Archive of Our Own

“How’s that for a reaction time, Robin?”

Jon smiled down at Damian from where he floated above the alleyway. If he was a little smug about it, then so what? It wasn’t often he got to not only disprove one of Damian’s recent critiques of his fighting capabilities, but to throw Damian’s own words back in his face as well.

Damian, meanwhile, didn’t look nearly as amused. “You knocked out a criminal, good for you.”

“Hey!” Jon protested. “I knocked the gun out of his hand with my heat vision first. The gun he was pointing at you, by the way. You could at least say thank you.”

Damian just rolled his eyes and walked over to the now-unconscious mugger. He kicked the gun away from the man and picked it up, tucking it into his utility belt.

“It’s not like he could’ve actually shot me.”

“Not like… Damian, he absolutely could’ve shot you!”

“I would’ve dodged it.” Damian insisted.

“Dodged a bullet.” Jon repeated, incredulous. “Remind me again, which one of us has super speed?”

“Powers aren’t everything.” Damian huffed. “In fact…”

Damian continued to rant about the skills he had gained without any use of powers. However, Jon’s attention drifted elsewhere. Almost like it was in slow-motion, he saw the moment the mugger opened his eyes, he saw him shift quietly on to his front, and he saw him pull some sort of weapon out his jacket.
Jon also saw the moment the man pointed that weapon at Damian’s back.

In a blur of speed, Jon flew down and grabbed Damian around the waist. He spun them so that Jon’s back was now facing the mugger, putting himself between that weapon and Damian.

The mugger still fired the weapon. He was already halfway through with the action by the time Jon got to the ground. It was another type of gun, Jon could hear the sound of the trigger being pulled.

Only this gun didn’t seem to shoot bullets. A blast of heat hit Jon straight in the back and it hurt. He let out a cry of pain, tightening his hold on Damian as if that would help anything.

“Superboy.” Damian gasped out, then, more urgently- “Superboy? Superboy, answer me!”

Jon wasn’t sure what Damian wanted him to say, he wasn’t sure he could respond even if he did know. His entire body felt like it was on fire. For a brief second, he wondered if he was dying. He hoped he wasn’t, but if he was, dying in Damian Wayne’s arms wasn’t a bad way to go.

As the world faded away, the only thing Jon was aware of was how terrified Damian looked behind his mask.

…

Jon opened his eyes blearily, slowly coming back to himself. He tried to take in his surroundings, but everything was still blurry. Weirdly, he was still standing. He thought for sure he had passed out.

He tried to call for Damian, to make sure he was alright. Only the words didn’t come out right, they were more of an unintelligible jumble.

Jon stumbled forward, only to immediately feel hands shoving him backwards. He smacked into something solid behind him, whoever had pushed him having done so with enough strength for it to actually hurt.
Alarm bells started blaring in Jon’s head. He shouldn’t have been able to just get shoved around like that. He blinked away the blurriness, more alert now, and found-

And found his own face staring back at him.

What. The. Heck.

For a moment, Jon thought maybe he was seeing things, but no. That was definitely his face. The only difference was that his hair was a little longer, unruly curls falling into his eyes. The man even wore the same Superboy suit as Jon, although his was black and white rather than the traditional red, blue, and yellow.

Jon pushed away his momentary shock and tried to rush forward. However, he was immediately stopped by the other him. The other Jon rammed him into the wall once more, putting his forearm against Jon’s throat this time and pressing down with enough force to make it difficult to breathe.

Jon’s heart hammered in his chest. He tried to kick, to hit, to claw at the arm threatening to cut off his air. Unfortunately, none of it seemed to even register to the other Jon. He just scowled at Jon.

“Who are you?” The other Jon shouted. “Where did you come from?”

“He can’t answer you if he can’t breathe, beloved.” A voice said from behind the other Jon.

No, wait, not a voice- Damian’s voice. Jon breathed out a sigh of relief. He focused in on his heartbeat, just to be sure, and it rang true as well.

Damian was here. Damian was here too, so everything would be fine-

Except, wait a minute, he had just called this other version of Jon ‘beloved’.

Realization dawned on Jon like a kryptonite blade. This wasn’t his Damian.

The other Jon backed up, allowing Jon to see his surroundings. They were in a spacious room, on the other end of which was a literal throne. A throne that Damian was currently sitting on. Not only that, but he was wearing League of Assassins garb. The same type that Jon had seen Ra’s al Ghul wear the few times he’d met the man, but these had obviously been altered to be more in-line with Damian’s style.

The other Jon lifted off the ground and flew towards Damian. He seated himself on his lap, swinging his legs over the armrest of the throne. Damian didn’t even blink, which was shocking considering that Jon was sure he’d get attacked with a kryptonite batarang if he ever tried that with his own Damian.

Okay, so clearly Jon hadn’t misheard earlier. Damian had, in fact, called this other Jon ‘beloved’. They were- they were together. Jon felt weirdly jealous at the thought of it. Why did this Jon get to be with Damian in this way when he didn’t?

“You are not from this universe, are you?” Damian asked, bright green eyes burning a hole in Jon’s head. Now that Jon was paying more attention, he noticed that his voice wasn’t quite the same, this Damian had a heavier accent.

An alternate universe. That… that actually made sense, Jon should’ve figured it out sooner.

“You’re the Demon’s Head.” Jon stated absentmindedly, instead of answering the question.

Damian smirked. “What an astute observation. And you are Jon-El, son of Kal-El.”

The other Jon- or Alternate Jon, he supposed was more accurate- took in a sharp breath at the question. His eyes flashed red for a moment. Damian, seemingly having noticed that something was wrong, leaned over and whispered something in Alternate Jon’s ear.

Under normal circumstances, Jon wouldn’t use his super hearing to eavesdrop like this. Except that these circumstances were decidedly not normal, and Jon would like to have a little bit of a heads-up if he was about to be attacked.

“Everything is fine, my love, it is just a question.” Damian’s voice was so soft, so gentle. “Saying your father’s name will not summon him.”

