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It was when he was driving Lian home from her friends party that Roy realized it.
He had briefly seen into the house and smiled at the children running around the house, complaining when they were picked up by their parents and trying to finish that ‘just one more!’ slice of cake. Lian was asleep in her carseat in his rearview mirror; all tuckered out from running around this persons house for the better part of five hours. If there was one thing his little girl, and almost every other kid out there loved, it was birthday parties.
So why had Jason never had one?
Roy thought he was a good boyfriend; but when it came to personal stuff, Jason had a bubble that he dared not invade out of respect to the younger man who had Seen Some Shit before his time.
He carried Lian into the apartment, setting her down on the couch while he took her shoes off and threw a blanket over her. Roy headed into the kitchen where he could see Jason had been cleaning out his guns. The actual weapons were gone- put away when Roy said he was bringing home Lian- but the brushes and cloths he used were still out. Jason appeared then, smiling a bit as he saw Roy. “Did she have fun?”
“Poor kids passed out from a sugar coma as we speak.” Roy made his way around the table and leaned against it, wrapping his arms around Jason’s waist and pulling him close. “Miss me?”
“You were gone for ten minutes.”
“Longest ten minutes of my life. I’m hurt, Jaybird.” he chuckled and Jason rolled his eyes.
“Whatever you say Harper.”
“I’m serious. I’m hurt. You should kiss it better.”
“Fuckin’ nerd.” Jason shook his head, leaning in to kiss Roy quickly.
“Oh come on, you can do a better job than that. Sweep me off’a my feet a little.”
Jason smirked before kissing Roy a bit harder, sliding his hands up his shirt and dragging blunt nails along the small of his back. Roy let out a quiet gasp, biting down on Jason’s lip and sucking at it. The younger man groaned low against his lips, making a face as he pulled back.
“Tease.”
“Have you ever had a birthday party?”
“…huh?” Jason blinked.
“Party- birthday. Ever had a one?”
Jason had to have known that Roy didn’t /know/. Sure Roy was disorganized on a good day. but that’s something you can’t be expected to just know unless you’re told by someone. And to his knowledge, Jason or anyone had never told him when the former- Robin- current- badass’ birthday was.
“Is /that/ what you think about when we make out? I knew your brain went to some sick places but I always thought it’d be Transformers porn or something.” Jason stepped away to gather the rest of his stuff from the table.
“C’mon Jay, I’m serious. Hell I’m not even sure when your birthday is!”
“Doesn’t matter to me all that much. It’s just another day.” he shrugged. “I keep track of how old I am, and I go from there. Don’t need some crappy card or calls from people I frankly do not wanna talk to.”
Roy pouted. “Look. I get it. Bat’s probably aren’t all that great with the whole happy birthday thing. But it’s something you should celebrate anyways!”
“Actually B was pretty good about birthdays. We usually did something, Al made a cake. It was nice, the three of us.”
Roy almost shuddered at the image of Batman- never Bruce, always Batman- toting around eleven year old Jason to somewhere normal like the zoo or god forbid /Disneyland/ and then jet-setting home to have a slice of what was probably a wonderfully moist and delicious cake because Alfred Pennyworth can do no wrong.
“Okay. Well, bet you had some pretty sick parties in that house-“
“Didn’t have ‘em. You know I kept to myself back then.” Jason started to head out of the kitchen to stow the rest of his stuff in the box in their closet.
“Okay, but you don’t now!” Roy followed close behind. "We could invite some people over- nothing major. Just some close friends.”
“Don’t wanna.”
“Why not-? Okay, no problem. You me and Lian, just the three of us. Cake and a day of whatever the hell you want.”
Jason tossed the box back up on it’s shelf a little too harshly. “Jesus Christ why is this so important to you?"
“Because you’re my boyfriend. I like making you happy, numbskull.”
Jason sighed, facing the closet for a moment before turning to look over at Roy. “August sixteenth. I didn’t tell you cause it’s the day before Lian’s and… I didn’t wanna take the spotlight off her I guess.”
Roy smiled at him. “You’re an idiot. At least you’re pretty.”
“Yeah well. Wish I could say the same for you.” he ran a hand through his hair. “Just…don’t make it a big thing, please? I get my phone call from the family- whoever’s not too fucked up that year, anyways. And I wrap Lian’s presents with you the night before and we’ll have a beer and lay in bed and honestly that’s perfect. Don’t need anything else.”
“…okay.”
“No elaborate planning. Please.”
“Course not. If you want it to be kept quiet, we can keep it quiet.”
“Thank you.” Jason fell back onto their bed with a groan. “You’re so strange, Harper.”
“You love it.” Roy laid next to him, pressing a kiss to his jaw. “Happy birthday, Jaybird.”
“It’s June.”
“I’m practicing.”
And once August rolled around, Roy would come home the day before Lian’s birthday with armfuls of gifts that he begged Jason to help him wrap. And if there was a new toy in there that he made just for his boyfriend, Jason wouldn’t say anything. He would tuck it away for later and wait a half hour or so before pulling Roy into a kiss, silently thanking him.
The two would have a drink before laying in bed; Jason tucked securely against Roy’s chest while the older man drew circles on his shoulder for a while before turning them over and sleepily kissing down Jason’s throat and along his clavicle, murmuring to him happy birthday wishes before falling asleep against his shoulder. And Jason would chuckle and run his fingers through Roy’s hair until he drifted off, anxiously awaiting the next morning when Lian would jump into bed with them and giggle about how it was her /birthday/!
And Roy would kiss his daughter and kiss his boyfriend and wish them both a happy birthday.