Chapter Text
It was a good day.
He’d run into one of his oldest friends, Maya Ducard. They saved the world together. They laughed, had fun, kicked ass. It was like the good old times. And he hadn’t seen her in so long.
But she had to go, so they were saying their goodbyes. Jon back to Metropolis, Maya back to…well, she wouldn’t say.
“Oh! Before I forget.” He exclaimed, breaking their hug. He kept hold of her shoulders as he pushed her back. “…I have a boyfriend.”
Maya’s face lit up. “For real?” She laughed. “It’s about damn time!”
“Yeah, yeah, don’t act like you always knew or something.” Jon scoffed, rolling his eyes. “That’s what Damian said when I told him. Don’t be like him.”
And just like that, Maya’s face fell. “Wait…Told him?”
“Yeah, he was the first one to meet Jay – the boyfriend. My boyfriend. He said he was happy for me, and approved. So, honestly, that was kind of a relief.” Jon chuckled. “Gave him the whole ‘better not hurt him’ speech and everything too.”
“…Oh.” Maya breathed, then quieter to herself, as she looked away. “Oh no.”
‘“Oh no’?” Jon repeated curiously. Maya winced, like she forgot about his super-hearing. “What do you mean ‘oh no’?”
“Nothing! I mean nothing.” She brought the smile back to her lips, but Jon could tell it was fake. “I’m happy for you, and I can’t wait to meet this Jay guy. How cute is he?”
“No, no, wait. What’s going on?” Jon stepped towards her as she went to move back. “You were happy initially…now you’re saying ‘oh no.’ Why?”
“Jon, please, forget I said anything.” Maya begged. “I…I just misinterpreted what you said.”
“What did you misinterpret? I said I had a boyfriend and you were happy. Then I said I told Damian and you…” He trailed off. Maya bit her lip and held her breath. “…weren’t.”
People always assumed the Supers were dumb. That because they tried to be kind first meant they were idiots. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. They may not necessarily be geniuses, but they were smarter than most.
Jon put the pieces together in less than a second.
“Oh…oh no.” He gasped, backing up himself now. “I…he…really?”
“Jon-”
“Damian liked me?” He whispered, heart pounding, lips twitching between surprise to a slight grin. “Damian likes me?”
“Forget I told you. Forget we had this whole conversation. Please.” Maya begged. “He…he wouldn’t want you to know. He doesn’t want you to know.” She let out a shout of frustration. “You’re not supposed to know!”
“How long?” Jon demanded. “How long has he…has he liked me?”
“How long has he been fucking head-over-heels in love with you? Years.” Maya slumped in regret, in anger at herself. Now that the floodgates were opened, she couldn’t close them. “Since…since both of you hit puberty, I don’t fucking know. He never gave an exact time.”
“Years…” Jon murmured. Then he looked at his hands, eyes wide like he was mortified. “He’s liked…he’s been in love with me for years and I just flaunted it in his face that I had a boyfriend.”
“You didn’t flaunt it– You didn’t know.” Maya assured him. “You were happy, of course you wanted to tell your best friend. It was your moment, he wasn’t going to take that from you. He’s a piece of shit but he’s not that much of a dick. God, Jon.”
“I…” He looked up at Maya. “I have to talk to him.”
Her eyes grew large. “No, you fucking don’t!”
“I have to.” Jon repeated, backing away. Maya lunged for him but he was already floating into the sky and out of her reach. “I have to, Maya. I…If I hurt him, I…”
“Jon!”
He ignored Maya’s screams as they echoed after him, focusing on his destination. On a penthouse in downtown Gotham that Damian went when he wanted to focus on his tasks at hand.
He dropped onto the balcony, letting it shudder underneath his feet. He could already hear Damian’s heartbeat inside, could see his silhouette through the glass door.
He could hear Maya’s tearful apologies on the phone Damian was holding as he slid the door open and stepped inside. Damian’s eyes were lowered, his shoulders tight.
“-assumption and I’m so sorry. You didn’t say anything about him having another boyfriend so of course what was I supposed to think!” Maya shrieked. “Oh my god, I want to die. I’m so sorry, Damian, I. I can’t believe I did this to you. I am so sorry, I-”
A small smile graced Damian’s lips. “Maya.” He said gently. “Please. Just make your way to Gotham, okay? We’ll drown our sorrows together.”
“I don’t deserve it, Dames. I should just disappear and-”
“You should make your way here so we can destroy my father’s liquor cabinet. You told me once you’ve always wanted to.” Damian lifted his arm to look at a watch. “You have until midnight to get here, or I’ll be calling Kathy to come retrieve you.”
Maya continued to blubber a little, but it sounded like she was agreeing. Jon stepped further into the apartment, frowning as he realized that Damian hadn’t looked at him yet. Was, in fact, actively turning away from him. Moving further away.
He refocused when he heard the call end, and looked up at Damian’s face. Or rather, the back of his head, waiting with a held breath for him to turn around.
