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Damian rummaged through his closet, pulling out a thin sweater, tossing it onto his bed, then starting his search for matching pants.
He wasn't completely sure what all Jon had planned for today. They had settled on a nice brunch at the very least, possibly a walk over to the mall afterward so Jon could look for some vinyl he had been wanting to add to his collection, and had yet to find during his hunt around Metropolis.
Either way, Damian could feel the excitement thrumming just under his skin.
He had seen Jon a few days ago, but that had been for a patrol that ended with them both soaked in sewage and very carefully trying not to gag while in front of the three hostages they had rescued. Even after a nearly hour-long shower, Damian still felt somewhat unclean.
But none of that mattered today.
With the pants in hand, Damian placed them beside his sweater on the bed, then reached for his phone.
Jon would be arriving within the next ten minutes, and Damian couldn't help the soft smile on his face.
Damian changed quickly, picking out a pair of shoes and setting them down by his balcony doors before heading into the bathroom.
Carefully, Damian scanned over his array of jewelry, settling on a set of simple diamond studs that Jon had once mentioned liking and a gold necklace to match. With a few sprays of his cologne, Damian was done, exiting the bathroom, collecting his phone, and slipping his shoes on.
As Damian stepped out onto the balcony, the chilly October wind cut through the air, tugging at his hair and clothes. For a brief moment, he considered retreating back inside to wait in the warmth.
Then, he felt the air shift around him, and a half-beat later, Jon was appearing before him, hair windswept as always, hoodie and jeans blowing in the following slipstream.
"Hey, Dames," Jon said, letting himself drop onto the balcony in front of Damian, with a soft smile on his face.
"Hey," Damian answered, taking a step closer, "How has your morning been?"
"Good, good." Jon answered, stepping forward to wrap an arm around Damian's back, pulling him into a brief hug before scooping Damian's legs up into a bridal carry, "Knew I was gonna see you, so I think that helped."
Damian smiled, wrapping an arm around Jon's neck, breathing in a deep breath of the alpha's scent, letting the cedar and ozone overtake his senses.
"The place on 14th, right?" Jon asked, pushing off the balcony and shooting the pair up into the sky.
"Mhm," Damian nodded, pressing his face closer to Jon to block the wind, eyes pressing closed, "the place with those crepes."
Jon didn't answer, but Damian could feel him pick up speed, and before long, they were dropping into an alleyway within Gotham.
For a moment, Damian remained still, arms still looped around Jon. After a quick breath, Jon was carefully setting Damian onto his feet and taking his hand in his.
The two walked through the alleyway quickly, avoiding the trash that littered the concrete, hoping the stench didn't stick to them. A minute later, Damian was dragging Jon out onto the sidewalk, integrating with the crowd immediately.
"Should be right up ahead," Jon said, eyes scanning the buildings around them before settling on the little cafe a few hundred feet up the road.
By the time they had entered and been seated at a table, Jon was holding his phone up, scrolling through various photos of vinyls he had pulled up.
"I don't understand how none of these were at the shops around Metropolis," Jon groaned out as Damian flipped through the menu, "I have high hopes for Gotham, though."
Damian smiled, closing his menu and pushing it slightly to the side.
"You could have sent those photos to me," Damian mused, "I'd have ordered them for you."
Jon grinned back, stacking his own menu atop Damian's.
"Half the fun is searching. Plus, what if we find an even better record while doing so?"
Damian shrugged, smiling at the waitress as she approached, responding to Jon before she was standing next to the table.
"I suppose."
The waitress took their orders quickly before disappearing back into the kitchen with a polite smile.
After she had gone, Jon leaned back in his chair, his legs stretching just enough for their legs to nearly tangle together, the closeness warm and familiar.
"You know, if I do find that Fleetwood Mac album, I think I'll frame it. Stick it up on my wall."
"I'm sure the shop will have frames there. You can pick one up today."
Jon nodded.
"I'll frame another album if I can't find that one. You can choose one that'll match my room."
Damian made a noise of confirmation, reaching over to grab one of the sugar packets Jon had been messing with, ripping it open and dumping it into his coffee.
Their food arrived not long after.
