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♥1♥
The first time Damian received a silly Valentine's Day card it was from Jon. His teacher had organized an activity where everyone placed small baskets on their desks, and the kids would put Valentine's Day cards for their friends in them, they could be signed or anonymous.
The teacher announced it a week in advance, Damian found the festivity frivolous, but he still got something for Jon, assuming that his friend would do the same. That day West Reeve School was full of paper hearts, pink and red everywhere, the air smelling like chocolates, and near lunch time the teacher gave them a few minutes so everyone could leave their cards on their friends’ little mailboxes.
Damian snorted at the stupidity of the situation, but still got up and put the little box of chocolates and a gift card on Jonathan’s box, and then went back to his chair to find an already full mailbox.
He sorted them in a bunch: the anonymous ones, then the ones that were signed, and then the one from Jon. He took the envelope and detached the chocolate bar that went with it, then he drew out the card. It looked kinda hand made, it was a piece of cardboard with a sticker in it, it was a Kaiju destroying a city with big letters saying “CRUSHING ON YOU”, and glitter all over it. The thing was… a little ugly, but he kept it with care, since a previous conversation with Grayson gave him the clue that handmade gifts were a normal thing between civilians, since they carry a big emotional value.
At lunch time Jon sat beside Damian as always, he looked nervous but the shorter one ignored it in favour of eating his lunch, opening the immaculate bento box that Alfred prepared for him.
“So… Damiii… Did you read your cards?” he asked, biting his lip.
“A few of them.”
“Cool… And did some catch your eye? Like… one of some pretty girl?”
“Uh…” the boy arched his eyebrow. “No, I only read yours and a few from those delusional girls that think that they love me just because we crossed a few words.”
“And… about my card… Uh… Do you think we can give it a shot?”
Damian was not sure what the other was talking about, maybe the idea to crush a kaiju together, and well, that sounded great, so he accepted.
“Really?! Good!” Jon gave him a kiss on the cheek. “What about going out today? My mom could take us to the arcade.”
“I suppose that would be fine…” he said without much interest, but an afternoon with his friend was something he would enjoy, no matter the plan.
“Great! I’ll send her a text, she promised to coordinate everything with Mr. Pennyworth,” he said happily while taking out an old cellphone barely functional for sending texts.
He continued eating while the blue eyed boy talked non stop until he felt a timid hand sliding in his and intertwining their fingers, he looked up at the other noticing his face was crimson red, but after feeling a clumsy squeeze from him, he decided not to say a thing and just let it pass.
That same day they had a great time at the arcade, playing non stop, drinking milkshakes and eating a heart shaped pizza ordered by Lois Lane, who gave them glances full of tenderness, and from time to time sneaked out her phone to take incognito photos of the two boys.
♥2♥
The second time they were 14th. Jonathan went directly to Damian, giving him an almost crushing hug and kissing his cheek.
“Happy Valentine’s Day, Dami!!!” he yelled and took his hand to start walking to their classroom.
“Yeah. Happy day,” Damian answered without emotion.
That made the half-kryptonian frown, they already had plans, Jon talked about the day a week in advance, trying to coax the other into his plans. Jon proposed going to the park, or a museum or gallery but he refused, claiming that all of those disgusting couples would be out exchanging spit, the smaller one claimed that the best would be a relaxed afternoon on the manor cinema room, with every kind of snacks at their disposition and only Alfred the cat and Titu’s company.
The plan was well received, Jonathan declared “It’s a date”, and then went to his house and took out all of his savings, and asked the only responsible adult disponible to take him to the mall, so he went with his aunt Kara to buy a box of Damian’s favorite chocolates and a Valentine’s card.
Now seeing the lack of excitement of the green eyed boy he was feeling a little insecure, it was their first anniversary, surely he wouldn’t forget about it. Right?
Just to feel sure he took out of his backpack his gift, he was saving it for when they were alone, but he had to see his boyfriend’s reaction.
“Here, your present,” he handed it to him.
“Uh… Thank you. Your gesture is well appreciated even if you didn’t have to.”
“Well… It is a special date.”
“In reality it is only the life and death of a person used by companies to convince obtuse couples to buy their garbage.”
“Ah…?” Jon was confused and a little heart broken.
“But since I know that it had value for you, here you go,” he extended him a small plastic box with a red bow glued to it.
“Is it…? Did you really?! But it comes out in a week. How did you do it?” Jon took the box with excitement.
“Wayne Enterprises sponsored the development of the game.”
