Chapter Text
She wrote him a poem.
It seems stupid, standing there with flowers when he doesn't even know Izzy's favorites yet. He tried to write something but it all seemed lame when he read it back to himself. Still, she sat with him on the bus and shared music again, fingers flowing on his and head leaned back for a kiss between each song.
The flowers seem less stupid when she smiles and her hand holds his to take them.
“Your fingers are cold.” He remarks as she tugs on his to bring them back inside.
“Well, it's almost winter and I guess dropping these off gives me an excuse to grab my jacket and gloves now.” Izzy quirks her smile and lifts a hand at her mom lurking around the corner.
“So sue me. I wanted to see the two of you together dressed up.” She rolls her eyes and takes the flowers with the hand not holding the camera. Closing one eye she frames the young man in his dark suit and long charcoal jacket first. Her daughter stands out against it, dwarfed a little by him but shining in a deep red square neckline cocktail dress. Almost a full foot shorter, she could be described as slight next to him despite possessing round hips and heavy if-sleek muscle.
Stopping to pose with her hands on Jason and looking back over her shoulder, she even pops a foot up. Her mother gets one good picture before Izzy twists her face and crosses her eyes dramatically.
“I'm too fast for you by far.” She pouts at her own daughter and then makes shooing noises as Izzy swings the borrowed black jacket over her shoulders. Her mom gives her almost free reign in hers for loaners at least.
“You look really nice,” he finally speaks again when she tries to hold the skirt more down and angle into the car. His hand held out, he clears his throat.
“Oh, yeah, I um, figured I should after I looked up the restaurant. Your brother doesn't mess around does he?” Sliding into the car in little bounces, she completely misses how his eyes track down from dark red lips, to skin a shade more amber than olive glowing in the lower light on her modest breasts.
“No, no, and I think he gets a kick out of making me uncomfortable.” He lifts a hand back at Alfred before getting himself into the car next to her. When he called, he knew. It never went further than Alfred in the family when it came to speaking out of turn unless really pressed by Bruce.
The older man looks over his shoulder just for a moment as Izzy passes her hand over Jason's on the young man's knee.
“You look comfortable to me,” she studies him, the light stubble on his cheek untouched for now as she plants her right hand behind her, “we'll make it through and then do something far less classy. I promise.”
His lips draw in and flatten as the divider goes up between them and the driver.
“Not that,” she swats his arm and waits until they have privacy, “or maybe that, if you play your cards right.”
She snuggles her thigh against his as she sits facing ahead.
“I'm already winning,” He rests his jaw against her temple in a little hug, “just being seen with you.”
“Oof that was smooth.” She laughs, then looks up through her lashes at him.
“I got a deficit to make up after that poem,” he leans back in the seat with an exasperated slight shake of his head.
“Oh come on. That was so lame. I can't believe I sent that.” She scoffs, “you're not allowed to flirt with me that late anymore.”
“I'm not?” He leans forward, challenged like that.
“No you're not.” She squeezes his knee when he tucks her closer with his arm planted behind her. Her shoulder rises, jacket falling off of it under searching fingers.
“I think I've been very well behaved…” he kisses the cap of it, “and maybe deserve a little selfishness.”
“Nnnnnngh, you know we can't call off this date!” She complains but smiles through it.
“Why not?” He kisses her jaw with a slow dangerous smile spreading.
Her nose tracks back to him, hazel eyes open and warm, “Because I need to make a good impression, to show those idiots at the paper and on the talk shows and the internet, that they don't get to decide for us.”
“What did they say?” His voice drops low as his nose flares and jaw tenses.
“It's not important,” She stops him from checking his phone, “and at least your family and friends have the sense not to send things to you.”
He works his tongue rough over his teeth as he exits the car, and buttons the suit coat again. Her hand slips into his cleanly and he helps lift her onto her feet in a cute little hop on her heels. She laughs and it breaks the cloud over him enough for a shy smile of his own before he steps out of the way and holds her hand up higher so they get a good shot this time. Her purse tucked in close, she sways the skirt of her dress as he lifts her other hand up for a kiss.
Then his hand takes to the small of her back and he sweeps a look over her head, daring them not to see her for what she is.
-----
“Yeah, that's why I didn't order the lobster.” She laughs at how Dick almost drops the crackers, “I didn't need any more judgment…”
“We weren't- were you worried about us?” Barbara sits up taller, her red hair falling over her shoulders smoothly.
