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When Damian stretches awake and reaches across the bed for his boyfriend, he finds the space surprisingly empty. There’s still a lingering warmth to the sheets on Jon’s side of the bed, however, and soon enough the warm scent of Earl Grey and pancakes connects the dots for Damian’s morning-fogged mind.
It’s a very rare thing for Jon to be awake before him. Surprising as it is, it isn’t unwelcome and Damian feels a fond smile crossing over his features in the privacy of their bedroom.
He allows a stolen moment for himself by rolling over to Jon’s side of the bed lazily. He breathes in deeply, eyes fluttering closed again as he drinks in the scent he’s known for so long the years have effectively blurred together.
These are the moments that center him, that make him feel human and connected again. His relationship with Jon is inarguably the best thing that has ever happened to him. Waking up like this chases away the demons and shadows in his mind, helps the ache in his joints from last night’s patrol feel less intense.
Soft whistles filter in through the air from their kitchen and Damian’s soft smile grows into a grin. He finds himself pushing off the silken sheets impatiently, scrambling for sweatpants just so he can get to that source of sunny happiness.
He foregoes all his usual impeccable morning routine, padding into their kitchen with mused hair and morning breath uncaringly.
Jon turns to look at him as he walks out into their open-plan, high-rise apartment. The smile that grows on his boyfriend’s face is megawatt bright and it makes Damian’s chest constrict with that helpless love he always feels when he sees Jon so happy to see him.
“There you are, sleeping beauty!” Jon laughs before he turns back to the stove to concentrate on flipping some of the pancakes sizzling softly on the skillet. “I got some tea going for you,” he continues as he points to the teapot, soft steam billowing out from the top where the lid is set slightly askew.
“Hmm. Thank you, habibi,” Damian hums, trying to ease the sleepiness out of his voice with no real success. As drawn in as he feels toward that promise of strong, hot tea, he goes for Jon first instead.
With rare neediness, he steps up behind his boyfriend and wraps his arms loosely around Jon’s waist from behind. He burrows his face into the back of Jon’s t-shirt, right between his shoulder blades.
Jon’s renewed laughter is an immediate reward. “Babe, I’m gonna burn breakfast!”
“They’re pancakes, Jonathan. I think you can handle it.”
Damian chases the scent that he’d caught lingering whiffs of on their bedsheets, breathing in deep. He smells what’s left of Jon’s soap from yesterday’s shower, but there’s also a very distinct smell of warm skin and lingering sweat that tells him he isn’t the only one who’s been lazy this morning.
Jon goes on cooking, humming lightly to himself and otherwise not reacting to the koala he seems to have acquired. Damian can’t help but wonder if Jon’s hesitant to point it out because he knows if attention is called to it, Damian might stop in his fluster.
The warm smells and soft notes of Jon’s honestly awful humming voice could nearly lull Damian back to sleep standing up. Damian’s eyes drift closed for a moment but they pry back open a second later when Jon speaks.
“I was thinking today might be a good day to go to the pound?” Jon pipes up casually, completely ignorant to his boyfriend nearly falling asleep leaned against him. Or, at the very least, he knows better than to tease Damian about it.
The words pull him from his haze and he feels his heart pater excitedly and nervously in his chest. He releases his hold on Jon and walks to his tea on the counter for something to do with his hands.
“Yes, I suppose it would be. It’s Saturday. You have no classes and I have no meetings to speak of.” Damian pours the tea into a soft white china cup. A gift set from his mother as a housewarming gift. Her approval of their relationship had been quite surprising, but Damian isn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.
Jon plates the finished pancakes, giving Damian a significantly smaller stack. The young super consumes food to a degree that is almost worrying. Damian sometimes wonders how Lois managed to feed him as a teenager.
“I thought you’d be a little more excited?” Jon asks, raising an eyebrow at him as he sets the bar top seating with forks, napkins and cool glasses of ice water.
Damian takes a sip of his tea to avoid answering right away. Jon knows him too well, however, and that pressing look doesn’t relent.
He sighs. “I am excited.” He shrugs, looking a little forlorn. “I suppose I just worry that it’ll be hard to choose.”
Jon gives him an understanding look. “We already talked about this, Dames. You don’t have to feel guilty for not choosing the other pets. We’re gonna give a big donation to the shelter, make sure they all stay alive and find homes.”
Of course, Damian knows this. It isn’t really the source of the issue, however. He scratches a short nail along the edge of his teacup and is horrified to find that his eyes are burning.
“Dames…” Jon is immediately concerned and scrambles around the counter to get to him. Large, warm hands settle on his biceps and Damian nearly crumples forward. “Hey, hey. It’s okay, baby. Don’t cry.”
Damian sets his tea aside and blinks the welling tears away. “It’s just… difficult. I feel as if I’m replacing him.”
Jon looks devastated suddenly and Damian hates himself for taking away that sunny, happy smile with his issues.
“Hey, no. That is not what this is.” Jon puts a gentle hand on his chin and forces his gaze upward to look at him in the eyes. “Baby, if Titus could talk to you, he’d say he wants you to find another dog. And make them just as happy as you made him.”
Jon’s careful words almost make him cry again, but he knows Jon is right. He chokes the emotions back and nods. It’s been nearly six months now and he feels the loss of Titus still, so painfully in his heart. However, he knows this isn’t about replacing him.
He and Jon have just moved into a gorgeous new place that Damian feels immense pride in. Their relationship is just over a year strong and adopting a dog together feels right.
“Yes, yes. I know you’re right,” Damian chokes out and he lets Jon pull him into a soft embrace.
“I know you miss him, Dami. I do too. But we’re gonna make another dog so happy today. We’re gonna give some poor pup down on their luck a happy, loving home.” Jon’s voice and his words are so hopeful and bright, that Damian finds the sadness seeping away.
He smiles shakily and nods again, feeling so grateful for this man in front of him. Sometimes he feels as if he’d be lost without Jon.
“Thank you, beloved,” he whispers quietly.
Jon smiles at him softly, that fondness is so clear in his bright, blue eyes. “Of course, babe. Now c’mon, my gourmet pancakes are gonna get cold,” he teases and Damian finds himself huffing out a soft laugh as he grabs for his tea and joins Jon at their bar top for a home-cooked breakfast.
As they eat in calm, comfortable silence, Jon reaches for Damian’s hand underneath the counter. Their fingers intertwine and Jon sends him a smile through a bite of pancakes, which should be disgusting, but it only makes Damian feel happier.
He isn’t sure what the future holds, but he knows, without a doubt, that his future will have Jon in it.