“No way! Thank you thank you thank you!” with each thank you he kissed Damian’s cheek. “Let’s play it later, okay?”
“Of course,” he accepted while entering the classroom.
They took their respective chairs and when the teacher started the class Damian took the opportunity to open the envelope and read the card.
It was peach colored, with a bottle of honey with the shape of a bear stamped on it, and in the middle of it read “You are sweet!”.
Damian arched an eyebrow, that was not a word people would use to describe him, but being the dork his friend was he let it pass.
♥3♥
They were fifteenth when the both of them kissed in the lips for the first time.
The third year Damian was already waiting for a ridiculous Valentine’s card. He didn’t understand his friend’s fixation with that date, it was just a day like any other, but with a bunch of fools parading in the city with bouquets, chocolate boxes, balloons and teddy bears, like if that was enough to prove to the world that they are special, or something like that. Regardless, he still bought something for the younger boy, knowing that he appreciated those kinds of gestures.
That year they weren’t in the same class, which obviously bothered the half-kryptonian, and they wouldn’t see each other until lunch time.
He opened his school locker, took out his books and before closing it he noticed an envelope, there it was, his Valentine’s card of the year. Inside was a light pink card that read “I love u like no otter” and the little animal at the side.
Damian rolled his eyes at it, putting it inside once again.
At lunch break his friend didn’t make him wait, he was kissing his cheeks again and again as soon as he put a foot on the cafeteria. Even though he got accustomed to it since he started two years ago, every time “special” dates were near, the boy got extra clingy, he just thought that the other boy's public displays of affection attracted undesirable attention.
“We didn’t have time to plan anything for today,” Jon pouted. “Do you have something in mind?” He asked full of hope.
“Patrol at 8 o’clock.” He sentenced.
“What? But it’s Valentine’s Day, Damiiiii,” the taller one complained.
“Criminals don’t stop just because of a capitalist holiday.”
“Ugh… Okay. But we’re getting a meal from Batburger, and we’ll share a strawberry milkshake.”
“You know I can pay for two.”
“Yeah, but that wouldn’t be very festive.”
Damian sighed.
The night seemed slow, with only a small robbery perpetrated by amateurs, they stopped it easily. But then they saw a giant rose emerging from the center of the city, Poison Ivy without doubt. When they arrived at the scene Batman was already trapped by the ecoterrorist, steam of the mutant roses immobilizing him.
The woman was clearly pissed by the flower industry, the consequence adding to global warming and contaminating the soil and water with monoculture, chymic fertilizers and pesticides, she directed her anger at Gotham citizens.
Damian activated his gas mask instantly, knowing that there would be a lot of Ivy’s weird pollen in the air, Jon was confident in his kryptonian nature without knowing that it was one of the very few things capable of affecting Superman, soon he was clinging to Damian’s neck without letting him move and kissing him all over his face, even in the lips since he got the gas mask out of his way.
Red Robin was the one that saved the day, and at the end of the night Superboy was sitting on a stretcher with his face crimson red, a catheter on his arm providing him with an antidote. They took a while to give it to him, since they weren’t sure if it would have the correct effect on him, and also because they didn’t have many kryptonian proofed medical inputs.
“D… I… It was not my intention to push your boundaries…”
“I know, Jon. It was Ivy’s pollen mind controlling you.”
“So… Aren’t you angry?”
Damian scoffed. “Of course not. Now we know that you also need to carry a gas mask. I’ll design one for you.”
“Uh… Well… I never thought that my Valentine’s present would be a gas mask,” he jocked.
The green eyed teenager snorted and took out of his belt a small box, specifically a jewelry box. He opened it and inside was a green ring, made from imperial jade, similar to the one he watched on Damian a few months ago.
The color was almost the same tone of his boyfriend’s eyes, without that spark that made them so beautiful, but the shade of the ring was close to it. When he catched him eyeing it he explained to him that it was a relic from the Al-Ghul family. Jon could only say that it was beautiful.
Now, he took the ring out of the box, and while tunning his finger in inside of it he noticed that instead of the Al-Ghul family’s crest was the one from the house of El, engraving on the beautiful stone, hiding that detail from the eyes of anyone that dare to put their sight on it.
He watched as his friend went to the computer to continue with the analysis of the pollen’s effects on him, Jon said nothing and cradled to his chest the box that carried an unspoken promise inside of it.
♥4♥
They were sixteenth when Jon wanted to try a more romantic approach for the day.
