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Loud music played through the speakers in the establishment, with the lights flashing on and off in tune with it. People, both drunk and sober, were dancing in the middle of the club wildly as the DJ switched up the song into a livelier one.
Clubs weren't Jay's usual scene, but Isabel, a friend from college, convinced her to let loose for a bit. She was one persuasive woman, and Jay couldn't really deny her best friend anything. In the end, Jay had accepted Isabel's invitations to hang out with her and her other friends and realized that she really did need a break from work.
Jay knew that going into places like this could definitely be fun, but there was always that unease in the back of her mind that urged her to stay vigilant. She'd seen enough as a helpless kid in the streets of intoxicated men and women being taken advantage of by scumbags she now worked to incarcerate. The injustice she'd seen in Gotham even in her childhood was the reason she chose to pursue Law.
And, of course, because the universe liked to fucking mess with her, that was the moment where some man went up beside her.
Fuck. Why did this motherfucker have to appear while Isabel was away on the dance floor?
"One beer, please. And one martini for the beautiful lady beside me," the man said, winking at Jay at the last line.
Jay pursed her lips. "Sorry, I don't want a drink. And I'm taken. Please go find someone else to bother."
The man beside her sighed, and Jay tensed up when he placed a hand on her back. She fought the urge to break the man's wrist and glared at the man. In the dim lighting of the place, coupled with only the occasional flash of light, Jay couldn't properly identify him, but saw the lazy smirk the guy was sporting.
"Come on, babe. Don't be so uptight. I'm sure your boyfriend won't mind. He ain't even here," he drawled, moving his hand lower that sent alarm bells in her mind ringing.
Jay immediately grabbed the man's hand before it could get any lower, gripping it hard enough to probably bruise if done long enough. The man winced and pulled his hand away, glaring at Jay. Whatever smile or smirk he was sporting before, it was replaced by an ugly frown and an angry expression.
"I said no, asshole. So fuck off," she gritted through her teeth.
The man huffed and stood up from his seat. "Goddamn. Why did I even bother with you? You're too ugly for my taste anyway. Fucking prude."
Jay didn't pay attention to the insult, but frowned at the interaction. What would it take for people to respect a simple "no"? She sighed and glanced at the half-empty non-alcoholic drink she bought for herself, and decided she'd rather not drink it anymore. Who fucking knew what that man had done with it.
Damn. She just can't get a night off, huh? Maybe she was better off resting in her apartment instead of coming here. Jay unlocked and locked her phone repeatedly, deciding if she should just text Isabel that it would be better if she just went home. But it felt impersonal and rude when she was literally in the same place as her, just in different positions.
She was about to stand up from her seat to inform Isabel that she was going home when another person sat next to her that made her hand clench to a fist. She was about to tell the person off, when they suddenly spoke up.
"Woah, Princess. Going home so soon?"
There was only one person who called her that. Jay looked beside her and there, to her amusement, was her partner. Grant, who was supposed to be on a job right now, had a wolfish grin on his face, seemingly amused by Jay's reaction.
Perhaps it was quite ironic for a lawyer like her to be going out with a mercenary like one Grant Wilson, but Jay's life was anything but normal. She already had a group of vigilantes that dressed up as bats at night to fight crime as her family, what's one more mercenary to her unique way of living?
Bruce and Dick didn't approve at first, of course, but they eventually did when they saw how happy Jay was with Grant. The others were more accepting, but it made sense since none of them had beef with the Wilsons anyway.
"Grant! But aren't you supposed to be in Qurac?" Jay asked, confused but pleasantly surprised with the other man's sudden appearance. Grant gave a noncommittal sound in reply.
"Job ended sooner than expected, and I wanted to surprise you," he replied with a light tone.
Jay snorted and turned to fully face Grant. "Well, consider me pleasantly surprised. How'd you know I was here?"
"A mercenary never reveals his secrets," Grant said with a wink. Jay just rolled her eyes and laughed at her partner's comment. They probably shouldn't be discussing that out in the open, but Jay had trust in Grant's abilities to secure his identity.
"Yeah, right. I bet you had Isabel tell you."
Grant held his hand up in mock surrender. "Guilty as charged, Attorney. You gonna cuff me up?"
Jay's cheeks heated up slightly at the innuendo and playfully smacked the other's arm; Grant just laughed it off, much to Jay's chagrin.
