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Though Jon was hesitant at first, ultimately he still flew over until Damian was in his sight. The breeze on the island was warm. With the sun shining bright overhead, only the cool breeze trying to push inland from the ocean gave any semblance of comfort. Jon was already sweating when he landed but he paid it no mind. Underfoot, he could feel the shift of sand until it turned more compact and dense.
Even though it was relatively quiet, he could still sense animals rushing about the island. Birds sitting on tree branches calling out in the distance. Jon hadn't spoken to Damian before coming here. He wasn't actually sure where 'here' was. However, Jon had been worrying about Damian until he couldn't take it anymore and decided to just face his friend head on.
It's when he focused in and realized Damian wasn't in Gotham. Not only was he not in Gotham anymore, but he'd sequestered himself away on some unknown island that Jon wasn't familiar with at all. Any hesitance he felt couldn't truly hold him back though. Whatever he faced going over there, he's sure Damian would help him get out of any trouble that may arise.
Jon held that hope in his chest as he trekked over to where he could see Damian standing. Despite the heat, Damian was wearing a long sleeved shirt. His body was in the shade of an overhanging tree, with its branches and leaves blocking out much of the overbearing sun. He was wearing sunglasses and a pair of beat-up sneakers on his feet that looked too well worn for something Damian would own.
While it could be said that Jon hadn't made much noise upon arriving. Damian had long since picked up on his presence yet made no move to turn and watch him. With his back to him, Damian demonstrated both great trust in Jon's intentions and also a great confidence in his own abilities. Jon couldn't really decide which of the two he found more comfort in.
"I found you!" Jon said in leu of any real greeting.
Looking at him out of the corner of his eye, Damian easily responded, "I wasn't hiding."
Rolling his eyes, Jon kept walking forward until he was standing shoulder to shoulder with Damian. Only then did he realize Damian wasn't just brooding on this island all by himself. Isolated away from the rest of the world. A few meters away stood a young girl dripping in sweat. On her face, she had a similar pair of glasses to the ones Damian had on, but they looked a little more complicated.
She didn't stay idle for long. In the blink of an eye, she burst into movement. Her moves were entirely unrestrained, out in the open space like this, she didn't hold anything back. Jon had never seen this girl before, not that he could catch much sight of her if he's honest. Her moves were quick and precise, well trained. Trained in ways Jon never had been, but he imagines Damian perhaps had.
"Who's your friend?"
Though Jon didn't frequent Wayne Manor all that often. Even when he did show up, it wasn't like all the extended family were standing around waiting to greet him. So, he couldn't tell if this is just someone he's missed meeting before or if they're someone else Damian's picked up along the way. Much like he'd done with Jon himself. Jon pouted at the idea of not being told about her sooner if that was the case.
Eyeing Jon's reaction, the words he spoke next were smooth, "She came before you. I should be introducing you to her, not the other way around."
"Huh?"
Now Jon was really interested. Basically completely forgetting what he'd come over to do, he started pestering Damian with questions. Despite clearly focusing in on something else, he still offered up half his attention to answer all of Jon's burning questions. They really didn't stop once they'd started either. He had his parents thirst for information and a story.
"She actually helped me with you, back before we really knew each other. Though I doubt you'll remember. Her names Maya Ducard, daughter to the deceased Henry Ducard. He made her into a Nobody like himself, but she made herself somebody. At first, she wanted revenge against me, but we helped each other out. Became friends when I was going around trying to better myself, improving the past which made me."
As this information freely came from Jon, he nodded his head along and eagerly listened. When Damian explained her father's past, it was clear to Jon how she'd come around to befriending Damian. There was a lot of shared feelings between he both of them. Though Jon was aware he wasn't the first friend Damian ever made, he oddly didn't find himself jealous at being behind such an incredible person.
Having been caught up in Damian's words, Jon didn't notice Maya had stopped moving until her voice caught his attention, "If we're sharing secrets here, did you know that Damian was shorter than me when we first met?"
"Knock it off." Damian's words and matching frown were half-hearted at best.
Her smile was quite dazzling, her confidence emanating from her. Finally, she'd taken off the headset and crossed the distance until she was just a few steps away from the pair of them. Her hair was still cut short but instead of her usual headband holding her hair back from her face, she'd chosen two clips to keep her hair held back and out of the way. A pair of purple bats.
"My name's Maya Ducard." She said with an outstretched hand, eyeing Damian who'd already introduced her in her place.
"Jonathan Kent, but you can call me Jon."
"Hm, I know." Her smile was sweet but there was something of a laugh in her words.
