Chapter Text
Coming across Jon like this was nothing new; this was more or less how they would meet up before going on their patrol as the Super Sons. Finding the young Superboy on a random roof top was completely normal. What wasn’t of the norm was how Jon had tucked himself between an AC unit and a wall, his face buried in his drawn up knees and his shoulder shaking as he made soft heaving sorts of sounds.
Damian froze where he had landed on the ledge of the roof, his senses on alert as he took in the scene around his partner. There was no evidence of a scuffle or fight, no one else was around and Jon was in uniform so he was prepared to be here. There was a sniffle and sharp intake of breath and Damian realized that Jon wasn’t hurt but in fact crying. Which, in Damian’s opinion, was far worse to have to deal with.
Jon and Damian have been friends since they were children and they were teenagers now, so many years have passed but Damian was still terrible at dealing with people’s emotions, especially Jon’s. Especially when Jon was sad, that was such a foreign thing to see from this walking ray of sunshine and smiles. Damian hated to see that the most because he was never sure what to do to make Jon feel better, he usually made it worse.
“Superboy?” Robin finally spoke to announce himself and moved slowly over to where Jon was hiding.
Jon stiffened up and Damian could tell how he was trying to wipe his face and pretend he wasn’t just crying, either he was embarrassed or he knew Damian couldn’t do anything for him anyway. Jon startled when Damian kneeled down in front of him, not hearing him cross the space quickly.
“What’s happened?” Damian asked seriously, it pained his heart to see how red Jon’s eyes were, he must have been crying for a long while and Jon dropped his face back into his knees to hide.
“Dam-Robin…I…” Jon’s voice was strained and scratchy; he sighed and just shook his head.
Damian frowned at the response but he wasn’t surprised, it could take Jon a while to talk about things when he was like this but it weighed heavily on Damian that his friend was in such pain.
“Jon.” The boy looked up surprised to hear his name while they were in uniform; Damian was always the one being so firm on using their code names in the field. “May I…move you?”
“Huh?” Jon asked, rubbing his face and when Damian offered his hand Jon took it.
Instead of pulling him to his feet, like Jon had expected, Damian made him scoot forward until he was out in the open and a little over so the AC unit was behind Jon. Damian then moved around Jon to sit down between Jon’s back and the AC unit.
“I…” Damian said, mumbling a little. “I am not good at, uh, these things but…I know you like this so…um, can I hug you?” Damian struggled to request, unsure if he was asking correctly or being strange, it certainly felt strange to him.
Jon looked back at Damian confused, seeing the older boy looking awkward and opening his arms and legs so Jon could settle fully back into Damian. They had hardly ever done things like this before but god, Jon really did want the contact, but he hesitated.
“A-Are you sur-“
“Yes or I would not offer.” Damian cut him off and beckoned with his hands.
It was all Jon needed to hear before he crawled back into Damian’s embrace, sitting sideways between his arms and legs, burying his face into Damian’s tunic, the body armor underneath pressing against his face but Jon didn’t care. Jon clutched tightly to the tunic as a sob wracked through his body and he shuddered as he felt Damian’s arms close tightly around him. It set off a new wave of tears and sobs, the comfort was so welcomed and it made him feel safe to let it all out and not hold back like he had been.
“It’s alright.” Damian murmured, surrounding Jon the best he could, the other teen was far taller than him, unfairly, but he did what he could. “I have you, Jon, you are safe.” He wasn’t sure of his words but hoped it was comforting.
He gently rested a hand on the back of Jon’s head and he could feel the tears started to make his tunic damp. Damian bit the inside of his cheek, he hated this, Jon should never be this devastated, never be so saddened and he could not come up with a single reason this would be happening to his best friend but he knew he just had to be patient.
Jon slowly calmed as they sat together, clinging to the other for different reasons that all added up to Jon finally taking a deep shaky breath so he could finally say why he was like this and it wasn’t something Damian expected.
“Jay…Jay broke up with me…” Jon hiccupped, nuzzling against Damian’s chest and felt the arms around him tighten even more, even more protective.
“I…” Damian started confused. “I thought things were fine?”
“I did too…” Jon trembled, turning his face into Damian’s tunic again, feeling the cooling tears against his face. “I..I know we hadn’t been spending a lot of... of time together but…I thought, he understood that, since he knows all this hero stuff.”
Damian has never been overly fond of Jay, it wasn’t like they knew each other very well either way but since he was Jon’s paramour Damian had tried to make an effort to be cordial when he ever he was around. Now though, as he has brought this heart break to Jon perhaps Damian would break something of Jay’s…like his femur.
