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Damian would not say he was excited about the fact that Jon was coming over. He wasn't a child, he could get a hold of himself. So when Jon arrived at the manor, he did not move, only staying politely by Father's side.
But this did not last long as he felt a sweep of wind before feeling the arms of his friend wrapped around him.
"Damian!"
Damian rolled his eyes, they had seen each other a week ago, it did not made sense for the younger boy to be that excited to see Damian.
"Jon, let Damian breath." He heard Jon's mother say. His friend backed off, grinning at Damian.
Father pressed a hand to the back of his head at the same moment, giving it a small squeeze. "You and Jon can go upstairs if you want."
Damian gave a firm nod before leading the boy to his room. He had made sure that everything was perfectly organized, but it was only because Father would not want to see his room dirty when they had guess over. It wasn't because Damian wanted to please Jon.
"I forgot how huge your room is. You could fit so many people there."
Damian just sat down on his bed, letting the young kryptonian fly around his room as he usually do whenever he came over. Jon was curious, what could Damian do about it?
"Oh! You moved you desk on right? It looks better."
Damian liked that attention and the fact that his friend would notice whenever he changed something in his room.
"I did, Richard helped me."
"That's nice, where is he by the way? I thought you guys where doing Christmas together."
Richard was sadly passing this Christmas with West. Him and the annoying speedster had started dating a few months ago. But Richard promised him that they would pass a full day together when he was back. Only Damian and him, no one else.
But even if he knew that the youngest felt slightly sad... And annoyed because Richard had been sending him stupid cats videos for the past hour.
"He is passing it with West's family."
"Oh, alright- Wait you bought that?" Jon yelled as he picked up the video game the younger boy had been talking about the last time they saw each other.
"That is a gift for you, you can take it." Damian watched the way the smile on his friend face only grew wider.
And here he was again, trapped in an embrace a bit too tight for him, but he didn't complain, he kinda liked the feeling of it.
"Thank you so much Dami. I didn't get anything for you, I'm sorry."
"It's alright, I did not expect anything in return." Truthfully Damian never expected anything from anyone. He wasn't someone that could be described as lovable.
"You're too kind Dami."
Jon was wrong. The kryptonian was just too naive to see it. And Damian slightly feared the day Jon would make friends more interesting than him. Damian told himself it was fine, he was used to be alone.
Jon headed to sit next to Damian, and even if the older boy hated when someone did that, he stayed quiet. Jon was not like his brothers, he was too sensitive for Damian to push him away harshly.
"You looked so cool the last time you and Batman rescued that building." Jon praised, his eyes lighting up at the memory. Damian felt something happen in his stomach. Strange was he sick?
"I only did what was expected from me." Damian had done nothing impressive, in truth he had mess up his landing and nearly ended up crashed under a piece of rock. If Father hadn't been there then Damian may have ended up with more than a few burns.
"But you and your dad don't even need to speak to know what to do, that's so cool. While Dad never let me do much alone even if I'm actually glad about it. Isn't it hard to always do everything alone?"
Jon was always good at asking those questions that made Damian's throat tighten. Damian was fine, he was trained for that. Jon was just born in a loving family, with a mother and a father that loved each other and were overprotecting of their son. But Father was also protective of Damian, the boy would never complain about that. He couldn't, Mother would not be happy about it.
"I've been train for it." Damian simply answered, going over his complicated emotions was a waste of time. He did not even understand half of them.
"But I would be sad in your place. And scared. It's scary to be alone."
Damian stilled at those words. Now was not the time. He wasn't weak, crying was not an option he wasn't a child anymore. "I think we should go down for dinner." he interrupted.
Jon gave him a kind of gaze, Damian could not understand.
"But you will never be alone. I'm here now! Just call my name and I'll be here as fast as I can." Jon smiled at him, all teeth and joy. Something Damian loved and hated at same time.
"I don't need help." Was his only answer as he hurried both of them to leave the room.
They quickly went down, Father was already waiting there, his face opening up when he saw them arrived.
"I was just about to call you."
Damian nodded at that.
"Jon can you go join your parent in the dinning room? I need to talk to Damian." Father said, and Damian suddenly went over everything he could have done wrong.
"What is the matter Father?"
"Nothing, I just wanted to make sure you were okay."
Damian frowned. "What?
"Is it because Dick could not come this year?" Father asked gently, as if he was speaking to a wounded child.
"I'm fine Father, I do not understand your concern."
Father just placed a hand in his hair, giving a few pats. "I'm here son. You can talk to me, I won't get mad or see you as weak I promise you."
Damian just looked up confuse but nodded shyly. Father was here. That sounded nice.
The hand quickly vanished after that, as they both entered the room. To Damian's surprised Todd was sat there, busy on his phone as Drake pointed something on his screen.
Father kneeled down next to him. "Do you want to be next to your friend or me?"
Damian wanted to reply both, but if he had to chose, he wouldn't be able to see his friend as much as Father. "Jon." He quietly said. Father gave him a warm smile before heading toward his chair. Damian did the same, Jon immediately speaking to him about the animals on the farm.