Oh Rao, this place was so weird. Jon just wanted to go home.

“I’m Jonathan Kent, son of Clark Kent. Jon-El is my Kryptonian name.”

Maybe Jon should’ve been a little more careful about spilling both his and his father’s secret identities to people in an alternate universe. His Damian would be having a cow if he were here right now, but, oh well, he wasn’t here. Besides, based on how, um… close this version of Jon and Damian seemed to be, Jon was sure that Alternate Damian already knew his secret identity. Even if Alternate Jon hadn’t told him for whatever reason, Damian always seemed to know everything, no matter the universe.

Damian shot him a curious look. “Interesting. You align yourself more with your human side than your alien one.”

He tapped Alternate Jon’s arm lightly, and he floated off of Damian’s lap. Damian stood up and walked over to Jon, eyes studying him like he was some sort of rare creature.

“Tell me, why are you here?”

“Uh, I’m not really sure, actually.” Jon admitted. “I got hit with a… with a…”

Jon trailed off, becoming distracted by the sight in front of him. Alternate Jon was floating behind Damian, his arms looped around Damian’s shoulders as he nipped at his neck. Jon’s throat was suddenly very dry.

In the back of his mind, he was aware that most people would be bothered by the PDA for a different reason. However, he couldn’t really blame Alternate Jon. After all, if him and his own Damian were together, Jon was sure he’d never get off of him.

“With a what?” Damian asked, seemingly unfazed by the fact that he was being used like a chew toy. “Spit it out already.”

“It was some sort of blast.” Jon explained lamely. “Everything went dark, and when I opened my eyes, I was here.”

“Was the blast of magical origins or scientific ones?”

“I- uh, I don’t know. I’m not sure. I could guess, but that probably wouldn’t be helpful.”

“He’s funny.” Alternate Jon stopped his onslaught on Damian’s neck to start giggling. “Can we keep him, Dami? Please, please, please!”

Jon tensed up at the thought of being imprisoned in an alternate universe again. The possibility of having to fight his way out was suddenly becoming a very real one, and Jon didn’t love those odds. Not against a deranged version of himself and a morally compromised Damian who had the entire League of Assassins at his command.

“No, he’s not a pet.” Damian snapped, thankfully.

“Come on, think about how fun it would be to have two of me around.”

Alternate Damian glared at his Jon, but there was far too much affection in his gaze for it to be convincing. “One of you is already more than enough.”

“You’re no fun.”

Damian sighed. “Jon, do you recall what happened the last time someone tried to take you away from me?”

Jon pouted, looking very much like a child who’d just been denied dessert. “You killed them.”

“Precisely. So, what do you think his version of me will do if we try to keep him here?”

Part of Jon wanted to argue in his Damian’s defense, to explain that he wasn’t a killer- unlike these psychopaths. However, a small voice in the back of his head that sounded suspiciously like Damian hissed at him to keep his mouth shut.

Their perception of me is stopping them from hurting you. Damian’s voice continued in his mind. If you inform them that I do not kill, there will be nothing holding them back from causing you harm.

They were suddenly interrupted by shouting come from the hallway. There was the metallic clanking sound of swords hitting against one another, and Jon didn’t need super hearing to realize that it was some sort of dispute.

“Go deal with that, would you?” Damian asked his Jon.

“Do I get a kiss for good luck?”

Damian rolled his eyes, but he still leaned forward and pecked Alternate Jon on the lips. Alternate Jon, however, didn’t seem too happy with the chasteness. He grabbed Damian roughly by the jaw and smashed their mouths together.

Jon’s cheeks burned at the sight of himself kissing Damian. He should’ve looked away, he really should’ve, but he just couldn’t do it.

He knew logically, that this was a version of him and Damian from another universe, that it didn’t mean anything for him and his Damian. Yet, he had to wonder if his Damian would react the same way if Jon kissed him. Would he make the same noises against Jon’s mouth? Would he pull on Jon’s hair the way Alternate Damian was doing to his Jon right now? Would let Jon touch him and manhandle him and-

Jon forced himself to cut off his own thoughts. He was getting too excited and that couldn’t lead to anything good. He needed to focus on getting home, not on the fact that Alternate Jon currently had his tongue halfway down Alternate Damian’s throat.

After what felt like ages, Alternate Jon finally let go of Damian and flew off to see what was happening in the hallway. Jon let out a sigh of relief, he wasn’t sure how much longer he could’ve watched that without starting to think some very inappropriate things about his own Damian.

Damian cleared his throat. “Sorry about that, he is easily… excitable.”

Jon was about to respond, but was distracted by the sudden lack of noise from the hallway. It occurred to him that he hadn’t considered exactly what Damian had meant when he’d told Jon to ‘deal’ with whatever was happening out there.

“Did he just kill the people who were fighting out there?” Jon couldn’t stop the question from falling out of his mouth.

“He better not have, it is quite hard to find good assassins these days.”

“That isn’t something to joke about.”

Damian crossed his arms over his chest. “Oh, relax, he won’t kill anyone. Not unless they deserve it, but I doubt that’s the case here. It’s likely just some of our newer trainees getting into a scuffle.”

That still didn’t explain why Jon couldn’t hear them anymore. Maybe they’d gone somewhere lead-lined? Jon wouldn’t put it past Damian to have some precautions like that. However, before he could ask, Damian was speaking again.

“I’m guessing, based on your reactions since you’ve been here, that things are different in your universe.”

Jon wondered, briefly, if there would be any merits to lying about it. This Damian might not take kindly to finding out that Jon was a superhero, considering the organization he was in charge of. On the other hand, any version of Damian definitely wouldn’t take kindly to someone lying to him. If he found out Jon had tried to deceive him, he could kiss any chance of help goodbye.

“Where I come from, you and I are heroes.”

Damian got a pinched look on his face, like he’d just eaten something sour. “Yes, well, this world was ridden of its heroes a long time ago. The Justice Lords made sure of that.”