“Dami, no.” Jon’s voice brought Damian back to the present and the younger teen had pulled away to look at Damian.
“No?” Damian frowned, knowing Jon guessed what he was thinking.
“I don’t want you to do…anything to him, okay?” Jon was begging and that made Damian more furious if anything but he couldn’t deny his request.
“Fine.” Damian said grimly. “I think that’s a poor decision, but I will heed your request.”
Jon let out a hapless laugh as he dropped his head back against Damian’s chest, feeling completely drained from crying for who knows how long. He felt Damian wrap his legs around him and draw him in even closer, holding him tighter. It was rather wonderful, if Jon was honest, he could count on one hand how many times Damian has held him this long and he hated that it was only because of his heart breaking.
“Do you want him back?” Damian asked some time later after they had settled.
“I…um…” Jon wasn’t sure how to answer, there was a part of him that said yes but if Jay didn’t want to continue, it was hard to want to push against that. “He wouldn’t want me back…”
“That would be foolish.” Damian muttered. “He should consider himself so lucky that you had gone with him at all.”
“Heh, lucky?” Jon half laughed but it sounded pathetic to his ears.
“Of course, farm boy, if you can see good in someone as horrific as me and want to share your goodness, hell anyone would be lucky to be yours.” Damian said. “He should beg on his knees for your forgiveness.”
Jon laughed a little, more honestly and shook his head against Damian’s chest. “Why are you only nice to me when I’m sad?”
“I’m nice to you all the time, dumbass.” Damian huffed, resting his chin on Jon’s head, feeling the boy giggling against him and Damian smiled slightly that he could get Jon to do that in a moment like this.
“Sure.” Jon sighed wistfully and went quiet for a little while. “Jay said…I wasn’t a good boyfriend.” He felt Damian stiffen. “That I wasn’t prioritizing him enough…maybe that’s true.”
“Bullshit.” Damian spat. “You did plenty for him; you dropped other events and outings for him all the time. You didn’t owe him more effort than you gave.”
“Didn’t I though? I clearly didn’t give enough time, he was always trying to get more and I…I kept pushing it away.” Jon sighed. “He wanted to join us on our patrols and I told him no.”
“What?” Damian sat up straighter; this had been news to him.
“Yea, that was a while back…” Jon said. “But this is our thing, just you and me, the Super Sons. I already do a patrol with just him and me. Besides, I know you don’t really like him that much.”
“I…I did not dislike him.” Damian muttered. “I do now, very much so, are you certain you don’t want to revisit the violence option?”
“I’m sure.” Jon chuckled that blended into a sigh. “I wonder if that’s why…”
“He’s an idiot, Jon, you are better off without him.” Damian said firmly. “You are too good for him anyway, for anyone really.”
“Heh, then that doesn’t leave me a lot of options, does it?” Jon asked, shutting his eyes as he felt Damian’s hand start to trail up and down over his spine, it was comforting.
“Hmph, I suppose if you have to, you’ll have to settle for someone beneath you, a pity.” Damian hummed.
Jon giggled a little, nosing into Damian’s neck and sighed pleasantly feeling the warmth there. “Is that why you’ve never dated? Because everyone is beneath you?”
“Hardly.” Damian scoffed. “I barely get along with the people I call my friends, no one would want more than that from me. Which is completely fine, I’m not made for such things, I’m better on my own.”
“But you’re better with me?” Jon said, trying to look at Damian but it wasn’t easy with their position.
“Our friendship and partnership works, yes, but no one tolerates me like you do, farm boy, not even my family.” Damian sighed slightly. “This is irrelevant, it is time for action.”
“Ah, Dami, you said you wouldn’t-“
“I merely meant we should go get you some ice cream.” Damian chuckled. “I remember my promise, Jon.”
“Are you going to have some?” Jon asked, pulling away from Damian to look at him properly.
“Sure, but you’ll have to order it, I never recall the one I like because they have such absurd names.” Damian said, he gently held Jon’s face, his thumb swiping away a lingering tear and he felt the younger teen lean heavily into his hand. “Are you going to be alright…?”
Jon let out a long sigh as he reached up to place a hand over Damian’s, swiping his thumb over the back of the glove feeling the enforced ridges over the knuckles. “I don’t know…but ice cream sounds nice right now.”
While that was true the idea of leaving their little embrace did not appeal to Jon in the least, he really liked how protective Damian would hold him. How tight his arms were around Jon and that he was actually allowing so much contact without seeming to be itching to get away from the whole thing. Jon had been under the impression that Damian was allergic to emotional things like this and instead, tonight, he had barreled through just to make sure Jon was comforted.