“No, yes. I don't know.” Izzy winces until she stares down at Jason's hand on her lap. Then she takes it with both of hers and shrugs as she rubs it.
“I’m a cop’s daughter. We never did things like this.” Barbara explains.
“Yeah but a Commissioner's family still isn't barely scraping by in the alley. I know how people see us down there.” She admits with a worry of her brow.
“Not everyone.” Dick corrects swiftly. Bruce warned him about Zervas, or maybe cautioned was a better word for it. They had a past, he had suspicions, but nothing came of it. He seemed to want it dropped before it could start and Dick agreed. It felt odd to even mention it if he didn’t want attention on it though.
“Enough do. But what is there to do about it but prove them wrong?” She nudges her fingers in under Jason's sleeve to touch his wrist. Seeing how it bothered him before, she seeks to soothe him here.
He sits up taller and sweeps his through the fine hairs at the base of her neck that couldn't be swept up into her hair. He hugs her waist when she leans into him.
“That's the spirit,” Dick agrees, “I don't think you need to worry about this one with the Waynes.”
“Oh I'm not worried about her.” Jason sweeps up a last bite of chicken parm.
“Then why all the guarded grumbling!” Dick raises his voice only to stop it quickly.
Izzy squeezes Jason's knee, then moves carefully to get up, “I'm going to find the ladies' room.”
“I'll show you the way.” Barbara offers with a look back and forth at the two men pouting away from each other at the table. Izzy waits patiently for her to spin in her chair, hands held together on her purse and avoiding the tension.
Jason's elbows rest on the table when he waits for them to disappear. Then he sighs, “why the grumbling? Gee I don't know Dick, when everything gets compared to you what chance do I have? What chance do any of us have?”
“So what, you can't bring a girl home because she won't be good enough?” Dick rolls his eyes theatrically.
“Oh, I know she's good enough.” Jason sets the napkin over his plate, “but I know you'll all pick and prod and try to find where she's weak like a game.”
“Oh come on. It’s not like I'm going to challenge her to a sword fight.” Dick leans back with an arm hanging over the top of the chair.
“Ha! You should.” Jason pushes his lower lip up, wide eyed and mocking.
“Oh god, Jay.” Dick rubs his forehead like Bruce and it only makes it worse.
“You should totally challenge her to a duel.” Jason leans in and tosses an ice cube in his brother's lap.
“Quit it. This is a nice place, and it's helping with Izzy.” Dick argues.
“You don't get to call her that until you can best her with a foil.” Jason leans back with a tight, teasing smile.
“For the last time. I am not going to challenge your girlfriend to a duel.” He insists low and with a finger pressed into the table.
“Why not?” Izzy asks as she skirts the space behind his chair to get back around the table.
“Is it because she's a girl?” Jason raises his brows and gives him a seriously disappointed look.
“No. No! I wouldn't. You can't put words in my mouth like that.” Dick complains to Barbara, “I didn't say that!”
“I'm sure that you didn't.” she comes to his rescue but with a little smirk.
“Prove it.” Izzy says. Then she sits there as all the eyes of the table turn to her, “Richard John Grayson, I challenge you to a duel, and friendly reminder- turning one down is considered very bad form.”
“You can't be serious. Tonight?” Dick scoffs.
“Sure, unless you have something better to do?” Jason shrugs.
------
“And you're sure they're all busy tonight?” Izzy stretches her neck with her hands on her hips. One of Steph or Cass’s old uniforms fit well enough to serve for one fight.
“Yeah, the whole crew went out for various things around the city. You know galas, charity shit, rich bitch playdates…” Jason rubs her shoulders from in front of her, “tell me that you can kick his ass.”
“I don't know that I can. I only found that one video of him fighting on the way over here,” she squats a little and then wiggles her butt, “what? This is entirely the wrong underwear for this situation.”
He laughs, and rubs at his nose a little, “Okay that immense distraction aside-”
“Oh they are not immense by any stretch of the imagination.” Her eyes widen as she laughs.
“That said,” he pauses and tries to picture it only to shake his head, “Bruce trained him. Have you seen enough footage of him?”
“Oohhh. Oh yes. Oh this is probably not fair.” She sets a hand on her head until he loops his under her arm to draw her close and leave a kiss on her hair.