No, no, that couldn’t be right. A world where all the heroes were just… gone?

“The heroes, they’re all- they’re all dead?” Jon had to clarify.

Damian shrugged. “Or lobotomized.”

Oh Rao, that was what they did to heroes here? On second thought, maybe he should’ve risked lying to Damian.

“Even Superman and Batman?”

Damian let out a bitter laugh. “Let me guess, in your world, Superman and Batman are heroes as well?”

Jon’s stomach sank. “They aren’t like that here, are they?”

“No, they founded the Justice Lords.” Damian explained, his features morphing into a scowl. “They are the worst of them all. One wrong word and they’ll have you killed.”

“Jeez.”

“Listen, I can tell that you do not agree with what we do here, but you do not understand what it is like to live this existence.” Damian said, using the same tone that Jon’s Damian used when he lectured him “This world has been devastated by the Justice Lords, they are completely depraved. At least Jon and I have standards, both for ourselves and our people.”

“Standards? For killing?” Jon shook his head. Sure, he knew some killers had a code, but most of them didn’t go around trying to convince other people that they weren’t as bad as other villains because of it.

Then again, in a world without heroes, maybe this was as close as they could get.

“Yes. I know it may be difficult for you to believe, considering the world you come from, but we are not completely without morals just because we kill.” Damian explained. “We do not kill innocent people, we do not harm children or anyone else who cannot defend themselves, and we do not allow any kind of sexual violence. We are nothing like the Justice Lords.”

Jon couldn’t hide his shock. “The Justice Lea- Lords, they do that stuff? Superman does that stuff?”

“Superman is completely despicable.” Damian practically spat. “He abused my Jon. He beat him, tortured him, used him. He let other people do it as well.”

Jon felt completely nauseous now. His dad would never put his hands on him, Jon couldn’t even picture it. The best he could equate it to was his time with Ultraman. He shuddered, thinking of a world where he was brought up on Earth-3, raised as Ultraman’s son.

“That’s horrible.”

Damian nodded, his face softening slightly. “I can’t protect the people of this world, it is too late for them, but I can protect him, and I plan to do so until my dying breath. If killing is required in order to do that, then that is what I will do. I do not care about your judgements, or about how things are in your universe, this is how things are here.”

Despite everything, Jon’s heart warmed at the sentiment. This Damian wasn’t a bad person, he was just trying to protect Alternate Jon. His methods weren’t ones that Jon could necessarily condone, but Damian was right, he didn’t understand this world. He hadn’t lived in it, hadn’t experienced its horrors, he really didn’t know anything.

“Your version of me would do the same for you.” Damian suddenly said, a little quieter now.

“What? No- no, that- that isn’t, he isn’t-”

“Yes, he would.” Damian insisted, as if he knew better, because there wasn’t any version of Damian that could just let things go.

“How do you know?” Jon asked before he could think better of it.

Damian gave him a small smile. “Because I know myself, and I know that there is not any version of me, in any universe, who does not love his version of you.”

Jon opened his mouth to give some kind of response (even though he honestly didn’t know what to say to that), when a blinding pain shot through him. He gasped and fell to his knees, curling in on himself. He could vaguely hear Damian shouting something, but he couldn’t be sure.

Jon wanted to speak, wanted to ask for help or beg for the pain to stop. Unfortunately, all he could do was sit there as the world faded to black once more.

…

Jon awoke to the sight of the stars.

They were far above him, partially obscured by clouds and light pollution. However, Jon’s half-alien eyes still caught them. They shone so bright, almost glittering, and Jon swore he could almost reach out and touch-

“Oh Rao.”

Jon looked away from the stars, finally noticing two people standing over him. Two men, more accurately. One was wearing a red, blue, and yellow suit with a black and red mask covering his entire face and the back of his head. The only part of him that was visible was his dark, curly hair.

The man standing next to him, meanwhile, was… Batman. Seriously, he was wearing the typical Batman uniform, except with a few modifications and a sword strapped to his hip.

Jon quickly scrambled backwards and shot up to his feet. He had no idea as to where he was (other than ‘random rooftop’), or who these people were. With his luck, he may very well still be in the same universe and this could be the evil version of Batman that the other Damian had been talking about.

“It’s okay.” The man in the red, blue, and yellow suit said, holding up his hands in front of him. “We’re not going to hurt you.”

“Don’t tell him that.” Batman hissed, and that- that was definitely Damian’s voice.

Jon listened closely to his heartbeat, just to be sure, and it matched as well. Alright then, so he was in a second alternate universe where Damian was Batman. He supposed it was better than Damian being the Demon’s Head.

“Seriously, D?”

“Yes, seriously!” Batman-Damian threw his hands in the air as if the other man were being completely unreasonable. “We don’t know him, or what he wants. He could very well be here to cause our world harm.”

“I don’t want to hurt anyone.” Jon interjected. “I just want to go home.”

“And how do we know you’re not lying?”

“He isn’t.” The man in the red, blue, and yellow costume said. “C’mon D, he’s me, you can trust him.”

Wait, what? ‘He’s me’? Okay, so this was this universe’s version of Jon. Alternate Jon #2. This wasn’t at all getting weirder by the second.

“No, I can trust you.” Damian retorted. “He is clearly from another universe, and I have no idea what you are like there. Besides, you should be the last one talking about trusting alternate universe versions of people you care about.”

“You’re me?” Jon asked, needing to clarify. Needing to know that he wasn’t going completely insane.

Alternate Jon #2 sighed and pulled off his mask. Sure enough, that was Jon’s face. He was at least a decade older than Jon, though, probably in his mid-thirties.

“Wow, so you’re really-”

“Dads, can I come out yet?” A little voice cut Jon off, yelling from behind the chimney of the rooftop they were on.

Dads? As in plural? As in whoever was back there was calling both Alternate Jon #2 and Damian ‘dad’? Did that mean…

Before anyone could answer, a little boy came running out from behind the chimney. He was wearing Damian’s old Robin costume. He couldn’t have been older than twelve, with fluffy, messy black hair.

