Learning to Love Slowly

Cookies and Folded Clothes

You were folding Jason's clothes while watching the news of Red Hood having been gone for days, supposedly dead. The idea of your boyfriend being dead made your blood run cold and you instantly changed the channel to get away from the thought. It gave some relief to know that Red Hood, Jason Todd, was just in your bathroom taking a shower not dead.

After having a deal gone wrong, Jason decided to lay low for the next couple of weeks, but, just as he did that, the power in his building went out. After you had insisted that he not spend the few days it would take in his apartment with no air condition in the middle of the too-fucking-hot summer, he decided to crash at your place. He had been distant most of the time, more than usual, due to his fear of being in the way.

"Babe, where do you keep your towels again?" Jason called from the bathroom.

You told him where they were with a small smile on your face, just glad to hear his voice after hearing that news segment. You then started to put his clean clothes into the small duffel bag he had been keeping his clothes in–even though you had offered one of your drawers, he refused to take up any more space.

Hearing the click of the lock on the bathroom door, you turned to tell Jason that his clothes were folded when you noticed that the only thing he was wearing was a towel. You looked away so as to not make him uncomfortable as you knew you stared for longer than he would have liked, but, fuck, he was hot.

You knew Jason was muscular, being a vigilante made it obvious, but seeing the muscles was another thing. The man was built like a brick house, thick and sturdy. You glanced back a bit to see his thick thighs, carved from the heavens themselves and could see a bit of something else under the towel. His black hair was slicked back out of his face so you could see the little defined hook in his nose and his green eyes.

Your cheeks felt hot and you continued to put his clothes into his duffel bag. "I-uh. Well, I folded your clothes."

"Will you hand me the bag?" Jason asked quietly, and you knew he felt embarrassed. Turning around, you handed him the back, meeting his eyes for a second.

"Jaybean?" Pausing from his quick retreat into the bathroom, your boyfriend turned to look at you. The words you were going to say were lost on you for a second, but you managed out. "I think you're one of the most handsome men in the world."

A small smile appeared on his lips. "Yeah, you think so?"

"Yeah, I do."

Jason looked down at the bag in his hand and chew his bottom lip before disappearing into the bathroom. Sighing, you sat on your bed, hands over your face as you cringed. You couldn't believe you actually said that knowing how awkward it already was. Just as the thought of crawling under a rock was consuming you, the feeling of the bed dipping made you look up.

Now dressed, Jason sat at the end of your bed, duffel bag thrown in the chair in the corner of the room. "Hey."

You sat up, taking his hand. "Hey, Jay."

Jason stared at you, then looked down at your lips before turning away completely. He turned to you again, leaning forward toward you just a bit. "I think you're the most beautiful woman in the world."

You giggled and found yourself leaning forward to where your lips were merely inches apart. "Yeah?"

Jason grinned. "Yeah."

You hummed before leaning a bit closer, lips barely grazing his. You could feel his hot breath against your mouth but didn't want to push any further just in case. Sitting there for a second, Jason turned his head a little from your lips.

"I-" He started, but you stopped him.

"I understand, baby. No rush, remember?" You whispered, scooting yourself to the end of the bed so you sat side-by-side. "Are you feeling okay?"

Jason leaned into your shoulder a bit, smiling softly down at you. "Doin' great, babe. Thanks for folding my clothes, too. I think I gotta come over more often now."

You laughed at his joke. "So that's the secret to seeing you more often. I think I get it now. Bake cookies and fold your clothes. I don't think that's a completely fair exchange, though."

Jason smirked. "I don't know, I think you got a bit out of seeing me in nothing but a towel a few minutes ago."

"Please shut up," You cringed, but laughed.

The worst part? Jason wasn't entirely wrong.