As Damian cut up his crepe, Jon continued talking, bouncing between his vinyl collection, accompanied by a rant about some collector online, and then to patrols that had been completed previously. Between bites of food, Damian and Jon spoke about the patrols and fights they'd recently taken part in, eventually circling back to the chase through Gotham's sewers.
"I didn't wanna say anything," Jon started, a wild smile on his face, "but my god you—we smelled so bad. I can't believe I kept a straight face."
Damian snorted, smiling over at Jon.
"I'm surprised the victims allowed us to help them; we were both filthy. I don't think I've felt truly clean since."
"Oh yeah, no, I think I may need to fly into the sun to get whatever disease I'm probably carrying off me."
Damian huffed out a laugh.
By the time they had finished eating, the lunch had started to trickle in. After handing over his card and dropping a hearty tip on the table, Damian was taking Jon's hand and leading him out of the cafe.
Jon had his phone pulled out, scrolling through whatever he had been looking through, and then sliding his phone into his pocket.
"So," Jon asked, glancing over at Damian, "mall first?"
Damian nodded, shuffling closer to Jon as they began the walk towards the mall.
Damian rifled through the vinyls in front of him, pausing when he caught Jon moving suddenly from the corner of his eye.
"Found it!"
Damian fully turned, watching as Jon pulled a vinyl out of the stack, oblivious to the various other customers who had glanced over at his outburst. Damian was not able to help the smile that tugged at his lips when Jon came bounding over, record held out for Damian's viewing.
"You act as though it is an ancient artifact," Damian said, carefully taking the vinyl in his hands to examine it.
"It is!" He argued, "I've been looking for this for two months, you know that."
Damian smiled wider, handing it back over to Jon.
"You could have had it months ago when you first brought it up; however, you were the one who prohibited me from finding and ordering it."
"Which I don't regret," Jon said happily, slinging an arm over Damian to begin guiding him towards the cash register, "How could I feel the rush of finding it if it's delivered to me in a box?"
Damian just shook his head, relaxing into Jon's hold.
After Jon had purchased his record, the pair exited the store, stepping back into the busy hallways.
Almost immediately, the crowd hit both of them.
Too many scents layered on top of one another. Perfumes and colognes, grease from the food court and personal scents that had slowly built up throughout the morning. None of it was exactly overwhelming, not with how regularly scents would build up in crowded places, but strong enough to have Damian instinctively edging closer to Jon.
Jon adjusted without a word, his arm tightening across Damian's shoulders, tugging him closer before leaning down to speak.
"Wanna get a pretzel?" Jon asked.
"Did we not eat an hour ago?" Damian teased, a happy lilt in his voice, "You can get a pretzel, I would rather have a cookie."
Jon gave a snort, "They have cinnamon sugar pretzels?"
"I'm fine with that, they have a glaze dip, right—"
Before Damian could finish, Jon stopped suddenly, a giant smile on his face. Jon pulled away from Damian, moving to stand in front of him and planting both hands on Damian's shoulders.
"No."
Damian raised a brow.
"No?"
"No." Jon nodded, "No pretzels. Dames, it's October."
Damian gave a hesitant nod, hands grasping Jon's forearms to guide the two of them out of the middle of the walkway.
"I'm aware it's October, beloved."
"Dames! We can go get a funnel cake, or fried Oreos, or something else! It's fair season, I know Smallville's county fair is going on, but we can go to any of them."
Damian's smile widened a fraction.
"I have only ever been to one fair, and it was years ago," Damian started slowly.
"Okay," Jon said, his lips pursed, "like an actual fair? Or a Gotham fair?"
"Is there a difference?"
"Yes!" Jon exclaimed, "A huge difference!"
Jon had his phone in hand before Damian could respond, unlocking it and then began rapidly typing.
"I mean an actual fair, not whatever Gotham built up in an empty parking lot. With lots of fried food, animals, bands, weird competitions, and games."
"I thought all fairs were in parking lots?" Damian asked, peering over Jon's arm to watch Jon scroll through various fairgrounds he had searched up.
"Lots are, but not like Gotham. They have actual fairgrounds that they set up in every year." Jon stepped closer, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Damian as he scrolled through search results.
"Look," he insisted, turning his phone so Damian could get a clear view of the screen, "There's a bunch. Some in Kansas, Illinois, here's a big one in Texas."
Damian leaned in automatically, eyes scanning over the page.