The kid skidded to a stop in front of Jon, staring up at him with huge, masked eyes. Damian reached out and yanked him back, putting himself between the boy and Jon.

“Baba,” The kid pulled on Damian’s suit, trying to get his attention. “Why does that man look like Dad?”

Baba? Dad? This was too much to take in. Jon felt like his brain was overloading.

He heard a shout, and, all of a sudden, the ground was coming up to meet him.

…

This time, Jon awoke to the quiet sounds of a ceiling fan whirring and the soft noise of a T.V. playing.

Jon sat up slowly, his head pounded. He was sitting on the couch in Wayne Manor’s main living room, Alternate Jon #2 was on the other end. He immediately noticed that Jon was awake and turned off the TV, flashing him a small smile.

“How’re you feeling?”

“Alright, I guess.” Jon replied.

Maybe he should be more wary of these people, he knew Damian would be if he were here, but he just wasn’t. Nothing about them screamed ‘danger’ to him. They were probably fine. If they weren’t, Jon would’ve woken up in kryptonite handcuffs.

“Good, good.” Alternate Jon #2 nodded. “Damian will be back in a minute, he’s just putting Alfie to bed.”

“Alfie?” Jon vaguely remembered the little boy from the rooftop. “That’s your…”

“Son, mine and Damian’s.”

“Oh.”

Jon didn’t really know what else to say to that. A million questions swarmed his mind, and he must’ve looked confused because Alternate Jon #2 started laughing.

“Don’t worry, he was adopted.” Alternate Jon #2 clarified through his laughter. “No weird cloning or alien impregnation things going on here.”

Jon hated that the cloning thing had actually crossed his mind. He blamed it on Damian’s family and their weird cloning attempts. Okay, well, technically Kon was the result of a weird cloning attempt too, but Jon didn’t want to think about that right now.

“So you two, you’re really…”

Jon trailed off, not quite sure how to ask this question. Of course this Jon and Damian were together- they literally had a kid- but something in him still needed more confirmation.

Alternate Jon #2 seemed to know what he’d been trying to ask anyway- which, honestly, just made sense considering he was another version of Jon. He held up his left hand, showing Jon a thin gold band on his ring finger. It was- it was a wedding ring.

This version of Damian and Jon were married?

Rao, Jon could barely breathe. It was one thing to know that some weird, slightly-psychopathic versions of himself and Damian were together, but to see this was different. Jon #2 and his Damian were older, and married, and had a kid. They had a relationship that had lasted, long term.

Jon wanted that. He wanted it so badly that it hurt. He wanted a life with Damian, not just friendship.

Apparently, his feelings were written on his face, because Alternate Jon #2 frowned at him. “Sorry, did I say something wrong?”

“No.” Jon shook his head. “It’s just a lot to take in.”

“Yeah, it is. You’re handling it better than I probably would’ve at your age.” Jon #2 gave him a sympathetic smile. “Rao, I had the biggest crush on Damian back then. I don’t know what I would’ve done seeing all… this.”

“So you and your Damian weren’t together yet when you were my age?”

“No, we weren’t.” Damian suddenly interjected from the doorway to the living room. “Someone decided to wait until I was on death’s door to tell me how he felt.”

Jon #2 pouted. “That’s not fair, you didn’t tell me how you felt either.”

“Yes,” Damian raised an eyebrow, walking over and perching himself on the arm of the couch next to Jon #2. “Because I didn’t think there was a chance you felt the same.”

Jon #2 shot him a disbelieving look, although he still reached over to wrap his arm around Damian’s waist. “Oh please, the son of The World’s Greatest Detective didn’t notice that my eyes practically turned into cartoon hearts every time I looked at him?”

Damian rolled his eyes, and turned his attention to Jon, but there was a faint blush on his cheeks. “The point is, don’t do what he did.”

“Believe me, I won’t.” Jon sighed, trying very hard not to become jealous over the domesticity before him. “There actually isn’t a chance that my Damian feels the same way.”

Damian frowned. “Why do you say that?”

Jon just shrugged. “‘Cause it’s the truth. He’s…”

Jon trailed off, not sure how to explain without sounding completely self-deprecating. The thing was, Damian was amazing. He was incredibly brave and strong and smart. Not to mention he was handsome and rich to boot. He could have anyone he wanted, so why would he choose Jon?

“He’s never exactly given me any signs that he liked me back.” Jon finished lamely, as if Damian was someone who would ever be obvious about romantic feelings towards someone.

“Really? That’s your reason?” Damian narrowed his eyes in the same way that Jon’s own Damian did whenever he was about to call Jon’s bluff. “Is your version of me some anomaly who isn’t completely emotionally repressed?”

“Uh, well, um-”

Jon was luckily saved from stammering like an idiot by Jon #2 giving Damian a warning look. “Are you trying to stress the kid out?”

“It’s a valid question.”

Jon #2 sighed, but pressed a kiss to Damian’s cheek anyway. “It’s a good thing I love you, because you are such a pain in my ass sometimes.”

“You should be so lucky.” Damian muttered, before turning his attention back towards Jon. “Emotions have never been my strong suit, I imagine that is the case for any version of me that had a similar upbringing. If you want something from your version of me, you’re going to have to be the one to initiate it.”

Jon hung his head miserably. He had imagined confessing his feelings to Damian many times, it never ended well in his head. He was sure it wouldn’t in real life either.

“He’d just reject me.” Jon said.

Damian shook his head. “He won’t.”

“How can you be so sure?” Jon asked. “Things could be entirely different in my universe.”

Damian just gave him a knowing smile. “Trust me on this.”

As much as Jon did trust Damian, this was different. This wasn’t even the Damian he knew. He wanted to argue that this Damian didn’t know what he was talking about, even though he was sure he’d only get a withering glare in return.

Unfortunately, when Jon opened his mouth to speak, the only thing that came out was a cry of pain as that same burning sensation coursed through him once more. This time, he didn’t even have enough wherewithal to hear anything around him. All he knew was darkness as the world around him faded away.