“It isn't but it is. Knock him down a peg for me?” He asks brightly.
“For you?” She pushes her lower lip out slightly, tilts her head slowly while narrowing her very dark lined eyes, “I'll aim for tears.”
She sets the mask in place, thankful for the braids her mother helped her pin it up tonight tucking easily up inside it now.
“You are… something else. God damn.” He reaches up for two foils.
“Not that one. The heavier saber to the right. Why do you think I was comfortable enough with your katana? My dad doesn't mess around.” Neither did my mom, she thinks as she swishes the blade, tossing the grip lightly in her hand, “most of those are training size and weight. They make sense for working with kids, building arm strength and reflexes with it…”
Izzy spins when Jason comes for her without a warning or he thought, much of a sound. She slaps the foil and then flicks her hand back to hit the guard over his hand, almost pushing it out of his grip. He switches hands and shakes the one out before returning it to his right.
“Sorry?”
“Don't apologize. That was hot.” He smiles and takes another attempt, slower, flowing more. She counters and carefully calls out where he leaves open as she does.
“Also those dress pants are too tight for this.” She steps up close against him and runs a hand up his butt, “not that I’m complaining. I just don't want to rip them on accident.”
“But you'd rip them on purpose? Is that what I'm hearing?” He chuckles, hating that he can't see the expression and hoping it's the tight little troublemaking smile he enjoys.
“Yeah, now where is this golden boy everyone is so in awe of?” She raises her hands up, sword extending theatrically with the gesture.
“Right here.” Dick answers as he enters their gym at Wayne manor, dressed same as her in uniform with Barbara right behind him.
“Get your stretching in?” Izzy questions.
“Yup,” he pats the mask on his head.
“Good.” She comes after him light and lilting. Little swats and rings of the surface of the blades scraping teach her enough of him. He absolutely learned heavily from Bruce.
“I should have known.” He barks out as she avoids him in an increasingly mocking way. Izzy even laughs just low enough to hear when she clips his attempts to drive her back as she skips the retreat in an almost bounce of her feet.
“You brought in a damn ringer didn't you?” Barbara clicks her tongue while shaking her head. Against the wall next to Jason, she still smiles about it. If there’s one thing Richard Grayson is, it’s a born and bred showman who values hard work making something look easy. As frustrated as he may get, it may only help the bonding of this girl who seems to have tamed a layer of anger off of his impulsive younger brother.
“Yeah I did,” Jason snickers into a chuckle as Izzy dodges past Dick only to clap him on the ass with the blade.
“That's out of bounds!” He gasps.
“Yeah it is. You should even out your physique if you don't want it to be a target.” She clicks her tongue and laughs tauntingly.
“That's it.” He comes around faster, using his larger frame to his advantage.
She waited for this. Taking to the balls of her feet, she matches and surpasses his speed. He even comes in low with an attack that she has to round-off leap over.
Measured head stable, but eyes inside the mask flicking to openings she only takes hits to give them back firmer or in more frustrating places. The rough breath from Dick starts Jason laughing low until he notices Barbara covering her mouth. He takes it as advice just as Izzy clearly flicks a nipple with the tip of the saber.
Dick drops his sword arm when he reaches to cover it with the opposite hand and she takes the other as a matched set. Tweaked just, if it were a naked blade, Jason can just imagine the damage.
As it is he almost crows when Dick pulls the mask off in a rage.
“What the fuu-dging hell!” He wipes at his face with his arm, “that's not regulation play at all!”
“Duels aren't allowed in regulation.” Izzy removes her helmet one handed, and tucks the whole thing under her arm.
“I didn't know that you knew that.” Dick laughs it off and runs a hand through his hair before leaving the foil poked and propped between two pads. A hand extends to her and she tosses the blade to her left hand.
“And I'm not even right handed.” She smirks with a tilt of her head into the handshake.
“Oooh… oh snap.” Jason holds up a fist to Barbara. She pounds it.
“That's your girl.” She raises a hand at Izzy as he pushes off the wall.
“Yeah, that's my girl!” He sweeps Isolde’s small form up in a spinning hug, and she can’t help but laugh at the openness of that smile.
“Careful of the blade, handsome.” She warns as he sets her down, “I don't want to lose any bits nor pieces of all of this.”
