Chapter Text
The next day, Jason wakes up surrounded by warmth. It’s almost too much. Half awake, he reaches for the source and wants to push it a little further away, but the feeling of soft fur underneath his fingers jolts him awake. They don’t use pelts for bedding here in the south at this time of the year, just linen and silk.
He blinks and is greeted by Ny occupying half of his bed, looking at him with puppy eyes. Puppy eyes the size of half his palm. And yet, Ny never fails to make it work.
“What the heavens?”, Jason murmurs sleepily now that he can relax again. “How’d you get in here?”
Instead of pushing Ny away, he lets his hand fall onto the bed and lazily pats Ny’s tummy. His wolf happily quints his eyes shut and puts his head down on his front paws, grumbling pleasantly.
Beyond his balcony, the sky is still mostly red and yellow. It’s too early to actually get out of bed so he stays, stretches under the sheets and keeps Ny company, despite the odd circumstance.
Ny shouldn’t be here. Jason and Damian agreed to not let the wolves come to the castle because they would be too caged in if they can’t freely leave. And simply accompanying them through the city is not an option when there’s so many people around who’ve never seen a wolf, much less a horse-sized one, on the streets.
The only people other than himself who could’ve gotten Ny to come with them are Bruce and Damian and, after yesterday, maybe Slade. While Ny has seen Slade and him together almost every day on the King’s Road, he hasn’t seen them spend time together like he did yesterday. By the end of the day, the wolf greeted Slade’s stretched out hand with an appreciative lick before he ran off into the forest again. After that, Slade’s gaze landed on Jason with a smugness that made his gut swoop.
This situation must be of Slade’s making then. Bruce and Damian would never carelessly let a direwolf into King’s Landing. Even though Damian would give his left arm to have Nia here.
Sighing, he finally turns away from Ny when the sky is fully bright blue, running his fingers through Ny’s fur one last time.
He’s interrupted by a knock at his door.
“Come in,” he raises his voice, just enough to be heard, before he remembers that he isn’t even dressed yet. He slightly opens the curtains, separating the section of the quarters his bed is in from the rest of it, and peaks out of the gap.
He’s surprised when it’s Slade who opens the door and closes it behind himself. Maybe more than he should’ve been, considering the direwolf in his bed.
“Morning,” Slade says as if nothing is amiss.
Jason ignores the once over Slade gives him in favor of pushing the curtains aside and gesturing towards Ny. “Care to explain?”
“It saves us the trouble of you having to leave the castle every couple days.”
“Not why. How,” Jason asks. Slade’s self-satisfied expression annoys him so much that he doesn’t let him answer. “What were you thinking? He can’t actually stay here and now we have to smuggle him out of the city again. How is that any less complicated than simply riding out to meet him?”
Slade walks over to where he’s still standing half behind one side of the curtains. He steps past Jason and the bed and stops before a panel in the wall to lay a hand on its side. Slade presses down on the inconspicuous piece of wall, something clicks and the wall moves, revealing darkness. Jason looks between Slade and the space behind his wall with wide eyes.
“A passage?”
“A secret one,” Slade raises a finger to his lips. “Not even Kal knows the full extend of these tunnels.”
Curiosity wins and Jason joins Slade to peer into the pathway. It’s dark and fairly cold and he can’t see far. On one side, it extends to where Damian’s and Bruce’s rooms must be and, on the other, he sees the top and the bottom of a staircase.
“Your room is connected to it, too?”, Jason asks quietly. If that’s the case, it’s probably even connected to the King’s chambers.
Slade nods, knowing which question Jason implied.
“Him, his wife and I are the only ones who know about this part of the tunnels,” he says, casually leaning against the frame of the hidden door, while Jason studies the mechanism. “There are tunnels which are more commonly known, and tunnels that only I know about. The whole thing is a giant maze and hundreds of years old, some passages became unusable over time.”
“The stairs to the underground cave you led me to on the first day here… They’re part of this?”
“Yes,” Slade nods. “The tunnels leading away from there go both into and out of the city.”
“So that’s how,” Jason glances at Ny. Still, the idea is absurd. “You went outside and led him through secret tunnels into my room?”
“I did.”
“What is this? Some eerie demonstration that you could get into my room at any time?”, he mocks and ignores the way his neck heats up in odd anticipation.
To Jason’s disappointment, Slade just raises an amused eyebrow.
“I don’t need a hidden passage for that. I could just go through the front door,” he grins and Jason feels a little weak in the knees. “Why would the guards at the entrance to the floor deny me entry?”