…

Okay, Jon was getting pretty sick of all the universe traveling.

He opened his eyes, and was immediately met with the business end of a baseball bat. Damian was on the other side of it. Around the same age as Jon this time, and in civvies.

Jon frowned at the baseball bat- it wasn’t exactly Damian’s weapon of choice. Then again, he was clearly Damian Wayne right now, not Robin. A baseball bat was something that most people had around their house and could easily defend themselves with. Katanas on the other hand? Not so much.

Actually, speaking of houses, this wasn’t Wayne manor. It was an apartment, that much was clear, but it wasn’t Damian’s apartment. At least, it wasn’t the apartment that Damian had in Jon’s world.

“D, chill.” Another voice said. Jon looked past Damian, and saw yet another version of himself standing behind Damian.

“Chill?” Damian repeated, incredulous. “A strange man with your face appears out of thin air in the middle of our apartment and you want me to ‘chill’?”

“You can’t just beat people up with baseball bats.” Alternate Jon #3 hissed. “You’re going to get arrested.”

“He broke in, it’s self-defense.”

“There aren’t any broken windows or locks, the cops around here will never believe that. They already don’t like you.”

“Self-defense.” Damian insisted, stubbornly.

“Babe, seriously, I’m not bailing you out of jail again.”

Damian turned fully around to face Alternate Jon #3. “Do you not understand what self-defense means?”

Damian had let his grip on the baseball bats loosen. Weird, considering that Jon had argued with his own Damian during missions many times, and had never once seen him take his eye off the threat while doing so. Let alone lower his weapon.

Still, Jon knew an opportunity when he saw one. Any Damian with a weapon, thinking someone was trying to hurt him, was not a good combination. Even if the baseball bat couldn’t hurt Jon, it would be much harder to explain why he was here while being whacked with it. So, with a burst of super speed, he grabbed the baseball out of Damian’s hands.

Damian turned back towards him, shock painted on his face. He took a step back, and Jon didn’t fail to notice how he still made sure he was in front of Alternate Jon #3. Damian’s heart was racing, which was strange. It wasn’t like Jon was any real threat, he was sure that Damian had plenty of kryptonite weapons hidden around here.

Jon threw the baseball bat off to the side, making it clear he didn’t plan to use it on anyone, and held his hands out. “I’m not going to hurt anyone, I just need to get back home.”

“So leave.” Damian said.

“I’d love to. If you guys could just take me to the Bat Cave or the nearest magic user, I’ll be out of your way.”

Damian and Alternate Jon #3 both just stared at him with confusion written on their faces. As if Jon had said something completely ridiculous.

“Babe,” Alternate Jon #3 leaned towards Damian. He was whispering, but Jon could still hear him clear as day. “I think he’s on drugs. Maybe we should call the cops.”

“I’m not on drugs!”

“Did you say magic?” Damian asked, ignoring the whole drug conversation.

Alternate Jon #3 scoffed. “Don’t tell me that you, Mr. Skeptical, are actually entertaining this?”

“You and I both saw him appear out of nothing.” Damian pointed out. “How else do you explain that?”

Okay, Jon was officially lost. Why were they acting like they’d never heard of magic before? Even if they were trying to maintain their secret identities, magic was known to be real as much as superheroes were.

Unless, of course, those things didn’t exist in this universe.

Jon did a quick scan of the apartment with his x-ray and telescopic vision. There were sketchbooks and art supplies in nearly every room, photos of Damian and Jon as well as their friends and families, and assortments of knick-knacks that Jon was sure belonged to this version of himself.

What there wasn’t, was any evidence that this Damian and Jon were superheroes. No weapons hidden in convenient locations, no sun lamps, and, most notably, no superhero suits. There wasn’t even any area of the apartment that was lead-lined to prevent someone with Jon’s abilities from seeing what was hidden there.

This version of Jon and Damian were just normal people.

Okay, different tactic then. Jon cleared his throat. “Listen, this is going to sound crazy, but I’m you from an alternate universe. I don’t want to hurt anyone, I just want to go home.”

“Me? From an alternate universe?” Alternate Jon #3 quirked an eyebrow at Damian, as if asking him for confirmation.

Damian tilted his head slightly. “There is scientific evidence that alternate universes exist, theoretically.”

“So, we believe him?”

“I can’t exactly think of another explanation for everything that’s just happened.” Damian decided. “Plus, he has your face. So unless you have a twin brother you never mentioned…”

Alternate Jon #3 didn’t look convinced. “I still think he’s on drugs.”

Jon threw his arms in the air. “I’m not on drugs! They don’t even work on me!”

“Drugs don’t work on you?”

“In my universe, I’m a superhero.” Jon explained. “I have superpowers, which make me invulnerable to most things.”

“A superhero?” Damian raised his eyebrow. “Like from a comic book?”

“Woah.” Alternate Jon #3 said, his eyes lighting up. “That’s so cool!”

“It’s impossible.”

“You believe in alternate universes and magic, but not superheroes?”

“Tt.” Damian responded. Jon couldn’t help but smile, at least Damian’s mannerisms were consistent.

Jon #3 threw an arm around his Damian’s shoulders. “C’mon babe, I told you, I’m literally Spiderman.”

“Does that look like Spiderman’s costume to you?”

Alternate Jon #3 gave Jon a pleading look. Unfortunately, Jon couldn’t help him much. “Sorry, not sure who Spiderman is, I’m Superboy.”

Damian and Jon #3 both just stared at him blankly. Alright, well, that was more than a little awkward.

“You know, son of Superman.”

Damian and Jon #3 exchanged a look with each other. It made Jon miss his own Damian desperately. He wondered what he was doing right now, hopefully something that involved figuring out how to get Jon home.

Finally, Damian broke the silence with a sigh. “I’m going to go call out of my shift, then we will deal with… this.”

Damian walked into the other room- the bedroom, Jon noticed. He also noticed that it was the only one in the apartment, although he didn’t let himself dwell on that thought for too long.