Out of everyone, she'd known best how interested Damian was in him. She'd had to hear all about Jonathan Kent before Damian even made his first move. Once Damian had actually, finally, hit it off with Jon, she'd spent ages teasing him over it. Despite her teasing though, she was glad to see his circle of friends growing just a bit. He deserved to be surrounded by people who care for him.
"A shame you didn't come by earlier, Colin was also here." Maya spoke as she took the headset and handed it off to Damian, undoing the clips and letting her hair fall forward. "He had to leave early though. Something about a group of children asked him to walk them home from school because their area is dangerous. He's a big softie like that, can't say no."
"Colin?"
Though the question was spoke out into the open, it was obvious Jon wanted Damian to answer it, "Colin Wilkes is an orphan, he's a victim of experimentation. He's done his best to overcome what happened to him, both helping as a hero, but mostly he helps out as a civilian. The children trust him."
"And you guys, hang out on this island?"
Jon was trying his best not to sound jealous at this point. It wasn't just that Damian had friends he hadn't met yet. That, Jon could absolutely deal with, after all, he had his own friends as well. But Jon was neighbours with Kathy. They didn't have any super secret escapes that he was neglecting to invite Damian along to. Though, he isn't all that sure Kathy would want Damian tagging along if they did.
"We don't 'hang out'." Was how Damian started his answer, he'd taken his own glasses off too and returned them to a case. "I was worried that when I stepped back from the field, people could be dragged into something I haven't prepared them for. While capable, I wanted them to be well-trained in the case of something happening. The best way I thought to do this, was simulations."
"You're simulating circumstances to train your friends because you're worried about them?"
"I'm not worried, just cautious."
Those were the words Damian said, but he truly was a little worried. Maya wasn't someone who went into action regularly, it wasn't her calling. For the most part, she liked living a fairly normal civilian life. Relying on Damian's money to enjoy her life to the fullest. Colin however, though infrequently, did go out onto the streets to get himself involved in saving people.
Ensuring their safety is Damian's top priority. So, he'd personally set up a system that used the island's layout to help develop their individual skills. Damian then explained as much to Jon. Neither Maya nor Colin were going to face any larger threats, within Gotham their threats were still real but more manageable under Damian's guidance. He'd been watching along to monitor Maya's training when Jon arrived.
"What is this island?" Jon had almost forgotten to ask, just pleased he hadn't been caught trespassing or something.
"I own it. I needed somewhere that would allow all my clones to live freely, and I took a small portion of the island and designated it as an immersive training location. Which is where we are right now. The rest of it belong to them entirely."
Opening his mouth and then closing it. Jon didn't know what to say to that. All his eager questions from earlier died in his throat as he processed what Damian had actually said. Not only did he own this entire island, but the fact that he had his own personal island was enough to make Jon lose his composure. On top of that though, he's casually dropped a comment about having clones.
While he was still reeling from this information. Damian let out one of his smiles, a little unsettling but Damian looked incredibly pleased with himself. He then went onto explain in more detail, what it had taken to set everything up. Having built everything by hand and set everything up personally. Damian had put an incredible and unspoken amount of effort into this project.
"He's even got a sequence for you, Superboy."
Eyes widening and smile slipping off his face as he registered what Maya had just said, Damian turned to her and ground out, "Shut up!"
Despite his less than pleased tone, Maya, herself, was pleased. Damian struggled to defend himself but couldn't outright deny what she'd just admitted out loud. Jon, who had been mildly despairing over being left out, was now a little less downcast. Maya had been watching him closely. If Damian wasn't going to admit to it, well it was clear she was going to have to do it then.
The reason Damian felt so embarrassed about this admission. Was the fact that he'd worked closely with both Colin and Maya to develop theirs. Though he could work a lot of it himself, he needed to work closely with them to fine tune it and make it specific enough. He wasn't familiar enough with their dynamics to entirely rely on his own understanding of either of them.
With Jon on the other hand. Damian had done his entirely by himself. Understanding Superboy to such a degree, that he'd never even had Jon anywhere near his equipment before he'd finished it. At a loss for how to defend himself, Damian instead moved to explaining that it was no big deal. He could develop a sequence for anyone, of course he would have one for Jon.
"You know, he spent the longest time out of any of ours on completing yours. Damian wanted it to be perfect for if you ever used it."
Finally, Damian couldn't take it anymore and shooed her away. Telling her that she needed to replenish her energy, and that he'd made sandwiches for her. A stack of neatly arranged sandwiches had been set up on a platter. A small table holding the sandwiches and a number of different drinks that would help Maya recover. Colin had taken a few for himself when he'd left earlier.
