— home? Do you live here? I thought this was a safe house."

"Yeah. My safe house."

"But Barbara told me it's off the Batcomputer's network."

"Yeah, it's below Bruce's radar. She doesn't want him to know she helps me out. I'm always on the road for something or another, but I technically live here when I'm not—" He didn't quite know how to phrase it.

"—busy being an unsanctioned globetrotting vigilante?" Helena finished for him. "That could get her in serious trouble."

Something occurred to Jason. "So would Airbnb-ing you an off-the-grid safe house. Why would Barbara set you up in my home base? Aren't you supposed to be in college in Star City?"

"I'm—" She couldn't hold eye contact. "I'm on vacation."

He didn't like that answer. "So am I. But I didn't anticipate a house guest."

Helena looked earnest. "Come on! Let's vacay together. Let me stay with you. Please?"

Jason crossed his arms. "You're the heiress of one of the wealthiest families in Gotham. I'm sure you can afford a hotel suite, something way better than a loft above a rusty garage."

Helena sighed. "That's precisely why Barbara set me up here. I'm practically a celebrity in Gotham, but not here. Jason, I want to be incognito. I want the freedom to roam. Someplace where I won't be followed, and people don't know who I am. Barbara must have thought you'd be away for a while, and I'd have the place to myself."

"You don't. I'm not going to tip-toe around you for a week. I came here for privacy, specifically to get away from my teammates. I have a project to work on. I want to focus."

"What kind of project?"

Jason rolled his eyes. "Nobody's business! That's exactly why I fucking left!"

He had just escaped four roommates—he wasn't looking to be distracted by another. When away from home , he toured the world with Roy, Kory, Artemis, and Bizarro on a Tamaranian spaceship they called the Starfire. Kory was overly friendly and prone to be scantily clad in her leisure time. Even though they'd broken up and moved on, Artemis was easily bored and nosy. And Bizarro and Roy weren't any better. Bizarro only wanted to play video games with Jason all day, and Roy would just try to take over the project he was working on and make it his own. As the leader of the Outlaws, Jason had assigned them to partake in some much-deserved shore leave. It was for their own good as much as his.

"Sorry! I won't get in your way," Helena said, reading the look on his face. "I'll even take the couch."

"You must be desperate to room up with me in this shithole."

"Yeah, I am desperate. And out of options."

Jason scoffed.

"No, listen, please." Helena locked eyes with him. "Jason, we want the same thing—privacy. You from your crew mates, me from the Gotham public, and my father. You know him. Of all people, you know how overbearing he can be."

Jason gritted his teeth. Yes, he did. Too well. He didn't like where this conversation was going. "Then you know if he finds out, he'll kill us both."

Helena smiled. "Don't be silly, Jason. You know Batman doesn't kill people."

Notes

I first learned about Helena Wayne by reading the Worlds' Finest comic when the New 52 launched. It could be better, but still a fun and exciting read. Reading that comic taught me that the original version of Huntress was Batman's daughter on Earth-2. I love the mainstream version of Huntress, but for the sake of making a pairing with a lot of history to unpack, I went with this one. Will Jason fall for his mentor's daughter? It's so taboo! Who doesn't love forbidden romance?