He sweeps back little stray pieces of hair that escaped the braids.
“Did he wreck my hair?” She narrows her eyes as she reaches to smooth it.
“Want me to kill him for you?” He offers with a lift of his brows.
“Not just yet. He’s interesting.” She gets a frustrated look on her face, “is he? Are they all this…”
Izzy's face drains of color as she sets her hand to her forehead.
“Is she okay?” Barbara asks before Izzy's knees go a little weak. Bruce stands at his screen down in the bat cave, the rest of the family arrayed around him. Duke hands Tim a handful of cash, and Tim passes half of it to Cass.
“I need to go.” Izzy flicks the uniform open at the neck to breathe. Then she leaves Jason holding the sword as she walks awkwardly back to the smoking room where she left her dress.
Her back against the door, breath refusing to slow she mutters while counting her fingers, “They're all bats. Are they all bats?”
-----
“You still look pale. Are you sure that you're okay?” he hands her a glass of water, looking sheepish.
“I don't know why I didn't catch the holes in the story. I just thought you went after your mom and it didn't really make sense why someone wouldn't just ransom you if it was because of Bruce.” She rubs her brow hard with her cold fingers from the glass, “and most people don't hunt down people who wrong them but I didn't know if you expected it from Bruce because it's rich people shit. Fuck.”
“It wasn't my place to out them. Those are their secrets but I doubt Dick would have agreed to the duel if he had a problem with you knowing,” Jason tries to reason with her and she nods.
“I understand that. I just feel stupid for not seeing it sooner. There's the whole crew and it explains three prepubescent Robins better than anti-aging magic although that also exists in green glowing pits somewhere!” She raises a hand at him, “fuck are you going to stay looking like this while I get all saggy and wrinkly?!”
“Well, first of all, judging by your mom, you have some time for that.” Jason quips with a twinkle in his eye.
She shoots him a look over the rim of the glass.
“Too far? I thought it might make you laugh… no I will actually slowly age unless I go back there and keep taking dips.” He leans on the pool table at his hip as she swings her legs a little from her seat on it.
“And you're not stupid.” He sighs and rubs her back as she sets the empty glass down on the edge, sparing the felt. “You're amazing. You tweaked his damn nipples!”
She starts laughing and sets her arm on his, inviting a hug he desperately wants. Her arms cross behind his neck and he kisses her cutely on the nose.
“And clapped him on that dummy thicc wagon of his” she cackles.
“Oh god I fucking love you.” he heaves out in a deep breath.
“You what?” She gets a hand on either side of his face before an odd laugh starts in her throat.
“I…” he freezes, then shrugs a shoulder before clearing his throat, “I have feelings and they're-”
“I have them too.” She catches those green eyes and admits it, “That’s the secretest nastiest kink…”
“Wait with that look, on the bus?” He puzzles, wrinkles curving up over his forehead before she kisses it.
“Yeah, I love you too, you big goofball.” the way she kisses him, soft and a little open, recalls the first time they did.
They went to the bookstore and then diner for dinner and showing her something in his book across the table, she went for it before he could. He melts into it here in a way he didn't have time for then. She keeps kissing like that, flush lips plying his with just enough pressure.
He breaks it only to start it back the way he wanted to then. Hungry yes, he kissed her with passion since. Back then he simply wanted to give the same smooth softness back. This time she makes the sweetest little moan in her throat. He pauses it to hug her closer and try to recognize it in her eyes. She breathes roughly against him, mouth open slightly in that dark red she coated them in tonight.
His hand works gently clawing fingers into her thigh as his nose nuzzles hers.
“Is this canoodling?” Damian asks sharply with a lifted hand from the hall before Dick grabs him by the back of his shirt.
“We told you to leave them alone.” The eldest brother states flatly as the youngest swings and tries to pry his way out of the hold.
“No! Grayson! I need to ask about the iguana!” Damian howls.
“They know about Cactus?” Izzy asks, still in a bit of a haze.
“Yeah… I told Roy not to spill that part too soon.” Jason sweeps back his hair a bit and sighs deeply, “I assume we're done with the making out for now.”
“Right here? Yes. But I promised you something not classy and we have an hour or two before I need to get home.”
“Look, I know I look like a sure thing but I need way more time than that to do things properly.” He chuckles as she drops herself back, covering her head with her arms.