Jon looked at the sandwiches and smiled to himself. Damian had begrudgingly admitted a while ago, that he'd gone with Alfred to a cooking class for father's day. The pair of them went to learn a few things. Despite Alfred being capable and practised in the kitchen, Damian had wanted to demonstrate his desire to help out. Learning the basics in an enjoyable, interactive environment.
Even though he'd taken on a number of responsibilities. Moreso than in the past, Damian was actually home a lot more. He didn't force himself to leave, occupying his time with everything until he made himself sick with it. Now, he took his time and focused on certain things. Prioritized his condition. Went to school, continued to learn and develop his medical knowledge, spend time with his friends and come home to his family.
After securing his medical knowledge and developing it to an acceptable level. Damian had opened up a small practise that gave immediate care to families who needed it for free. It was to hopefully ease the pressure on hospitals, by further diverting patients who had less life threatening issues and could be handled by the staff that Damian had taken on.
It was a mix of people who were well trained and versed in the field, as well as people in training. Funding the education of the next generation of doctors and nurses seemed imperative. Damian frequented the establishment and got involved but didn't prioritize it over his schooling or anything else. When he could, he still went to the bigger hospitals in Gotham to learn under the most experienced workers.
Perhaps in the grand scheme of things it wasn't much. Maybe Damian could be doing more. Given he hadn't even entered high school yet, Damian was trying to learn how to pace himself. Having picked up on Damian's mood and his desire to not go into any more detail about the sequence he'd designed personally to match Jon. He decided to give him some face, and move their conversation long when Maya walked away.
"The reason I came looking for you was because I was worried about you."
Given Damian had his honesty forced out of him, Jon decided to be honest as well. Not beating around the bush, Jon spoke about how he'd been worrying since they'd last seen each other. Though it had only been a few days ago, during the school week, it had eaten away at Jon until he couldn't hold it in anymore. Their school had been closed for the day, and Jon didn't think he could wait until the next school day to talk to Damian.
Having clearly been given an out, Damian looked at Jon once before turning his attention away, "I didn't want to presume that you'd want to train with me over training with your father. I know he's usually the one who takes you along, and because we don't go out anymore together, I thought that this would probably pale in comparison to your real-life training."
"Oh." Jon, seemingly having realized something, said, "For the most part, I've stopped going out as Superboy."
Those words hung in the air for a second before Damian processed them and snapped out a surprised, "What? Since when?"
"Not as long as you've taken a break from Robin. But for a while now, it's why I started asking you to tutor me. I'm not stupid, but I also don't want to be. Staying on top of my game is important, which includes being able to pass school well. We're only young, I shouldn't risk skipping out on my education or these experiences to focus too much on being a superhero."
For some time now, Damian had been tutoring Jon. Though the education being offered at the Gotham school Damian had dragged Jon to was of a high level. It wasn't so difficult that Jon was floundering around at a loss. However, he wanted to stay on top of his game and be the best he could be. Seeing the improvements in Damian's life after having made his decision, Jon chose to follow with one of his own.
There were still of course, certain things Clark prioritized in teaching Jon and helping him to get control over. Aside from that though, he didn't spend too much of his time going out and solving things as Superboy. A few times now though, he'd even managed to help people just as Jon Kent. It made him feel good, getting involved with people just as his own person as well as, as Superboy.
"I'd love to try out the sequence you made for me, sometime."
Damian turned to look at Jon out of the corner of his eye. A slight blush had surfaced on his face, but Jon could barely catch sight of it with how Damian had once again turned to face away from him. Though, he could see his ears reddening just slightly. Jon smiled to himself, though he didn't understand why he felt so victorious all of a sudden.
"But really, I've been worried about you."
Seeing Damian's better mood, Jon said what he'd said earlier again. They'd been studying over some flashcards Damian had made for Jon. He'd seemed distracted and a little tired. Though he's been trying to take care of himself, sometimes it's easier said than done. So, Jon had been worrying about Damian burning himself out for days now, and had finally gotten the chance to bring it up.
In this moment now though, Damian seemed more relaxed and content than ever. Even if he was being shy, and an embarrassed air hung over him. Damian kicked some sand aside with his beat-up sneakers and looked up to the sky above them. Though he was hot, Jon had mostly been standing underneath the sun while Damian had hidden himself away underneath the shade of the tree.