"Find one with a petting zoo," Damian said before he could stop himself.
Beside him, Jon's grin immediately widened, eyes lifting to meet Damian's with a knowing glint.
"You wanna go pet the goats with me?"
"And eat a funnel cake, yes."
Jon snorted, easily letting Damian intertwine their hands to lead them through the crowd and eventually out of the mall, ducking into the first alleyway that came into view.
When they got deeper into the alley, Jon stopped, glancing around before handing his phone over to Damian and depositing his shopping bag of records into Damian's arms.
"I'll take us back to my place, drop these records off, and then we'll go to this fair in Illinois, I saw. Then, I'll get you as much funnel cake as you want."
Damian took the phone and bag, making sure the records were in a tight hold, and then looking through the website Jon had landed on.
As Damian scrolled, Jon moved to scoop him back up into his arms. Damian shifted automatically, shutting the phone off and tucking the records close when Jon tapped his leg twice. A second later, they were shooting up into the sky, the cool air rushing around them as Damian squeezed his eyes shut against it.
After a quick stop at the Kents' apartment so Jon could drop the records off, the two were descending down near the fairgrounds, the sounds of the rides and music already drifting towards them with the wind. Jon set Damian down, clasping his hands in his own, and pulled him along, starting the trek to the front gate.
With their admission tickets bought and unlimited ride wristbands wrapped around their wrists, Damian took the lead, eyes scanning the various little buildings as he pulled Jon along through the crowd and along the fair paths.
All around them, Jon could smell the fried food and packed crowd while music, animal noises, and chattering fair-goers blended together overhead. Just a step ahead of him, Damian was maneuvering them through the people, stopping when they had arrived at a booth advertising funnel cakes.
Damian stepped into line, pulling Jon close to his side.
"After we eat this, we should go on rides."
Jon nodded. "And play some games. I bet we can win all of them."
"Yes," Damian agreed, smiling, "Richard and I were exceptional at darts at the fair in Gotham."
"I'm sure." Jon said, shuffling forward as the line moved up, "I bet if we got both of our families here, we could get every prize in this place."
Damian hummed in agreement, walking up to the window when the woman in front of him walked off. After he had ordered and received his funnel cake, Damian was once again leading Jon through the crowd, stopping once they were off to the side of a walking path, handing a plastic fork over to Jon.
Jon watched as Damian balanced the paper plate in his hands and then began cutting into the cake with a fork.
"Have some," Damian said, moving the plate closer to Jon, "I cannot finish it all."
Jon smiled immediately.
While Damian took his first bite, humming approvingly as he did, Jon cut into the cake as well, bringing his own forkful to his mouth. The second the funnel cake hit his tongue, Jon closed his eyes and groaned happily.
"God, I always forget how good funnel cake is until I'm eating it."
"They only have it at fairs?" Damian asked, looking up from the cake, already cutting his third bite.
"I've never seen it anywhere else but fairs or carnivals. But I'm sure there's a recipe out there."
Damian nodded thoughtfully before bringing another bite up to his mouth.
Jon's gaze fell onto the powdered sugar that had dusted across Damian's cheek.
For a second, Jon just stared.
Hair messy from the multiple flights and the breeze that hadn't ceased, Damian had pushed his sweater sleeves up to his elbows, and his gold necklace was catching the low-sitting sun every time he moved. Now, all of that, paired with the powdered sugar and Damian's face of delight every time he ate another bite, had Jon pausing, a warm weight settling in his chest.
"Dames, you've got something right—" Jon started, reaching forward before Damian could react,
Damian went still, eyes snapping over to watch Jon's hand right as Jon carefully wiped away the sugar.
"—there."
Damian blinked at Jon for a moment, then a smile spread across his face.
"Thank you."
Jon grinned back.
"Anytime."
By the time Damian was tossing the plate and forks in the trash, Jon had taken only one other bite. The rest Damian had eaten on his own, turning away when Jon had reached for more.
Now, Jon had an arm wrapped around Damian as they weaved through the fairgrounds and the thickening evening crowd, eyes catching on the blinking lights adorning each ride that had been set up. Beside him, Damian was scanning each ride, face nearly blank other than the small quirk of his lips.
