Wearing the Red Hood

Chapter 22

He placed his hands on top of mine, and leaned closer. "I love you too," he replied, before giving me a light peck on the lips.

I hugged him again, closing my eyes and listening to the sound of his gentle heartbeat as my ear rested against his chest. "We'll get Jason back," I reassured him.

Cassie (Sandsmark)

I kept glancing at Tim from time to time, ignoring the others who were standing beside me and looking at the computer screen.

The sound of Tim's fingers against the keyboard were loud, harsh and fast. I was worried he was going to break it. Not being able to take it any longer, I walked over to him and left the others who were still trying to figure out a way to find Jason. Tim didn't glance up as I approached his chair, and I crossed my arms over my chest, suddenly feeling unsure. I knew he was dead serious right now, and there was no bothering him when he was focused. That's just the way he worked.

As I began backing away, his fingers finally paused over the keys. So he did sense my presence. Pushing his chair back from the computer, he swiveled around to face me. "Did you find anything?" he asked hopefully.

I bit my lip and shook my head. The look of disappointment on his face was enough to make me feel disappointed as well. With a sigh, he went back to the computer screen and ignored me. Hera knows that I shouldn't have let it bother me, considering we Amazons didn't need any man to make us feel competent. But Tim was different. I wanted to help him and make sure he was okay.

Which obviously he was not, since he was practically glued to the computer.

I knew this meant a lot to Tim, since he was closest to Jason out of all the Wayne boys. I just didn't know how to reach out to him in times like these. They were like experts in shutting out people when they were in pain or distress. They also weren't a big fan of help, and if I pushed, I was scared it would only lead to us fighting.

Hold up. Scared? Cassandra Sandsmark didn't get scared. Especially not of Tim Drake.

Smirking, I flew back to Tim. Before he could react, I grabbed hold of his chair and carried him away with my super strength. "Cassie, what are you doing? I'm not done triangulating the signal from that video!" he exclaimed, holding onto the arms of the computer chair for dear life.

"If you're not taking a break, I'm giving you one," I replied, as we arrived in front of the cafeteria.

Some superheroes on board gave us curious looks as I flew in and placed Tim down in front of an empty table, his computer chair looking out of place. He glared at me, his dark blue eyes piercing right through my soul. "I don't have time for a break," he argued, beginning to get up.

I pushed him back down, my hand resting on his chest. I could feel the loud thumping of his heart, probably due to distress and anger. "Well, make time," I stressed. "I don't really want to fight you on this Tim. And we both know that you're smart enough to realize you can't possible continue working when you're hungry."

"But-" he began, and I glared at him so hard even Thanatos would quake in his sandals. The look I gave him made him shut his mouth and wisely reconsider what he was about to say. After a few seconds of internal debate, he finally released a loud sigh. "Fine. Only for half an hour."

"Thank Zeus," I murmured, my glare morphing into a beaming smile of relief.

Tim gave me a small smile back, even though there was still a tinge of worry that remained in his eyes. "Thank you," he told me, grabbing my hand and giving it a squeeze. "Thank you for being patient with me."

I rolled my eyes, even though it made my heart swell to hear those words coming from him. "That's because I love you, you stubborn idiot."

"And I love you."