The cooler air had finally built up and made the heat less insufferable around them. From where they were standing, the sound of crashing waves could be heard beating against the shore. The water had been beautifully crystalline and blue when Jon had flown over it earlier. Pulling out before crashing down onto the sand in waves that were small enough not to worry about.
"I'm doing better." Was all Damian said at first, but almost like he could feel Jon's disbelieving stare on him, he turned to face him and emphasized. "Seriously, I promise. I was caught up on my own head for a few days, been trying to get through it."
"Alone? You know you can talk to me about anything, right?"
Jon's words were earnest, and Damian didn't scoff at them. He sighed though, because Jon was right. Despite making a myriad of changes in his life, he still struggled with this. Having prioritized his friends and family, Damian was still getting used to that being a two-way street. Given Damian would do anything for the people he loved and cared about, he had to come to terms with the people around him feeling the same way about him as well.
"Sorry."
Frowning, Jon nudged up closer against Damian and said, "Don't apologize. I'm just worried about you."
"I know. I'm trying to do better."
Damian had his arms folded over his chest, almost in a defensive stance. But he wasn't angry, just contemplative. The wind around them continued to stir the branches and rustle the leaves overhead. Maya was leaning against the table enjoying the snacks Damian had supplied her with. Usually, he'd go out and buy something quick, but he'd taken the time to prepare all these things himself this time.
"Do you have anything made for anyone else."
His line of sight was focused on the case that held the headsets. Damian followed his gaze and looked down at it for a moment before nodding his head, indicating that he did indeed have other sequences prepared. Jon was surprised and expected Damian to elaborate further but Damian kept silent for a while. Worrying that he'd, by mistake, overstepped somehow, made to change the subject again.
"Her name is Mara al Ghul."
"Oh." Not knowing what to say, Jon pondered at the relationship between the two of them in his own head.
Watching Jon trying to figure it out himself, Damian supplied the information, "She's the daughter of my mother's brother, Dusan al Ghul. He died though, and Mara was raised by our grandfather instead. I was able to get out of that situation; she hasn't been so lucky. I've been holding out hope, that I can bring her away from that environment. It's just that I haven't been so lucky, so far."
"Your cousin, what's she like?"
Staying silent for a moment, he spoke softly as he remembered her, "A lot like me, but a lot less fortunate and lucky."
"I'm sure you can help her. Don't think I can help with much, but I'm always here if you need someone to talk to about it, or anything." Jon rushed to add those words at the end, offering himself as a confidant to Damian.
The smile on Damian's face made Jon happy to see. Truly, Damian was beyond thankful for Jon's presence in his life. Perhaps he didn't say it enough, but he had gained so much because Jon had been by his side. He was grateful to have learnt so much since moving to Gotham, his circle had only grown and strengthened. All the people around him had given him so much already.
It's only that, Damian wished he could bring Mara into that. Even if she didn't want to be anywhere near him, he wouldn't hold it against her. He just wanted to offer her the chance to make friends, create a family of her own, in whatever form that took. The chance to go to school and be around other kids. To actually participate in activities meant for children.
With childhoods so soaked in blood, drenched in their own pain and the suffering of others. It was difficult to overcome all of that alone. Damian didn't want her to be alone, and he didn't want others to be alone. Constantly stretching out his hand, offering others the support he'd always needed too. Damian had always been mature, but his world experienced had matured him in a different way, helped him grow.
Breaking hem out of the silence that seemed to linger on between them, Maya yelled out to them, "It's too hot to stand around much longer. Let's head back and get some ice cream. Don't worry, I'll pay!"
Her smile was cheeky as she offered to pay for their treat. Even as he shook his head at her, Damian packed up everything so they could head off. Damian was grumbling, half-heartedly, about how her money was Damian's money so really, he was still paying for his own treat. Maya was dutifully ignoring his words, happily making her way to their way off the island, basically beaming.
Jon trailed behind the two of them, feeling like he'd just faced a whirlwind. Having expected none of this to transpire. Jon felt like he'd been wholly unprepared for it all. Though, that's just the life he lived, especially being friends with someone as interested as Damian Wayne. He felt undeniably honoured and pleased to get to grow up alongside someone like him.
"I like ice cream." Jon couldn't help but add as Damian grumbled, joining in.
With plans then set, the three of them made their way off the island in one piece. Heading off to Gotham so they could get their hands on some ice cream. The warm heat of the island still clung to them, even as the cooler wind had ruffled their hair. Maya found her headband and pushed her hair back once again as they all found their seats. The moment was sweet, gentle and wonderfully childish as the three children continued on with their adventure.