Jon’s chest fluttered when Damian’s hand caressed his face before both of their hands fell away. Damian tilted his head in that way when he saw something he wanted to figure out and Jon dropped his head back onto Damian’s shoulder. He was feeling so drained and vulnerable; it was making him feel all sorts of things. Things he needed to push away right now, god it wasn’t the time and it never had been and deep down, Jon wondered if that was part of the reason for all of this too? He didn’t want to think about that right; he didn’t ruin something else tonight.
“Jon?” Damian spoke softly; his gloved hand hesitated before gently stroking Jon’s hair, knowing it was something he liked people to do to him. “Is it too much right now?”
“No, that’s not…” Jon sighed, nuzzling against Damian’s shoulder. “I just…really like this right now…”
“We can stay like this till you want to go?” Damian offered.
“I know you don’t exactly like this, it really does mean a lot to me, Dami, you have no idea.” Jon sighed, he was being selfish at this point, milking this comfort from Damian.
“It’s…not so bad.” Damian mumbled a little. “It was awkward for a bit but now it’s…I’m more used to it and I suppose I like it a little.” He admitted.
“Heh, I won’t get used to it.” Jon chuckled drily. “But thank you, you don’t have to, we can go.”
“I’m not uncomfortable.” Damian insisted and moved his arms from around Jon’s shoulders to around his middle to pull him close. “We stay for a little longer, okay?”
“If that’s what you want.” Jon said amused.
“It is, so stay put, Kent.” Damian said like it was an order.
So they stayed like that for another five minutes before Jon insisted he really wanted to get ice cream, besides it was getting late and the shops would be closing soon. Damian carried Jon while he grappled their way through the city, the Super not able to muster the energy to fly right now and besides, it meant more contact with Damian which he was really craving right now.
They had their ice cream out on the patio seating, a bunch of people that were still out would stop and try to talk to them, the people of Metropolis felt at ease doing things like that. Though they’d scamper off when they got dirty looks from Robin, the sharp Robin as he was known in this city. It was rather funny to Jon really, but they finished their treat quickly all the same and Damian took Jon home on his motorcycle.
“I feel you nodding off back there.” Damian said during the ride. “If you keep doing that I’m zip tying your hands so you don’t fall off.”
“Ah, don’t do that!” Jon squeezed tighter around Damian. “I won’t fall asleep! What happened to being nice to me?”
“I’m always nice to you, farm boy.” Damian reached back to pat Jon’s leg before putting it back to take them around a curve. “I thought sugar made you hyper?”
“I’m not ten anymore.” Jon complained. “I’m almost seventeen you know!”
Since Jon didn’t need a helmet he could press the side of his face against Damian’s back and pouted and if he didn’t have super hearing he would have missed Damian saying ‘I am well aware.’ What a weird response? Especially since Damian had kept it quiet.
“You know we can just use the door?” Jon said when Damian pulled Jon inside through the window to Jon’s bedroom. “My parents know we were on patrol…or at least, we were supposed to be.” He sighed.
“I don’t use doors.” Damian said, looking around Jon’s messy room and tutted.
“I thought you’d be over judging my room.” Jon rolled his eyes, unzipping his hoodie to put it away in his hiding place for it, thinking he’d still shower, the warm water would be nice.
“I thought you’d eventually become more clean.” Damian huffed, looking back at Jon. “Would you…like me to stay?”
Jon paused grabbing his change of sleep clothes. “No, I’ll be okay, you…you don’t have to.”
“But do you want me to?” Damian asked, moving over to Jon, his eyes scanning him like he would do from time to time.
“It’s okay.” Jon assured him. “I just want to take a shower and go to sleep, but I’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay Dami?”
“If you are sure.” Damian nodded, taking a step to leave but moved back and pulled Jon into a hug, surprising the younger teen. “I don’t like when you are sad, it’s not natural, if you need me please reach out.”
“Oh Dami…” Jon hugged him tightly but kept his strength in check. “You’re the greatest best friend a guy could have and I don’t care if you disagree, you are.”
Damian made a sort of strangled noise like he was swallowing his response and gave Jon another squeeze before pulling away. “I look forward to hearing from you, Jon. Goodnight.” He said before he hopped out of the window.
“Goodnight.” Jon called after him, picking up his clothes and headed to the shower, hoping afterward he could get some sleep but he had a feeling it wouldn’t be too restful.
Jon briefly wondered if Damian had stayed if he would have shared the bed with him? Jon shook his head, no matter what Damian had said, Jon shouldn’t be selfish and over use Damian’s offer of comfort. It had to have made the older boy uncomfortable and Jon had been grateful for what he gotten, it had meant so much to him. A little too much, but that would have to be thoughts for another day.