“You wouldn’t, though. The rumors would spread in no time if the guards or servants figure out where you’re going,” Jason argues.
“I don’t care about my reputation as much as you might think. In fact, I do not care at all,” Slade smiles.
It’s so falsely innocent that it’s predatory.
Jason knows what kind of hunger is darkening Slade’s eye. He figured it out before he himself was old enough to receive those stares. Bruce and Richard are both very handsome men of very high standing after all.
Once he started receiving those looks, sometimes he reciprocated and it let to a good night or a few good weeks. But he’s never been on the receiving end of a look as intense as Slade’s.
And he can’t read what Slade is looking for.
By all accounts, he should be someone who gets it out of his system in one night and either loses interest or returns for another night every couple months when he feels like it. Jason could certainly enjoy that. He wasn’t even looking for the other kind of interest. The one that leads to spending a couple weeks together, waking up next to each other and kissing outside the bed.
But just judging by the way Slade looks him up and down in this very moment, he can’t tell what Slade is anticipating.
And Jason isn’t sure which one he himself is hoping for. He doesn’t know if he wants something that lasts, which is why he didn’t roll onto his side to kiss Slade when they were spending hours talking and sparring on the meadow yesterday.
And, because he doesn’t know if he wants something that remains singular and a secret between them and the middle of the night, he now sends Slade ahead to breakfast before he changes his clothes.
Jason makes sure that Ny knows where to press his forehead against the wall when he wants to open the hidden door to leave the castle. Slade assured him that the path is open and Jason knows that Ny is more than intelligent enough to remember the way. When he’s done taking care of Ny, he follows Slade to breakfast.
They spend the day together like they always do. Yesterday’s revelations don’t change much for Jason, he’s been paying attention to any sign of the League since the first day here. Now, that there’s something a little more concrete to go off of, he catches himself almost jumping at shadows a couple times.
Annoyingly, Slade notices. But even though he does tease him about it, Jason is glad for the third eye confirming that the shadows he sees are really just the absence of light and not the presence of darkness. For now.
He’s used to an environment where teasing means there’s no immediate danger present, which lulls him into a weird sense of security every time he’s around Slade. His rational side, however, disagrees with his gut because he’s never seen Slade be truly concerned about anything. Slade’s tolerance for threats seems impossibly higher than even his own.
Jason trusts his family’s and his own abilities and intelligence far more than he does anybody else’s, but he gets the feeling that Slade’s faith in himself is bordering on unshakable. His irritatingly skewed sense of danger is probably useless to Jason.
He can’t be certain that something that’s not a threat to Slade, or even the King if what Slade says is true, also isn’t a threat to himself or his family. But Bruce knows about the League, and Jason snuck into Damian’s room last night to tell him about what he learned, which sets him at ease a little.
But just because Slade is still comfortably going about their day doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be concerned, Jason reminds himself and keeps watching their surroundings.
Maybe he should thank Slade for his nonchalance though. It makes for a great cover.
The day takes a strange turn when Slade cuts the trip into the city short and they return to the training grounds for the afternoon.
Jason has no idea how he knew, but the daughter of House Cain, Cassandra, is there and sparring with her friend, a blonde girl Jason doesn’t know the name of. Slade settles onto a small wall on the other side of the yard and calls over Tiger, Roy and Kyle for Jason to train with. He hasn’t actually fought them all that often since Slade took over most of his training, but he’s happy to get another chance at a full spar with them.
What exactly he’s going along with becomes clear when Slade watches not only them but also subtly keeps his attention on the girls and the two guards Cassandra has with her.
Jason’s next hits are a little too fierce as he curses Slade out in his head. The bastard should’ve found another way to watch the Cains. A way that allows Jason to pay attention, too.
Slade’s sly grin at Jason’s minute outburst confirms that he could very well have done that but chose not to. Frustrated, he finishes sparring when the girls are long gone already.
The day gets even more bizarre when Slade slips something under his belt during dinner. Jason doesn’t check what it is until he closes the door to his room behind himself.
It’s a note.
The hidden stairs in two hours.
If you join me, people might assume certain things about us.
Huh.
Jason stares at the last word of the note for far too long. It must be significant. Slade wouldn’t have included himself if the possible assumptions don’t involve both of them. Specifically together. Probably.
Otherwise Slade would’ve used you, right?
His heart rate picks up the pace more and more as he follows this line of thought.
Within the castle, it’s fairly well known that Slade is responsible for his training. Less obvious is another role he took on, that of being Jason’s patron, although the amount of time they spend together is a giveaway to anyone who pays attention. Both are true, but neither warrants a warning.
