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Jon hated going to parties. Almost everyone from school thought he was crazy, but he just didn’t see the point of hanging out with a bunch of people he didn’t really know or like. If it was up to him, Jon would be spending his Fridays and Saturdays training or out saving the world, but one of his best friends, Kathy, wanted him to at least try to have a normal life.
So, despite how much he hated going to parties, Jon found himself knocking on Kathy’s door in the clothes she laid out for him that afternoon. He tried his best seem excited but like always, he felt out of place and the smile on his face was forced. Just get this over with, it’s only a couple of hours.
“Jon, you made it! Good to see you!” Kathy shouted over the loud music coming from the backyard.
“Really Kathy, it’s not like I had a choice in the matter,” Jon responded jokingly. He knew Kathy was only trying to help him, he just liked to give her a hard time as a little payback.
“Oh, shut it, you’ll thank me later,” she said with a grin and pulled him inside, “Now, let’s get you out there dancing!”
Jon sighed and followed Kathy out to her yard. Dancing was not one of his skills, but Kathy was unrelenting, and he was still kind of afraid of not doing what she said. He might be Superboy but seeing Kathy get angry still sent a shiver down his spine.
The one thing Jon was firm about was alcohol, and he loved how Kathy never pressured him to drink and always tried her best to make sure he was having fun anyway. That was the main reason he came to these parties (besides the threats Kathy would idly make). While he didn’t like the majority of the people there, he loved hanging out with Kathy and he had to admit that she knew how to have a good time.
Kathy brought him out to the yard where the party seemed to be in full swing. He was surprised to find that he actually liked the music, and he immediately spotted a few people from school that he and Kathy would sometimes talk to. Maybe this won’t be so bad after all.
Just then, a loud crash echoed from the house. “Damn teenagers,” Kathy muttered then turned to Jon, “I have to go take care of that, but you better be dancing by the time I get back.”
Jon laughed to himself. Someone inside was about to wish they stayed home that night because everyone in school knew just what came with an angry Kathy.
After a couple hours of dancing, talking and playing games, Jon had to admit he was actually having fun. Of course, it was too good to be true, because just as Kathy pulled him onto the grass to dance to one of their favorite songs, one of their classmates, Henry, came stumbling over. Everyone started laughing at him, but Jon didn’t find it the least bit funny. This is why I hate parties. When someone decides it's ok to keep drinking when they’ve clearly had too much, people just sit back and laugh instead of doing something or trying to help.
Jon pulled away from Kathy and leaned down to talk to Henry, “Hey, I think it’s time to get you home, ok?”
“No, I’m fine. I swear I’m…” Henry trailed off as he started to spin and began to fall. Jon caught him before his head hit the ground and decided that enough was enough. Just because nobody else was willing to do the right thing, didn’t mean he wasn’t. He grabbed Henry’s hand and led him away from the crowd and back into Kathy’s house.
Jon ignored the whispers around him and helped Henry to the front of the house. He knew everyone would be talking about this at school on Monday, but he didn’t care. Jon just wanted to make sure the guy got home safe. From what he could tell, Henry had a lot to drink and was in no condition to drive.
“Hey, Henry!” Jon asked as he opened the front door, “Which direction is your house?”
“It’sss that way,” Henry slurred, pointing to the left.
That was all Jon needed to hear. He turned around and yelled a quick goodbye to Kathy before taking his drunk classmate home.
Right as Jon was knocking on Henry’s door, his communicator started beeping. Just my luck . Jon sighed and accepted the call. Henry was passed out on the stairs, so his identity wasn’t at risk.
“Damian, what’s up,” Jon yawned.
“I’m in the neighborhood on a case and thought I’d let you know, but if you’re too tired, it’s fine,” Damian replied.
“No, no, I’ll be there, just give me a second, I’m kinda busy at the moment.”
No one came to the door, so Jon picked up Henry and slung the boy’s arms around his shoulders. Luckily, super strength was one of his powers, because Henry was heavy. As quietly as he could, Jon opened the door, but before he could enter he heard a familiar voice call out behind him.
“Seriously, Kent? If I had known you were trying to seduce one of your idiotic classmates, I wouldn’t have called.” From what Jon could tell, Damian seemed pissed, and more so than usual.
“No, Damian, it’s not what you-“ He tried to shout, but Damian had already disappeared.
Dang it, now I’ve wasted my Friday and pissed off my best friend. Great going Jon.
Jon laid Henry down on his couch before running out of the house to chase after his friend.
“Damian! Dami!” He called out in the street, “I know you can hear me! Can we talk about this? Please?”
There was no response, but Jon heard the familiar sound of Damian’s cape fluttering and knew he had dropped down behind him. Jon turned around to face his friend and was surprised to see his mask was off, resting in his hand.
“What’s there to talk about, Jonathan? What you do with your personal life is none of my damn business.”
“Damian, listen to me!” Jon grabbed Damian’s shoulders, “I was not trying to ‘seduce’ Henry. He got way too drunk at Kathy’s party and I just brought him home before he tried to drive somewhere and end up hurting himself.”
Damian paused for a moment before replying softly, “Oh, my apologies then, Jon.” He turned and looked away, from what Jon could only guess was embarrassment.
“Dami,” he laughed, “It’s fine, don’t worry about it. I’ll admit it did look a little like we were going to… ya know?”
“Jon, you know most certainly well that I don’t know,” Damian said, a small grin appearing on his face.
Jon loved when Damian would smile, even if it was just a small one like that. He had never met anyone who went through as much as Damian, and it constantly amazed him how the boy was always pressing forward, always trying to better. If Jon was being honest with himself, he was inspired by Damian, not just as a hero, but as a person too.
“Jon! Jon, are you even listening to me?” Damian asked, pulling Jon from his thoughts.
“Oh, my bad, what were you saying,”
Damian sighed, “I was saying that the lead I was following went cold before I showed up here, and I was asking if you wanted to hang out?”
Jon looked at Damian curiously, “You mean it? You actually want to hang out, no capes?”
“Yes, Jon, contrarily to popular belief, I do like having you as my friend and I might enjoy your presence… occasionally.”
Jon pretended to swoon, “Oh, Dami,” he cried mockingly, “Your words are too much, I-” he stopped and bent over laughing.
Damian just stared at him and shook his head, “I take it back, I do not enjoy your presence. At all.”
Jon stood up and waved his finger in Damian’s face, “No take backs, Dami, you said you liiikkkked me.”
He saw Damian freeze at that. Jon worried that he’d gone too far with the teasing until he noticed the blush that started to appear on Damian’s face. Wait, there’s no way he actually likes me, is there? Jon couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He’d had a crush on Damian since they started high school, he just never imagined his friend could feel the same way.
“Damian I…” Jon trailed off, he had no idea what to say. He’d kept his feelings bottled up for so long, he couldn’t put them into words.
Instead, he put his hands on Damian’s face and leaned in until their foreheads were almost touching.
“Can I kiss you,” he whispered.
“You don’t know how long I’ve waited to hear those words.”