As they turned the corner, Jon's eyes caught the swing ride spinning a few hundred feet up, already knowing where they'd be heading first. As expected, when Damian noticed it, his face lit up, and he began to tug Jon toward the swing ride.
Once the ride lurched into motion, their swings steadily lifting as it gained speed, Jon looked over the fairgrounds. The sun had nearly disappeared, and the lights of the fair were slowly taking over the darkening sky.
Jon glanced over at Damian, whose eyes were also locked on the fair below them, a grin on his face. The wind was rushing relentlessly around them, tossing Damian's bangs wildly around his face and further tangling his messy hair.
"You know, I kinda figured we'd end up here," Jon said breathlessly, talking louder so as to be heard over the wind.
"Why?" Damian asked, smile widening, his attention falling onto Jon.
Jon shrugged, shifting just a bit closer to Damian.
"You spend how many nights a week flying through the air in Gotham? Figures you'd like the rides that take you up this high."
Damian let out a puff of laughter.
"It's much nicer without someone shooting at me."
Jon grinned, leaning against the metal chair.
"I'd bet."
The second their feet were back on the ground, Jon was grasping Damian's hand, dragging him towards the coaster Jon had noticed while they were still in the air. Damian had immediately pointed out that the entire ride was perched on top of cinder blocks, though Jon had just laughed.
"If it fails," Jon said, his hand on Damian's back to guide him forward in line, "I'll just catch you before anything happens. Oh, and as many others as I can."
Damian had just rolled his eyes, scoffing good-naturedly.
The Fireball had ended up faster than Jon had expected, though no less fun.
By the first loop, Jon was whooping in excitement, laughing as the fair lights blurred all around him, the sounds of other riders screaming out. Damian had a wild smile on his face, hands gripping the restraints hard enough for his knuckles to turn white.
Cold wind tore around them as the ride rushed through another loop, Jon's laughter only growing louder when Damian's excited shouting joined his.
When they stepped off, Jon couldn't help but laugh as others staggered off, wrapping an arm around a smug-looking Damian and pressing a quick kiss into his hair, still feeling the adrenaline coursing through him.
While the Fireball hadn't phased Damian, the Gravitron had nearly killed him.
Jon had barely gotten Damian off the ride, practically carrying him as he stumbled off, with an almost green tint to his face.
Carefully, Jon guided Damian to a bench, making sure Damian was fully seated before stepping away to buy a water bottle and then returning to Damian's side. Damian was hunched over, his head in his hands, and he was breathing deeply. Jon sat down, a small smile on his face as he pressed the water bottle into Damian's neck, chuckling when he flinched from the cold and then snatched it from his hands.
"You know, I saw this other ride when I was grabbing the water," Jon said slowly, a laugh on the tip of his tongue.
"No." Damian breathed out, cracking open the water bottle and taking a sip, "No more rides. None that spin."
"Aw man, I thought maybe that second spinning one that's open air would be fun!" Jon teased.
"No," Damian said flatly, sipping at his water once more.
"Petting zoo?" Jon asked, watching as Damian straightened out slowly, capping his water.
Damian nodded once, holding his hand out for Jon to take. Once Jon had pulled Damian to his feet, they began towards the make-shift petting zoo.
By the time both Jon and Damian were carrying small cups of feed, Damian's face had returned to its normal shade, no longer pale.
The petting zoo was nothing huge, a group of pens holding various animals underneath a pavilion with a larger pen filled with patrons and animals alike. Jon followed Damian around, smiling softly as Damian walked through the area. He stopped at each pen, holding out handfuls of feed to whatever animal had wandered up to the gate.
While Damian stroked a cow that was eating out of Jon's hand, Jon nudged Damian's shoulder.
"You think Batcow will get jealous?"
Jon laughed at Damian's side-eye.
"Of course not," Damian said, a tiny frown on his face.
After they had gone around the entire circle and fed each animal, Jon was opening the gate to the center pen, stepping aside so Damian could enter and then following him in.
The pen was filled with goats milling about, and small groups gathered around other people in hopes of food. The second, a couple of goats noticed Jon and Damian, they were bounding over, bleating softly, mouths already reaching for their cups. Jon crouched, letting a goat devour the rest of the feed, petting its neck, and then standing up, glancing over at Damian.