Which leads him to believe, whatever people might assume from here on probably doesn’t exist between them. Not openly, not yet, Jason’s wishes whisper in the back of his mind.
His heart is finely attuned to those voices and stumbles into a running pace.
He tries to quell the chaos in his head, to rationalize what this note actually means. He doesn’t want to get his hopes up. After all, he still doesn’t even know what he’s hoping for. His heart and mind race with no known destination and, without a path, they tend to run against and crash into each other at times.
It’s exhausting and drives him up the walls.
Ny is the one who pulls him out of his thoughts.
Jason didn’t hear him leave the bed, but it isn’t possible to miss the presence of the big black wolf tapping through his chambers when the sun hasn’t set yet.
“What should I do?”, he whispers into Ny’s neck, letting his hands run through smooth fur, the paper squeezed between his fingers.
Ny encouragingly nudges his nose into Jason’s side. Because of course Ny would push him towards his desires.
There’re plenty of things that are taboo and things people shouldn’t associate with Jason Wayne. And yet, he’s lucky in a way. His conscience and his family allow a lot more than society deems acceptable of a person of his standing.
Again, Jason finds himself envious of how Slade does not care at all. But he knows that this kind of absolute freedom is only possible because Slade is alone. No one depends on him. He relies on no one but himself. Slade’s reputation can’t hurt anyone else. He’s free.
No one will die for or because of Slade just because they’re an important person to him.
Jason hugs Ny closer. He has loved ones to consider. His family. Even Ny, who would stay at his side no matter what and survive a lot but certainly isn’t as invincible as Myra.
Jason doesn’t know wether Slade chose to be alone to get hold of this freedom or he decided to live freely and it cost him all close relationships. But Slade seems to be at peace with it.
Jason doesn’t know if he could be.
Something Slade seems to be aware of. Hence, he slipped Jason the note and included a warning.
There’s only one type of relationship that Jason might want that would be taboo for them. He doesn’t know if he prefers the lasting or the quick kind in this case, but it doesn’t matter, not yet, because it wouldn’t make a difference to the rumors.
No matter how brief or meaningless it might end up being, the rumors could be forever.
Slade knows that.
When Jason first noticed his own eyes linger and his heart beating louder, he was quick to hold it back into concealment. Jason has a feeling that, no matter what Slade might offer, give, take or be like, he wouldn’t be prepared for it.
That is if he ever deems Jason worthy of letting him that close and Jason accepts.
But whatever Jason hoped for, he was expecting it to start, happen and end in secrecy. He’s done it before and he would do it again.
Jason genuinely doesn’t mind keeping secrets. In all honesty, he can’t deny that he enjoys the challenges and the thrill that come with it.
But, whatever Slade has in mind for the evening, people will be there.
And, whatever Slade is planning on doing, he thinks those people might whisper about them afterwards.
Jason doesn’t even bother asking himself the question wether Slade might take a rejection of the evening as a rejection to what he implied. Truthfully, and against his better sense, he already knew he would join Slade when he finished reading the note.
As soon as he read us.
It sent his mind into elation. He doesn’t know what will happen, but he’s sure that he can’t wait to find out what Slade means by us.
The next two hours pass slowly. He decides the day was long enough to justify a bath and a change of clothes before Slade comes to get him. He doesn’t like looking perfectly put together and it’s not worth the effort. Whatever his hair wants to do while drying, he lets it, his favorite clothes will never look new and shiny for long and he doesn’t give up on a good pair of boots easily, but there are other things he’s incredibly fond of und uses to feel comfortable.
For tonight, he chooses plain looking clothes that underline some of his traits. The pants hug his thighs, the shirt accentuates his waist when tugged into the pants sitting nicely on his hips and leaves his neck free, revealing the transition into his shoulders. He doesn’t mind the scars peeking out at his collarbones and on his arms when he pushes the sleeves up to his elbows.
His stomach pleasantly drops, thinking about how Slade must have several times as many scars as he does and imagining the skin they’re carved into. He runs a thumb over one of the longer scars on his forearm. It tingles, but his skin also still feels incredibly soft, not hard to break at all.
Jason’s hands are tougher. They’ve weathered a lot, gained callouses, tiny cuts, bumps and valleys during practices, fights, form the cold, climbing rocks, playing with pups and giant wolves, holding reins and the million other things he’s touched, shaped and clung to in his life. They aren’t the hands of a boy and not those of someone who was supposed to grow up sheltered either.
But he’s seen Slade’s hands. Felt them. They have decades on his.