Damian didn’t. He just let out a long sigh, lowering the phone from his ear and staring at it.
Jon stepped forward. “Damian-”
“I don’t recall inviting you in.” Damian countered coolly. Jon knew the tone, couldn’t help but flinch at it. Damian was already throwing his wall back up, putting distance between them.
“We’ve never invited each other in.” Jon tried, taking another step. Damian suddenly made a sharp turn towards the kitchen.
“Nor do I recall us having business to attend to today.” Damian continued over his shoulder.
“Damian, please.” Jon followed him. “Let’s just talk-”
“There’s nothing to talk about.” Damian snapped, letting just that little bit of emotion through the crack. “Especially nothing that you coerced out of an innocent woman.”
“It was an accident, I agree. She didn’t mean to let it slip. She thought…” He trailed off as Damian finally turned back to face him, splayed his hands across the marble counter he made sure was between them. His eyes were sharp, anxious, almost glowing. He looked like a cornered animal. “She thought…wrong.”
“Obviously.” Damian growled. “But since we’re all already on the same page about what happened, why are you here?”
“To talk.” Jon practically begged. “To talk to you about-”
“Will it change anything?” Damian cut off loudly, obnoxiously speaking over Jon until he went quiet. Jon could already sense the heat rising up Damian’s face in rapid embarrassment.
“W-what?”
“Will talking about it change anything?” Damian repeated. “Will you knowing about it change anything?
Jon hesitated, felt himself gaping at Damian like a fish. Because he knew what Damian meant. Will him knowing that Damian felt this way make him break things off with Jay and come running? After a moment, he slowly closed his mouth and looked down. “…No.”
“Then I don’t see a need.” Damian decided. “Now, if you’ll excuse me. As you heard while so rudely eavesdropping on me, I have a friend arriving soon.”
“I’m still your friend too.” Jon reminded, voice cracking midway, tears already forming in the corner of his eyes. “I always will be, Damian, I promise. I…I don’t think lesser of you or-”
“Well I should fucking hope me being in love with you doesn’t make you think lesser of me.” Damian hissed. He backed away from the counter, away from Jon once more, and crossed his arms over his chest. “If you did, that would be, as Brown calls it, a giant red flag that would make me reevaluate my opinion.”
“That’s not what I meant!” Jon cried, holding his hands up in surrender. Those tears were growing bigger. This was all wrong. This…this…how did it end up like this? “Damian, I just wanted you to know it’s okay. That honestly I’m kind of flattered and…and honored, but-”
“Jon, please get out.” Damian’s voice was quiet now, shoulders slumping. Utterly defeated. Jon couldn’t help but gasp. He’d never seen Damian Wayne look defeated before.
“Damian-”
“Please.” Damian whispered, closing his eyes. “Maya will be arriving soon and I don’t want you to upset her more than you already have.”
But Jon was an idiot, and stepped forward. “No, Damian, I’m not going to leave you like this-”
And just like that, Damian was surging towards him, grabbing his elbow and dragging him back towards the balcony. Jon stumbled behind him, tripping over his feet and words.
“Damian– Dames, please, I– I just want to talk for a few minutes, I know you don’t– this is as new for me as it is for you, and I just–“
When they reached the door, Damian barely paused to drag it open and throw Jon out into the evening air. But ever the stubborn one, Jon used the momentum to swing back forward, and hold the door open before Damian could slam it shut.
“Damian, please don’t leave it like-”
But just as quickly as before, Damian moved upwards and was instantly in his face, surprising him into silence as he demanded, “Are you happy?”
Jon blinked, then drily responded, “Never been more miserable, actually.”
“Don’t be an asshole.” Damian scolded, eyes darting between his. “Are you happy, with him? Does he make you happy?”
“…Yes.” Jon answered quietly. Honestly. Guiltily.
“Then that’s all that matters.” Damian said simply, dropping back down to his heels and stepping back. “If you’re happy, then I’m happy. I meant it when I said it to you that day, and I mean it now.”
Jon tried, one last time. “Damian…”
“I…don’t think we should team up with each other for a while.” Damian murmured, looking down. “Just…”
Jon felt the tears flood his eyes, heard them in his voice as he whined, “No…”
“It’s for the best. For both of us.” Damian nodded, like he was trying to convince himself of that. “And if you…” His voice went hoarse, and he took a moment to clear his throat. “If you still care for me in any way, you’ll grant me that.”
And even though his heart was absolutely shattering, Jon swallowed his pride, swallowed the lump in his throat, and whispered, “…Okay.”
“Thank you.” Damian returned politely. “Say hello to Jay for me. Remind him that I meant every word when I threatened his life on your behalf.”
Jon felt the tear roll down his cheek as he let go of the door. “Will do.”
“…Until next time, Kent.”
Jon did everything he did not to let his knees buckle at the name. Just nodded as Damian silently slid the door closed and quickly turned the lock.
He turned and looked towards the setting sun.
It was the worst day of his life.