He was crouched down, rubbing down a baby goat's back while holding food out for it.
Jon stopped moving, shifting as another goat pressed against his knee. Jon didn't react; instead, his attention was still focused on Damian.
Damian had one knee on the ground, his empty feed cup shoved into his pocket. The baby goat stood with its front hooves braced on its thigh, leaning into the steady motion of its hand as it scratched under its chin.
For a moment, Jon just watched.
The sound of the fair felt far away here, almost muted. Almost like it belonged to a different place entirely.
Damian shifted slightly, carefully gathering the goat into his arms. It settled against his chest without protest, small and warm and entirely unbothered by the world around it.
Jon reached for his phone, but didn’t actually open it right away.
He just stood there for a second too long.
“…Hey,” he said, quieter than he meant to. “Dames—look over here for a second.”
Damian glanced up.
Then he fully stood, the goat still tucked against his chest.
Jon opened the camera and immediately forgot what he was doing with it.
But Jon didn’t lower his phone; instead, he stared at it for a beat.
Damian, framed in the screen, looked softer than Jon knew how to describe in any language that made sense in his head. The artificial overhead lights caught in his hair in uneven streaks. His expression was softened and calm, no longer guarded with a frown.
Open in a way Jon wasn’t used to seeing anywhere else.
Jon looked over his phone, watching Damian in real-time. After a beat, Damian was looking over in his direction, raising an eyebrow.
Jon grinned too fast, swallowing once, looking back down at his phone, and finally taking the photo.
When they left the petting zoo, Damian was trying to get the hair out of his sweater, the sun had fully dipped below the horizon, and the fairground was now only lit up by the bright, colorful lights that seemed present on every ride or building. As they walked, Jon kept Damian's hand in his, squeezing it every once in a while and smiling in satisfaction when it was squeezed back.
Eventually, Jon was pointing ahead.
"There. Let's go on that one."
Across the way, lit up by blinking lights was the Ferris wheel, lazily spinning in place in the night sky as patrons flowed in and out of the cabins.
Damian smiled, nodding, tightening his hold on Jon, and then once again guiding them through the crowd.
The two got in line, talking quietly among themselves, only pausing when they were being led to their cabin. Carefully, Jon stepped in, sitting down and scooting over so Damian had room to sit next to him. The attendant clipped the small chain in place, and before long, Jon and Damian were once again rising into the sky.
Damian grabbed Jon's arm gently, lifting it enough for him to slip under, leaning into Jon's side. Jon tightened his arm around Damian, letting his head drop on top of Damian's, eyes following a ride that was spinning down below.
The noise of the fair was somewhat muffled, the music and laughing meshing together into a constant stream of background noise. Jon pressed just a bit closer, letting Damian's butterscotch scent fill his nostrils, sweeter than any of the treats they had shared throughout the day.
For a while, neither of them spoke, lulled into silence by the swaying of the cabin.
After a moment longer of watching the fairgrounds, following the movement of rides and flashes of lights, Jon lifted his head, gazing down at Damian.
Damian was not looking at the view. Instead, those brilliant green eyes were focused solely on Jon.
Neither of them spoke nor broke eye contact, not even when the Ferris wheel slowed to a stop, the cabin rocking gently at the top.
Jon exhaled, lips quirking up.
"…Hi." He breathed out.
Damian's expression shifted, his own matching smile appearing, and his eyes softening imperceptibly.
"Hello."
Jon leaned in first, heart already racing. When he felt Damian move as well, meeting him eagerly halfway, his heart rate quickened once more. Damian's lips were just slightly chapped, and Jon could taste the remnants of cotton candy that had been previously bought. Jon rested a hand on Damian's waist and another on the back of Damian's neck.
Damian was moving as well, sliding closer, one arm coming up to wrap around Jon's neck and his other hand cupping Jon's cheek, pulling him closer.
Jon pressed just a bit closer before pulling away, eyes opening to meet Damian's. Around them, the cabin began moving once more. Jon smiled, pressing a quick, chaste kiss to Damian's lips before leaning back slowly, adjusting so Damian could reclaim his spot under Jon's arm, head resting back on Jon's shoulder.
"I'd like to do this again," Damian whispered quietly.
"Of course," Jon murmured, squeezing Damian briefly, "anytime."