His stomach again twists in anticipation at the image of Slade’s hands on his softer skin and he sinks into a chair on balcony, trying to chase the pictures away.
For the remainder of the time, he watches the sun set with Ny at his side, leaning against the wolf, and sent into a light trance by the evenness of his wolf’s thorax rising and falling.
Ny perks up as soon as the two hours are up. He must be sensing Slade’s presence in the walkway.
Jason rubs the top of Ny’s head to calm both of them.
“I’ll be back,” he murmurs to Ny and gets up, heart beating in his chest.
He leaves his sword next to his bed but hides a couple long blades in addition to his usual set of knives under his clothes. He isn’t exactly dressed up as someone else, but his look differs from the one he’s been showing in the capital so far. It’s far more casual and subdued.
When he pushes the door open into the tunnel, he finds Slade leaning against the wall a couple feet away. Even in the darkness, Slade’s blue eye bores into him.
“So you’ve decided.”
It’s not a question and Jason doesn’t answer. It would feel too final for something he has no real information on. He’s leaving himself an out.
“Lead the way,” he says instead.
Slade nods and Jason follows him into the darkness.
The tunnels lead down and then, for longer than Jason expected, straight towards the city. By the time Slade stops to open a hidden door, they’re amongst ordinary houses. The night is dark and they make their way through the alleys without being seen.
Soon, Jason starts picking up on noises growing louder. The laughter, cursing, drunken howls and complaints stay muffled between the houses and alleys until they step right into a noisy courtyard.
Suddenly, there are people everywhere.
People trying to sell stuff, people wanting to be entertained, people trying to drown their sorrows. The city is as busy at night as it is during the day. Slade turns to him to look for a reaction, but Jason’s seen night markets, pleasure districts and taverns piling up in one spot of a city before.
“This is disappointingly harmless,” Jason raises an eyebrow at him, even though he’s not sure what the point in coming here is.
Slade snorts and nods to a tavern that definitely also functions as a whorehouse from the look on the faces of the people entering.
Jason shrugs, stone-faced, and follows Slade towards it. “We could’ve come here to have fun separately, no?,” he says for only Slade to hear.
“Would you want that? I wasn’t planning on letting you out of my sight,” Slade murmurs in his ear, sending a shiver down Jason’s spin. “Besides, people come either alone or as a group to look for entertainment and company. People who come as a pair usually already have their partner for the night.”
Jason sucks in a sharp breath. “So why are we here?”
“Because certain people like to visit this place. You can help me blend in and you can keep an additional eye out. Well, eyes. Three are better than one, no?”
Jason snorts.
League?, Jason wants to ask but not say out loud.
Slade catches his silent question and nods.
As they approach the tavern, Slade places his arm around Jason’s waist. It feels so natural that Jason has to remind himself that they’re not here for enjoyment. And if he leans into the touch a little, he can tell himself it’s for their cover. Slade squeezes his hip in response and they enter the tavern.
As soon as they do, a corner of the room becomes even louder.
“Kane!”, a couple men shout towards them. Soldiers Jason hasn’t seen before.
Slade puts on his smirk that’s reserved for people he has absolutely no respect for, which seems to be most of the people Jason has seen him talk to. Amusingly, they all think Slade’s mean grin is owed to his personality and not to his company, which is themselves.
“I was hoping to have some peace and quiet tonight,” Slade says slyly.
The soldiers burst out laughing, like it doesn’t even occur to them that there could be truth to it. Not that Slade wasn’t anticipating this exact reaction, but Jason perks up at the honesty he hears in what he said.
Drawn into Slade’s side like he is right now, he has to look up a little further than he usually does, and the amused look Slade gives him is a lot closer. His breath hitches just slightly and Jason shakes his head, refusing to be won over this early in the evening.
“Join us! Join us!”, the soldiers insist. “The boy, too!“
Jason’s head snaps around to glower at them, but they’re too drunk to notice. By the looks of it, they’re already seeing double.
“Next round is on me,” Slade plays along and moves to the corner of the table that gives him a good oversight of the whole tavern.
While he moves to sit, his hand finds Jason’s wrist and tugs him along. Slade leans into the bench and discreetly taps on his thighs for only Jason to see. A subtle suggestion before Jason can sit down next to him. A grin flashes across Jason’s face. He hides it, facing towards Slade. To their audience he looks abashed when he smoothly slides down on Slade’s lap.