“So… Superboy, huh?” Jon #3 said.

“Yeah, probably should get around to changing it sometime. I’m not much of a boy anymore.”

“What about Damian?” Jon #2 asked. “What’s he like in your universe.”

“He’s amazing.” Jon smiled, completely aware that he probably looked like a lovesick fool. “He’s a superhero too, a great one. He doesn’t have any powers like I do, but he still always tries to help people anyway, even when most other people probably wouldn’t.”

“Sounds a lot like my Damian.” Jon #3 shook his head, but he was smiling. “Hey, what’s his superhero name.”

“Robin.”

Jon perked up a little. “That’s what his older brother calls him.”

“Huh?”

“My Damian,” Jon #3 clarified. “His oldest brother, Dick, calls him Robin. Apparently it’s a nickname that Dick’s biological parents used to call him when he was a kid, and now Dick uses it for Damian.”

Jon couldn’t help but smile at the similarities between their worlds. He wondered, briefly, how it would feel to live in this universe. To be human- to be normal. To have his biggest problems be making a deadline for work or figuring out how to pay rent.

He wondered if this version of himself had experienced the same traumas that Jon had. If he also felt constant pressure to fill his father’s shoes, just in a different way. If there was some version of Ultraman in this world, some disturbed human who’d hurt Jon #3.

The thought of Ultraman made Jon wince. He’d been trying not to think of him, but the whole ‘trapped in a series of alternate dimensions’ thing was starting to bring up bad memories.

“You alright, man?” Jon #3 moved forward and clapped Jon on the shoulder.

Jon just nodded, forcing the bad thoughts away before they sent him spiraling into a panic attack. “I’m fine. Is Damian coming back soon?”

Even though Jon knew it wasn’t his Damian, this Damian was similar enough. He wasn’t obviously older or wearing any weird League of Assassins attire, he just looked like Jon’s Damian normally did when he was out of uniform. Jon knew that the sight of him would calm him down just like it did with his own Damian. He knew that as long as Damian was around, he was safe.

“Maybe.” Jon #3 said, now eyeing Jon warily. “Depends on if his supervisor is in a good mood today or not. The guy can be a real pill sometimes.”

“Where does he work?” Jon asked. Talking about Damian wasn’t the same as talking to him, but it would have to do. At the very least, it was a good distraction.

Jon #3 smiled proudly. “At a hospital, he’s a doctor.”

That made sense, Jon could easily picture it. He was smart enough, after all. More importantly, though, it was a job where he could help people. As much as Damian pretended to be callous, Jon knew that there was a soft exterior under there.

Jon wondered what his own Damian would think of it. If he would crave the normalcy he never got to experience, or if it would feel too unnatural to even consider.

“What about you?” Jon had to ask. “What do you do?”

“Journalist.” Jon #3 replied. Jon’s thoughts must’ve been showing on his face, because Jon #3 quirked an eyebrow at him. “Is that a bad thing in your world or something? Don’t tell me all journalists are supervillains.”

“No, no, my parents are actually journalists.” Jon clarified. “You and I just live very different lives.”

“Yeah, I guess we do.” Jon #3 shrugged. “I’d like to try your life for a day.”

Jon laughed. “I’d like to try yours. It must be nice, not having to worry about the planet being destroyed once a week. I bet you don’t have to worry about Damian too much either.”

Jon didn’t think he’d said anything too outlandish, however, Jon #3 just stared at him like he was insane. “Are you kidding? Damian works night shift in an E.R. in the shittiest part of Gotham. I worry about him all the time.”

“Really?”

Maybe Jon’s perspective was a bit skewed, but he just couldn’t imagine that working as a doctor warranted such anxiety. He had seen his own Damian beaten to hell and back by supervillains, metas, aliens, and even his own family a few times. Some whiny patients paled in comparison to that.

“Of course. A lot of his patients are crazy- they get violent with him, aggressive, inappropriate.” Jon #3 explained, quickly making Jon reconsider his original thoughts on the matter. “You know Damian, though, he’ll always be the first one to jump in and help, even at his own expense.”

“Yeah, I do know.” Jon agreed. “It drives me crazy sometimes.”

“Me too.”

“Why don’t you ask him to quit? Or at least find a nicer hospital to work at?” Jon suggested.

Jon #3 scoffed. “Would your Damian listen to you if you tried that?”

Jon actually did consider it, and quickly realized what a stupid question it had been. Asking his Damian to quit being a superhero because Jon was worried about his safety would surely end in a nothing less than a screaming match. He imagined it would be much of the same for the Damian from this universe.

“I’d probably get yelled at.”

“Exactly.” Jon #3 said. “Besides, that’s what makes Damian, Damian- always insisting on doing the right thing, on trying to help people even when others wouldn’t. It wouldn’t feel like him if he were working at some safe, cozy little family practice.”

Jon had to agree, he couldn’t imagine his Damian living some stable, average life either. Damian just cared too much sometimes, there would always be some scenario where he was putting another’s life above his own.

“You really love him.” Jon observed, mostly absent-mindedly. After all, it was obvious.

“More than anything.” Jon #3 grinned like he was the luckiest man in the universe. To Jon, he was- what could be luckier than getting to live a life with Damian Wayne?

This time, when the pain hit, it wasn’t a surprise. Jon had been waiting for it, and was almost glad to feel it. Maybe it could drown out the utter agony Jon felt, knowing that this was a life he would never have.

…

By the (what was this one?) fourth (?), fifth (?) time around, Jon was no longer naive enough to think that hearing Damian’s heartbeat meant he was actually there. Not the version of him Jon wished was there, anyway.

Still, he wanted Damian. He wanted to go home. So, he didn’t have much choice when the name slipped from his mouth.

“Damian?”

“Excuse me?” A decidedly female voice spat back at him. “Who’s Damian? Your accomplice?”

Huh. That’s weird. Jon could’ve sworn that Damian’s heartbeat was coming from the same direction as the voice. Maybe all this dimension-hopping was messing with his powers.