“Baby, I did not mean that but now I'm curious and need to carve out some designated space in my calendar.” She makes a little whoop noise as he hikes her hips closer and then lifts her back up to vertical in a spin before setting her down carefully.
“Call me baby again?” He asks, nose to nose with her.
-----
“Whooo baby! YES!” She jumps on his back before he can stand up straight, “that's my man!”
Her hand up in the air in a fist, she holds on tightly with her legs and flails to catch his shoulders. He teeters a little and laughs before he can twist and get an arm around her
“Perfect score!” She stretches with both arms up in the air, “my man is the master of skeeball!”
“Alright, alright. I think they get it now.” He smiles so wide she can't contain hers either as she kisses the apple of his cheek, “remember how tight these pants are.”
“Oh, did we rip when I jumped on you there?” She cringes nose to nose with him.
“No but if you keep calling me your man I might,” he wiggles a little adjusting himself as he sets her down. Looking far too dressed up for the seaside arcade, they classed it up by making their tickets into accessories. Izzy sports a feathered boa of them and Jason a flower boutonnière as they scramble to get to the prize case.
Looking over the animals up top she starts laughing, “you know what would be funny?”
He still thinks about the kiss on the front porch steps, how he traded a couple of hours of something sexier for something fun. Saying he loved her came spilling out but this shows how he meant it. He wants her around just to talk to, and mess around with without messing around messing around.
“Yo Dami! You still up?” He asks as the elevator doors open into the bat cave, “Izzy said she doesn't have much time for her lizard what with classes and all and-”
“I will take him!” His younger brother reaches up his hands and turns the chair around just in time to see him throw it like a football.
“No! You dumb oaf with your-” he catches it, hands out and shirking away from imagined claws, “big dumb face.”
The scowling pout on the youngest of the bat family could be framed. It could be hung in a museum of the most sublime betrayal and frustration.
“And that's my phone background for-” Jason pauses at the photo of Izzy looking up at him with a stack of books in her arms, “or just the group chat…”
He brings it up only to have the phone whipped out of his hand by a stuffed iguana's tail.
“What the fuck?!” He growls as Damian catches the flying object one handed, lizard stuffy tucked under the other arm.
“Now now now, I wonder who the last person you sent a text communication was…” the kid narrows his eyes at the screen, thumb hovering over it.
“You give that back right now you little gremlin!” Jason sets off after him.
Braids down, combing fingers through her hair, Izzy leaves the dress hanging on the outside of her door. When she got home she lamented the waste of cute underwear for a few minutes, until she propped up her phone and tested a few things out. She hears the notification before she has a chance to send anything.
[We can not canoodle anymore.] [I am sorry.] [my butt stinks too much and I am embarrassed.] follow one after another from Jason.
[Damian?] She guesses quickly based on what Jason told her, and the stuffed iguana plan she and her boyfriend formed together.
[No, this is Jason.] [Damian smells like a field of lavender.] he replies quickly from a swinging upside-down perch on one of the acrobat style swings in the cave. His bigger yet not oldest brother curses a blue streak below him.
[If you give Jason back his phone I will bring my iguana to family dinner next week and you can hold him the entire time.]
[That is acceptable.] [for Damian.] [If he can also keep the toy iguana.]
She laughs at the last one [We got it for him so of course.] [We used up almost all of the tickets on it, remember?]
[Yes. I do.] [My butt still stinks despite that.]
[Tell Damian that Cactus the iguana says goodnight] she tries again with a photo of Cactus in a tiny cowboy hat.
[Goodnight Cactus.] [And goodnight also to Isolde.] [I will return the phone to Jason now.] He responds, then drops his toy lizard first and then himself into his brother's arms.
“Alright, what's the damage?” Jason asks.
“No damage. She will bring me Cactus and we will be friends.” Damian sets the phone in Jason's shirt pocket and then flips out of his big brother’s arms.
“The iguana or Isolde?” Jason tries to get clarity, as he checks the phone only to find Damian long gone and the bat cave empty. He chuckles low at the conversation as he wanders to the elevator.
[I think it worked] he sends the video of it flying through the air to Damian. It sets a smile on his face as the doors close, until he notices the screen. With the duel paused on it, and other screens below or around with information about his girlfriend and her family.
Even the photo she sends after can't entirely cut the irritation creeping up his spine. It comes close though.