The men gawk. Jason is not someone who fits into laps. He’s too tall and too broad, but Slade dwarves everyone else. It works for the two of them and Jason couldn’t care less about anything else right now. Slade places an arm around his waist and Jason makes himself comfortable, resting his own arm around Slade’s shoulders. Their position more than makes up for the few inches Slade has on him and suddenly it’s Slade who has to look up slightly.
Slade buries his face in Jason’s neck for a moment. “We’re not only here for pleasure, but enjoy yourself,” he murmurs.
Jason slips a hand under Slade’s vest and smiles innocently, acutely aware of what this scene looks like to everyone else in the tavern. He was right about what Slade meant with assumptions about us. Heavens. If it was Slade with a nameless boy, no one would bat an eye, but if someone recognizes him…
“I honestly didn’t expect you to do anything in public,” he says lowly, for only Slade to hear. At least he didn’t before he got the note.
“You thought I would’ve wanted to hide?”, Slade scoffs, not bothering to lower his voice for parts of the conversation that are a dime in a dozen in this tavern.
“You know damn well how much trouble this could cause.”
Jason’s advantage is that he can whisper into Slade’s ear whenever he wants to without it seeming like he’s hiding anything important because of the position he’s in. The soldiers are trying to gain Slade’s favor and engage him in conversation, but Jason has a free pass to talk over them. Because everyone assumes he’s whispering sweet nothings and Slade is clearly interested. His head is tilted up at Jason and his fingers draw circles on Jason’s lower back.
This time Slade does whisper his answer. “Trouble doesn’t bother me. I warned you for that reason. And yet, you came.”
“I did,” Jason sighs. Honestly, what was he thinking?
“Do you regret it?”
“We’ll see. Depends on if it was worth it,” Jason grins slyly.
“Hmm, I’ll make sure it is then,” Slade smoothly replies, lowering his voice for only Jason to hear, even though he doesn’t need to this time, and sending a shiver through his whole body.
Jason hums expectantly but returns his attention to their surroundings. As much as he wishes now that they truly only came for pleasure, they didn’t.
The soldiers they’re sitting with don’t know him, but they don’t treat him like air either. Status probably doesn’t matter to them, as long as their company can drink and laugh. Jason can do as much while still acting his part.
Slade is quieter than him. He drinks more than Jason does, but often he’ll just lean back to let his eye wander across the tavern or, excruciatingly slow, over Jason. All while he lets his hands roam over Jason’s back and thighs.
It drives him crazy and is one of the most pleasant sensations he’s ever felt. When it gets too much and his pants begin to strain, Jason takes one of Slade’s hands in his own and doesn’t let go.
“I assumed you were new because I’ve never seen you here, but you’re good,” the oldest soldier says with a glance at their hands.
Jason’s never received a compliment for being a talented whore before. Interesting. He hopes his grin doesn’t turn too wolfish.
“I’m new. To King’s Landing that is. I came from a northern town not too long ago.” The rules of covers. Don’t say too much, don’t lie if you don’t have to and keep it vague if you do, or oddly specific with things no one can verify.
“And you already snatched yourself someone like Kane?”, the drunkest one laughs. “You’re a lucky bastard.”
“Gods, I hope so,” Jason grins.
Slade laughs. “What did I ever do to deserve so much doubt?”
“Your reputation proceeds you,” one of them shouts.
Jason turns to smile at him smugly. But his tummy is flipping over itself because Slade is right. He might be a bastard, not just in the literal sense, and generally not give a shit about strengthening trust in his non-relationships - his contracts do that for him if he needs it - but Slade never actually gave Jason reason for doubts. Sure, Jason had and has plenty, but nothing quite says I trust you like their dragon being fond of someone, Jason imagines.
Slade didn’t care much for his own question, but Jason’s reaction sparks interested understanding in his expression. There’s a satisfied glint in the corner of his eye and he looks like he won.
Maybe Jason shouldn’t spend so much time with the only person besides his father that can read him so well.
“You’re unbelievable,” he whispers under his breath.
Slade hums and squeezes Jason’s hand that’s still holding onto his.
“And why in the world would I ever wish to change my reputation? I worked hard on it,” he tells the table and raises his jug to toast himself. The others are still laughing when he’s done drinking and he murmurs behind his jug for only Jason to hear, “But you knew that.”
“Fuck, what am I supposed to do with you?”, he mumbles, studying Slade’s face for an answer.
Jason wants to punch him in the side when the spark in his eye springs over and lifts the corner of his mouth in amusement. But Slade is drawing circles with his thumb on the back of his hand now.
“Whatever you want to,” Slade says.
So he leans in, across those last few inches between them, and kisses him. Hard.