He put the card accompanied with a flower on Damian’s balcony; it was a Saturday morning, he knew that the boy had a late night patrol, probably will wake up at noon.
Then he flew back to his house. His parents also had plans for the day, his dad showed him the silver bracelet that he bought for his mother. When he entered the apartment he saw his mother assessing her look in the mirror, she wore a red dress and a pair of high heels.
“You look good,” he told her from the door.
“Oh… thanks, love.” She took her hand bag and when she passed by the door kissed his cheek and stained it with lipstick. “Do you have everything you need?”
“Yes!”
“Good. Remember to call Ma if you need help with the recipe, and Kara if a fire starts.”
“Yeeees, moooom. You know I’m not that bad in the kitchen.”
“Of course, but accidents can happen. Have a good night, sweetie. And don’t start with inappropriate things.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he agreed while blushing.
He saw as his mother left by the main door, and once alone in the flat he went to the kitchen and took a moment to appreciate the grocery bags that sat on the counter. That could be challenging, but he would do the best to achieve the best vegetarian dish Damian would taste. He rolled up his sleeves and started with it.
Damian woke up around 1:00 p.m., stretching his limbs and yawning. He went to open the curtains so the sun would bask in his room and opened the balcony door so he could breath some fresh air, that’s when he noticed it, in the railing was left a flower. Confused, he went to inspect it. It could be a trap, something from the League of Assassins or a scheme from Poison Ivy.
He saw that under it was an envelope and with utmost care and suspicion he opened it, only to find a card. It was Blue, with the drawing of a whale and the legend “Let me be your WHALENTINE”, he opened it and saw an invitation to hang at the Kent’s apartment in the afternoon written in Jon’s horrible calligraphy.
He groaned, he totally forgot about the date and didn’t buy a gift for the boy. Damian went quickly to the bathroom without much time to prepare something for his frien.
He went at all speed to metropolis, stealing the batwing for efficiency and punctuality. He entered through the window to Jonathan’s room, carrying a few bags with food containers, snacks and cans of soda, all Jon’s favorites.
His friend entered in that instant, looking nervous, his button down wrinkled, his hair disheveled and with something like flour on it.
“Dames! You arrived early!”
“Only for five minutes. Come on, I’m hungry.” He raiders the bags and the blue eyed boy looked stunned.
“Right, just… give me a moment,” he went out of the room and using super speed cleaned the mess he did in the kitchen, none of his tries were successful, but his boyfriend got him covered with the food, so he throw away everything and took out the flowers and candles he saved to give it a romantic touch to the dinner, placing them in the coffee table. “All right. How much food did you buy?”
“Just a little.”
“D… This is a lot.”
Damian scoffed. “Of course not, your kryptonian stomach needs a lot of food now that you’re at the growing stage.”
They went to the living room and Wayne started to place all the food on the little table. The smells that reached Jon’s nose indicated that all of it was bought with him in mind, what made him feel touched, his boyfriend really thought of him at every moment.
They started eating, Jon happy with the meal, until he noticed that Damian had some sauce from the noodles at the corner of his mouth, and his mind went faraway. Remembering the incident of last year, their first kiss fogged by Ivy’s pollen, he barely remembered the taste of Damian’s plush lips, what made him desire to kiss him once again, they haven't done it since then, not sure if his boyfriend would welcome the gesture, but the cosy and romantic atmosphere made him act.
He let his desire draw him near the green eyed boy, when he was just inches about his face the tip of his tongue loomed between his lips and in a straight movement he liked the sauce out of Damian’s face, he felt the other shudder.
“Kent, what the heck?”
“Uh… You had some sauce on your face I just…”
“Decided to wipe it with your tongue like if you were Titus? Gross.”
“Hey! I don’t lick my ass like Titus does.”
Wayne snorted at that.
“That doesn’t make it better to use your spit to clean somebody’s face.”
“It was not somebody’s face. It was you´s, I wouldn’t make it for anyone else.”
“Lucky me,” he said with sarcasm.
“I wouldn’t mind your spit in my face,” he declared bluntly.
“You’re really weird.”
“I’m not. Perhaps the almighty Damian Wayne is afraid of a little bit of spit?”
“I’m not! It just has a lot of bacteria and germs.”
“Oh… Is that why you don’t like kissing?”
Damian huffed. “No, that’s because kissing is an unnecessary proof that people let their hormones control them.”
“Ah… I… Okay… I get it.” He stayed silent for a few minutes. “Then… what about other kinds of public displays of affection?”
“Uh… I don’t know. I suppose I’m okay with hugs, and kisses on cheeks.”