Despite the exchange, Jay was glad that her boyfriend was here with her now. Jay didn't follow her father's and brothers' footsteps in becoming caped crusaders or her partner's and his family's line of work, choosing to fight crime as a civilian. She was well aware of the dangers they all had to face, but the worry she felt whenever they were in the field never left.
Suddenly, all she wanted to do was to curl up with Grant at home with a movie playing in the background, his steady breaths grounding and reassuring Jay that he was still alive and safe.
"I met with Isabel on the way in. She already knows we're going home," Grant said, as if reading Jay's thoughts. Jay felt warm at the level of familiarity they had with each other.
They both stood up from their seats and walked out the club in a comfortable pace. Outside the establishment was Grant's motorcycle, and Jay felt a little giddy at the chance to ride it. Her love for mechanics and the intricacies of vehicles was well known by anyone that knew her. Grant grinned at the expression of his partner, eyes bright and a wide smile on her face.
--
Grant wasn't stupid. Sure, he did that thing with H.I.V.E. and fucking died because of it, but he's back and he swore to himself that he's never going to be that same naive child he was back then. He was ruthless, spared no mercy for his targets, and always delivered.
He fiercely protected those who held close to his heart and he was about to risk his identity when he saw that motherfucker lay a hand on Jay. Grant could immediately see how she tensed up and he wanted nothing but to rip that fucker's hand off of her.
Then Jay gripped that guy's hand, ready to break it, and felt a feeling of deep satisfaction curl in his gut. Grant knew Jay could defend herself, knew that she was trained despite not continuing to be a vigilante like her family. He wouldn't have stayed with her if she wasn't as formidable as she was.
The man stormed off, probably away to torment another victim. Grant had went here to surprise his girlfriend, but he had to deal with a little pest first.
Following where the man had wandered off to, Grant tailed him to the men's washrooms. He went inside it with the stance of just another patron of the club, ease radiating off of him as to not alarm the man. Grant easily evaded the cameras that were placed inside the club, a laughably easy thing to do for an accomplished mercenary like him.
The man was at ease, a frown on his lips but he wasn't on guard, like he was untouchable. Grant noted the expensive look of the man's suit. Probably an elite's son or grandson, then.
He was meticulously looking at himself in the mirror like some prettyboy. The man also observed his wrists, and Grant felt the same satisfaction he felt from earlier come back as he saw the reddish marks on it.
"Fuckin' woman," the man had muttered. It doesn't take a genius for anyone to know he was talking about Jay.
Grant sauntered up next to the guy with all the grace of a feared mercenary, aiming to spook the guy. It paid off, seeing as the guy shouted profanities at him when Grant had placed a hand on his shoulder. Grant immediately covered the man's mouth to stop him from shouting more.
He slammed the guy against the wall on their left hard enough to get a pained wheeze from the man. "Shh. There's no need for that. You won't want others coming inside to see what's going to happen to you," Grant said, smiling dementedly at the scared man.
Grant removed his hand from the man's mouth, convinced that he was scared enough to call out for anyone. He didn't remove the grip he had on him, keeping him pinned up to the wall.
"What do you want from me? Money? How much you do you want?" he yelled.
Grant tutted and sighed. "You see, I don't care about something as simple as money." That wasn't true; he wouldn't be a hired killer if he didn't like money, but his priorities lay elsewhere right now.
"You're messing with the wrong man! I'll have you locked up for assault!" the man said defiantly."
Listen here, fucker. I don't care who your daddy or mommy is. I'm here to make one thing clear," Grant sneered. He tightened his grip on the man's collar. "You don't fucking touch someone without permission. You stay away when they say no. I don't fucking know what they taught you in rich kid school but nobody owes you anything in this world. And if I see you near my girl again, I'll make this look like a fucking tea party."
Grant released the man from his hold and dusted off imaginary dust from his clothes. The man collapsed to the floor without Grant's grip on him, and curled up instinctively to protect himself.
"Nice chatting with you, asshole. Pray to whatever god you believe in that I don't see you again," Grant said as a parting gift before leaving the washrooms. When he returned to the bar where Jay sat, she looked like she was ready to leave. Not wanting to miss the opportunity to surprise her, he walked up beside Jay. Grant inwardly frowned when he saw how Jay tense up once again, but shook it off in favor of speaking in a lighter tone.
"Woah, Princess. Going home so soon?"