Jon forced himself to open his eyes, no point delaying the inevitable. He was on the ground, and there was a girl standing over him, holding a sword to his neck.

“Who are you?” The girl demanded, pushing the sword more firmly into his skin. Not enough to break it, had Jon been fully human, just to apply a bit of pressure.

“Ease up, T.” Another female voice said from somewhere in the background. “He might be hurt.”

“Or, he might be tricking us into thinking he is hurt so that we let our guards down.”

Jon couldn’t help but chuckle at that, it sounded so much like something Damian would say. Actually, everything the girl, T, had said so far was exactly what Damian would say in this situation.

An idea started to form in Jon’s head. The language, the sword, the heartbeat. Jon brought his focus past the sword to actually look at T. She had tanned skin, dark brown hair that was pulled into two buns on top of her head, and, most importantly, she was wearing a modified version of Damian’s first Robin uniform.

Wow, Girl Damian. That… that was a new one.

“Back up a second, Robin. Clearly he’s not going anywhere.” The second female voice said, this time leaning over Jon so that she was in view as well.

She was pale, with some freckles on her cheeks. She had short, curly black hair with a red ribbon tied around it and purple eyes. Jon’s gaze traveled down to her clothes- sneakers, ripped leggings, and a romper with…

With the House of El crest on it.

So, Girl Jon too then. He expected to feel shocked, but this actually could’ve been a lot weirder. At least this version of him wasn’t deranged. Well, she didn’t seem deranged, anyway.

“I won’t ask again, who are you?”

“I think,” Jon said, pointing a shaky finger at the girl version of himself. “That I’m you.”

“What the hell does that mean?” T scowled down at Jon.

“I’m her.” Jon repeated. “Just from another universe.”

T stood there silently, her sword never once wavering. Jon could see the gears turning in her head- trying to figure out the truth, wondering if she should believe Jon, coming up with some sort of strategy- just like he could with his Damian. Girl Jon, meanwhile, just tilted her head at him curiously.

“I’ll be right back.” T finally said, turning to Girl Jon. “Watch him.”

T wandered off, but was back a moment later with some sort of rectangular device. She knelt down and held it up next to Jon’s face. After a good two minutes, the thing beeped and T finally took it away, reading something on the screen.

“He is from another universe.” T announced as she stood back up. “His molecules vibrate at a different frequency than ours.”

“So, are we done attacking him, then?” Girl Jon asked with a raised eyebrow.

“For now.”

Girl Jon rolled her eyes and held out a hand, which Jon gratefully accepted. She hauled him up like he weighed nothing. Which, if she had the same powers as him, he probably didn’t to her.

Jon took a second to look at his surroundings. He was in the Bat Cave, that much was clear. It actually looked pretty much the same as in his universe. He relaxed a little at the sight of something familiar.

“I’m Laurel.” Girl Jon, or Laurel, introduced herself.

“Jon.”

“Really?” T hissed. “Do secret identities mean nothing to either of you?”

“That’s Talia.” Laurel said, and Jon didn’t miss her little smile at the furious look on Talia’s face.

Laurel opened her mouth to say something, but then shut it. She stared at Jon for a long moment, almost studying him.

“Oh, hey,” Laurel giggled. “I’m kinda cute as a guy.”

Talia sighed. “Really? That’s what you’re focusing on?”

Laurel flew over to Talia and wrapped her arms around her, pulling her into a tight hug. Talia pushed at her a little, but she clearly wasn’t making any real effort to escape.

Laurel pressed a kiss to Talia’s cheek. “Come on, babe, I’m sure you make the cutest guy.”

Babe? Jon sighed mentally- yet another version of himself and Damian that were dating. What was he doing so wrong that him and his Damian weren’t?

“Why do you care what you or I would look like as men?” Talia asked. “You aren’t even attracted to them.”

“No, I’m not.” Laurel agreed. “But I’m attracted to you, and I know that you’re beautiful in every universe.”

Talia blushed a deep red color. She pulled her arms out of Laurel’s embrace and cupped the other girls face in her hands. She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her lips.

“As are you, beloved.”

Jon cleared his throat, to remind them that he was still there. Laurel and Talia separated, both of them blushing now.

“Alright.” Talia said with a firm nod. “I suppose we should get this sorted. Laurel, would you go check on where my mother is? Wouldn’t want her interfering.”

“Okie dokie.” Laurel gave Talia a quick peck and flew off.

“The Cave is armed against x-ray vision and super hearing.” Talia explained. “Laurel will have to get a good distance away for it to stop affecting her powers, but she will be back.”

“Oh, um, yeah.” Jon replied. “Same thing in my universe, at least with the x-ray vision. How’d you get around the super hearing though?”

“None of your business.”

“Alright, should’ve expected that.” Jon muttered.

Talia whipped her head around and stared at him. For a second, Jon thought he was going to get a slap for his comment. Instead, though, Talia just continued to look at him, her gaze burning with intensity.

“Tell this Damian of yours that you love him.”

“What?” Jon choked out. “No- I- I don’t. He and I aren’t-”

“Don’t lie.” Talia cut him off with a sharp, clipped tone. “I heard it in your voice when you said his name.”

Well, there was no use denying it then, Jon supposed. He just hoped his own Damian wasn’t quite as perceptive as this one when it came to Jon’s feelings.

“Rao, I’m pathetic, aren’t I?”

Talia nodded. “Yes, but I’m sure your Damian finds that quite endearing.”

“How do you know?”

Talia’s features softened, the slightest of smiles gracing her face. “Because I find everything about Laurel endearing, even things I typically despise in other people.”

Jon just shook his head. “I’m not sure that Damian would feel the same.”

“Well you’ll never know if you don’t try, now will you?

Jon was about to argue that he did know- that he had literal super senses and he was sure he would’ve picked up on something if Damian liked him back. However, something stopped him. As improbable as it seemed, maybe the fact that multiple different versions of Damian had told him to go for it should be a sign.