Well, he could keep things at that, even if he wanted more he wouldn’t pressure his boyfriend into it, his parents raised a gentleman, so he could behave like one, he would wait for the other to feel comfortable all the time he needed it.
“So, no mouth kissing.”
“I wouldn’t mind it with someone I trust.”
That declaration broke his heart a little, making him think that his boyfriend hadn't trusted him enough, but he was patient, he would wait and gain his trust.
He continued eating and saw a Pocky box. He quickly took it and opened it with stars in his eyes.
“Uh. You really are so eager about those.”
“Ah… I was just… I remembered this game, but uh… never mind.”
“Come on, just say it. What about them?”
“It´s a silly thing, just a game. You wouldn’t like to play it.”
“Why not? Or aren’t you telling me because you fear I’ll crush you at it?”
“What?! Absolutely nooo!! In any case, you would be the one losing.”
“There’s no way I’ll lose. Just say the rules!”
“If you insist… someone puts a pocky on his mouth, the other also will bite at the other end, they have to reach the middle of it without breaking it.”
“That 's all? Ha! I can do it without problem,” he took the candy and put it in Jon’s mouth and started eating from the other end, when they were face to face the taller broke the candy, stopping them from kissing. “How’s that you’re bad even at this?”
“I… I’m not bad, I just…”
“What? Lose on purpose? Come on, I’ll show you how to do it, loser.” Damian put another one on his mouth, this time they actually kissed.
Jon floated a few inches from the floor just by the brush of their lips.
“Don’t get excited just because you achieve it one time, put your feet on the floor, you need to be more careful, you eat it clumsily.”
They played again and again that night, Jon got lightheaded, and soon he discovered that no matter the date he could put a pocky on his face and Damian would be at the other end, ready to remark whatever gesture that he did badly.
♥5♥
The fifth time Jon have something big planned, he bought a bunch of roses, asked permission to Tim and Kon’s to use their Metropolis apartment for the day, since they have a jacuzzi, they acceded since they usually didn’t sleep there often, with Tim’s workaholicism maintaining him in Gotham almost all the time. He wanted to fill the room with rose petals and aromatic candles, hoping that would set the mood for the both of them and maybe go a little far than kissing. Yes, he have promised himself to wait for Damian to feel comfortable, but it wouldn’t do bad to try to set the mood, and if his boyfriend wouldn’t want to go there he will let it pass, stocking some bubbly apple juice and strawberries coated with chocolate in the fridge for them to eat in case they wouldn't get in the mood for sex.
Then all his plans went to the trash.
A day prior an alien invasion started, and all of them were called, Damian and him were with the Titans, helping to lead the civilians to a safe place in the evacuation of the city.
When everything ended it was already the fourteenth, near midnight. All of them were exhausted, Damian had been awake for more than 24 hours.
“D… I… I know this day was difficult and tiring… but before we went to rest I wanted to give you this,” he extended him an envelope, sealed with a bat shaped pink sticker.
The boy took it without doubt, and he noticed in his face the exact moment he noticed the date.
“Oh. Thank you. And sorry about your present. I can’t even remember where I put it. I’ll compensate you.”
“Don’t worry about it, D. I know it wasn’t your fault.”
“Right. Well, we should go to rest,” he got near him and deposited a kiss on the kryptonians cheek. “See you later.”
Jon’s feet stopped touching the ground, he caressed his cheek with the tips of his fingers, Damian was not the one that used to start physical affection, that kiss was the best San Valentine’s kiss he could dream of.
Meanwhile, Damian opened the envelope to find a card that consisted i6n the photo of the lower parts of a bat with the phrase “Nice bum” inside a heart.
He groaned, not understanding why his friend gave him that. He spent half of his time inside a cave full of bats, of course he knew what their lower body looked like, even if he was more familiar with the look of their head when they were hanging from the cave’s roof while sleeping.
He rolled his eyes and saved it with the rest, the bunch of them growing with each year.
♥+1♥
They were already eighteenth and Jon craved for a more physical connection, his hormones getting the best of him, sometimes touching himself in the night while thinking of his boyfriend.
He really needed to talk to him, be honest, communicate, and if Damian said no he would respect it and back off, finding comfort in his hand.
He flew directly to Wayne manor, knocking the door in an attempt to seem polite. Alfred opened it and gave him directions to Damian’s whereabouts. He found him in the library, he was sitting in a blanket in the center of it, classical music was playing from a speaker, baby Lizzie was sitting in front of him and both of them were surrounded by toys.