Todd and Drake's attention were caught at that. They both smiled strangely at Damian, Todd even winked. Damian just glared before focusing back on his friend. The other half kryptonian was also here, and he was sat next to Drake, his hand on the teenager's shoulder. Gross.
The meal went approximately well, except for those stares Drake and Todd kept sending at him. But he ignored it, he was use to always argue and fight with them.
Jon also kept looking at him throughout the meal. And every time their eyes would met, the younger boy would smile at Damian. And every time Damian's body would do something weird. It would became all warm and his chest and stomach felt... Painful was not the word, but fuzzy.
When it was finally time to open the gift, him and Jon had claim the most comfortable sofa, throwing glares at anyone who dared to try to move them away.
Damian was surprised that there was so many presents for him, even Todd prepared something for him. And secretly his favorite gift had been Todd's one, a set of dagger, perfectly made for him. (and the slight Nightwing's blue was just a coincidence, Todd had not done that because he knew that Damian was close to their older brother.) Regardless Damian would take care of it.
For Richard, he had promise he would give his to him when they met up, but the boy only wanted to hang out with his brother and he wouldn't had been sad if he didn't have one.
"Damian even gifted me something but I did plan one for him." Damian heard Jon said, as the younger boy finished hugging his father.
"Kiss him. I'm sure he would be happy." Todd dared to reply, as he winked once again at Damian. The older boy just rolled his eyes but Jon turned his head to Todd.
"Are you sure?" The boy asked and Todd of course replied "Yes."
So when Damian saw Jon walked toward him, he really did not think it would actually happen. The boy had sat down next to Damian, a hand on his hand before pressing a small kiss on his cheek.
Damian felt his face heat up. Everyone went silent and then Todd started laughing at he stared at his phone. "I'm so sending this to Dick. He would be happy to find out his precious little brother have a boyfriend."
Damian throw a glare but his face was such a deep shade of red that it did not look really threatening. Father was looking at him with an amused smile. Damian wanted to disappear.
"And that is how a new couple was formed." Drake burst out of laughing, Todd following him shortly after, as he glanced to Damian. Maybe he could use Todd's own gift against the man.
Jon had not say anything, and when Damian turned to him he could see the blush on the younger's face. He knew that Jon was hearing his racing heartbeat. Damian did not know what to do, there was too much attention on him. It was overwhelming, it was stupid. Everyone was mocking him, he was pathetic.
Damian just stood up, barely looking back as he left the room and as soon as he was out of sight, he ran upstairs to his room.
He wanted to cry and scream. Why was he acting like that? But he did not have time to think about it as he heard a knock on his door. Too fast to be Father, which only left one option.
He opened the door, Jon shyly slipping inside. "I'm sorry Dami."
"Don't be."
"No, I am. I hurt you and made you left the room." Jon continued, guilt written all over his face.
"I am not mad at you Jon."
"But you're hurt."
"I'm not."
And this went on for a while until Damian lost his patience and made the mistake to raise his voice. "Stop saying sorry!"
Jon became quiet, those bright eyes staring at him like a kicked puppy. Damian took a deep breath. "I promise you it is alright. I just left because I felt... Overwhelmed."
Saying was slightly like admitting that he was weak but Jon only took a step close to hug him. "I never meant to make you feel like that."
Damian stilled, he wasn't used to physical contact. His heart sped up again and Jon must had heard it. "Why does your heartbeat always increase whenever I'm around?"
Damian had know the answer since the beginning, he had talk about it with Richard. But he just couldn't admit it. Jon would only be hurt if they became too close. But Jon was naive, not stupid. The question was not actually one, right?
Damian only closed his arms around the younger's body as an answer. Jon hugged him tighter. "I shouldn't have done that in front of everyone. But it had been a while I wanted to do it." Jon whispered to him.
The blush was back on Damian's face. He couldn't believe what he was about to say. "You do not have to- to wait. Just not in front of people."
Jon let out a small laugh below him before looking up and pressing another kiss to Damian's cheek. The older boy tried to not show on his face that he was flustered. But Jon could hear his heartbeat, it was of no use.
"Hey Dami, I think I really like you. Not as friend, I want us to be like mom and dad."
Damian wasn't sure if his face could get any redder. "Stop saying it like that."
Jon only grinned. "I. Love. You."
Damian's heart was pumping so loudly in his chest that he could feel in his brain.
"It's funny, your heart keep speeding up. That's cute."
And Damian would not let someone make him pathetic without a price. So to save his pride, he gathered all the strength he had to say. "I love you." before pressing a small peck to the younger's lips.
Jon let go of him, eyes wide with the same shade of red Damian had on his face. Damian gave a polite smile before leaving the room, smiling to himself as he heard Jon giggling before calling out his name happily.
They both ran down stairs, as Jon was trying to catch up on him, playfully, because the younger was clearly not using his speed to close the gap between Damian and him. At that moment, Damian was happy and satisfied with the turn in the event.
When they both entered the room again, Father gave him a knowing smile that Damian returned. He hoped that Richard would be proud of him