“D?” He called him, getting his attention for a few seconds.
“Jonathan, what are you doing here?”
“What? Did you forget the date?”
The green eyed young man shot a look at his smartwatch.
“Uh. Yeah, sorry. I actually forgot. Mrs. Prince attended a last hour peace treaty in another continent and I promised to take care of Elizabeth while she was at it.”
“And she couldn’t find a nanny?”
“You know that with her amazonian strength she couldn’t be left with a civilian nanny without disclosing Wonder Woman’s identity. Troy had too much work. Flor is in Río. Sandsmark in a mission with Just Us. And Grace out of reach, probably in Bana Mighdall. But Troy promised to come and get her at the end of the day, so I promise that we will have some fun for the night.”
“Okay… What are you doing, then?”
“I was playing with her in order to help with her sensory development and coordination.”
Jon huffed, of course Damian would take his nanny assignment so seriously. He sat with them in the blanket and watched his boyfriend playing with the two years old toddler, he was so full of care that he felt touched by the effort he put to be gentle with the little girl.
When the clock signaled eight o’clock Donna Troy appeared at the library entrance, ready to take Elizabeth with her. They said their goodbyes while helping her get Lizzie’s bags in her car. When they were far from the manor Damian took his hand and guided him to the kitchen.
“All right. What do you want for dinner?” He was searching for something on the cupboards.
“Anything is good. What matters is to have a great time together.”
“If you say so,” he took out a box of frozen waffles and started heating them while taking out of the fridge an ice cream jar.
Jon was starting to feel nervous, his resolution to talk out things with his boyfriend almost gone. He was lost in thought trying to find a way to approach the issue in a gentle way.
“What is it?” his boyfriend’s voice got him out of his stupor.
“Uh. Nothing.”
“You’re so bad at lying. Plus I really know when something is stuck inside that head of yours.”
“Ugh. Well, I was just thinking about um… Lizzie.”
“Lizzie? What with her?”
“More like her being a baby and… You were so good with her and… Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have babies.”
“Jon, we are eighteen.”
“I know, but I was thinking more about… the… making them part.”
“What?”
“Ugh… Here, maybe this will help you to understand better,” he took out the classic envelope with a card inside of it.
Damian took it out and watched a yellow train with a face on it, and a heart that said “PLEASE RAIL ME!”
Yes, Wayne was not someone so tuned with emotions, he often missed the clues from others regarding their emotions, but he was not dumb enough to miss a sexual innuendo.
“Jonathan… Who did you buy this for?”
“Uh. For you… Obviously.”
“Me?!”
“Yes, why would I buy it for someone else but my boyfriend?”
“Boyfriend?! Since when are you and I boyfriends?” Damian locked shocked, which scared the taller young man.
“Since six years ago.”
“What? What gave you the idea that we were dating all this time?”
“Uh? Well, I gave you the card and then asked if you wanted to give it a chance and you said yes and then you let me kiss you and hug you, and hold your hand all the time, that…. I thought that even if you didn’t address it out loud we were a thing… and then you gave me that ring and…ugh, I’m so stupid!” He covered his face with his hands.
“The card? You mean the kaiju one?” Jon groaned in assent. “Ugh. I can’t believe I haven’t noticed we were dating all this time,” Damian stated.
“We were not, you didn’t know what you agreed for.”
“Well, I wasn’t sure about it, but I also didn’t stop you from it.” He got nearer Jon. “And I can’t say that I wasn't enjoying what was happening.” He caged Jonathan in the kitchen aisle, leaning his arms at each side of Jonathan’s hips.
That made him get his hand out of his face, finding Damian’s face just an inch apart from his, watching his lip hungrily. He shortened the distance between them and soon they were kissing, not the chaste kisses that they usually shared while playing the pocky game, but full mouth kiss, with spit exchange, as Damian used to call it, and all of that.
Damian put some distance between them, gasping for air.
“So, are you telling me we could have been kissing like this if I would have been straight about it before?” Jon asked with an incredulity tone.
The other leaned in and kissed him briefly once more, nipping at his lower lip, giving him his answer.
“Rao… We were so dumb,” he declared with a breathless sigh.
“We were not, we only lacked communication,” Damian interfered. “But we’ll talk about it later, for now I’m going to kiss you,” he declared while rounding the taller’s hips with his arm and guiding him to his room.
They did more than kissing that night, they went so far that the next day the kryptonian’s healing powers weren’t enough to stop legs from trembling.