Was it possible? Did Jon actually have a chance with Damian? Or was he just letting his hopes get the best of him?

Jon wished he had more time to ponder it. Of course, the universe (universes?) didn’t want to give him that chance. In a second flat, Jon felt that same pain coursing through him yet again.

The darkness wasn’t a surprise. By now, he knew what would happen next.

…

This first thing Jon noticed about this universe was that it was empty.

Literally- most of the population was seemingly just… gone. It was quiet, unnaturally so. Another time, the quiet might have relaxed Jon. Here, it was just unnerving.

There was a man sitting a few feet in front of him, on top of the grassy hill Jon had appeared on. After doing this so many times, Jon didn’t have to question who this man was.

Jon walked over and sat down next to the fifth alternate version of himself. The man barely glanced at Jon. He certainly didn’t react with any of the same shock or confusion that the other alternates had, just quiet acceptance.

“You don’t seem surprised to see me.” Jon said, although it was more of a question.

Alternate Jon #5 shrugged. “After what I’ve seen, not much affects me. Different universe, I’m guessing?”

“Yeah, I’ve been trying to get home. Haven’t had much luck.”

“What’s waiting for you at home?”

“Huh?”

“Sorry, weird question.” Jon #5 shook his head. “It’s just… there’s not much left for me in this world. If I was taken from it, I wouldn’t be rushing to get back.”

“I’m sorry.” Jon said quietly, thinking about how many people he’d have to lose to not want to go back to his own world. Even then, he wasn’t sure he could ever completely abandon his home.

“Don’t be. It’s nice to know that there’s a version of myself out there who doesn’t have to experience this misery.”

Jon nodded, staring around at the grassy fields below them. It should’ve been beautiful, but something felt rotten. As if this world was decaying from the inside out.

“It’s so quiet here.” Jon remarked. “My world is always so loud, all the time. It’s overwhelming.”

A pained look flashed across Jon #5’s face. “Everything’s quieter without him.”

“Him?”

Jon #5 just pulled his knees up to his chest and mumbled out a response, almost bitterly. “Be glad you don’t know what it’s like to live without his heartbeat.”

All at once, it hit Jon. The world wasn’t quiet simply because it was less populated, but because there was one major sound missing. A sound that had been a constant in the background of Jon’s life since he was ten-

Damian’s heartbeat.

A wave of nausea hit Jon full force. He hated the idea of living without Damian, of existing in a world where he was gone. It made his skin crawl.

“Damian’s dead?” Jon whispered, afraid to speak the words too loudly.

“He saved the entire world.” Jon #5 said into his knees. “Maybe it’s a little selfish, but sometimes I wish he hadn’t.”

Jon stared at his alternate for a moment, a bit shocked not only by the confession, but by how much he resonated with it. As bad as it sounded, he understood. The world was nothing without Damian.

In that moment, Jon wanted terribly to see his Damian. To hug him, to kiss him, to hear his steady heartbeat. He needed confirmation that this horrible world was not his own- that his own Damian would not be taken from him.

“It’s okay if you’re freaked out, I would be too.” Jon #5 murmured. Jon hadn’t noticed before, but now he saw that Jon #5 couldn’t have been older than seventeen or eighteen.

“It’s hard to think about.” Jon admitted. “Damian’s always felt like this immovable force.”

There must’ve been something in the way Jon said it, or maybe it was the look in his eyes. Either way, Jon #5 lifted his head up and focused his full attention on Jon.

“Your Damian, do you love him?”

Jon immediately felt the blood rush to his face. How could he answer a question like that? He and Damian weren’t even actually together.

Jon just laughed nervously, hoping Jon #5 would be satisfied with a half-truth. “Of course, he’s my best friend.”

“No,” Jon #5 shook his head. “Do you love him?”

The terrifying, heartbreaking truth of the matter was that he did. He loved the gentle voice Damian used when he spoke to his animals, he loved how he stuck his tongue out a little bit when he was concentrating very hard on a drawing, he loved how smart, and strong, and brave, and caring he was. He loved every single thing that made him, him.

It wasn’t something he’d ever been able to admit to Damian. It wasn’t something he’d even been able to admit to the other alternate versions of himself. However, here, in this painfully quiet world, maybe he finally could.

“Yes.”

Jon #5 sighed deeply, turning his gaze towards the sky. “Then tell him. Don’t make the same mistakes I did.”

Jon reeled back like he’d been punched, that now familiar wave of pain hitting him once more. Except, this time, it wasn’t just physical pain he was feeling.

As Jon moved on from this universe, he caught a glimpse of the sky. There were a cluster of stars up there that were shaped like a bat.

…

When Jon opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Damian.

As much as Jon wanted to feel relief at the sight of him, he couldn’t. Not immediately, anyway. He didn’t know what type of universe he’d landed in this time. It didn’t matter that this Damian looked identical to version Jon knew, or that the Bat Cave looked the same either. Plenty of things had appeared to be the same in the other universes, only to not be in the end.

Besides, and probably most importantly, this Damian was pointing a gun at him.

Jon took a step back, readying himself to fight, when he suddenly halted. That gun in Damian’s hands didn’t look like a normal gun. No, it looked like the gun that had been used to send Jon tumbling through all those alternate dimensions in the first place. It was
that very same gun, Jon realized with a shock, as he noticed the wisps of smoke curling from the barrel. This…

This was Jon’s dimension.

“Damian?” Jon said dumbly, a bit in shock that he’d actually made it home.

“Really?” Damian scowled at him. “I’ve been trying to figure out how to get you back for nearly thirty-eight hours, and that’s all you have to say?”

Yep, this was his Damian alright.

Jon laughed and ran at Damian, pulling him into a tight hug. Damian yelped and swatted at Jon, but he wasn’t truly trying to get away. Besides, Jon could feel the way his muscles untensed slightly, could hear him breathing more evenly.

“I knew you’d bring me home.” Jon whispered into Damian’s hair.

Damian sighed, leaning into Jon more than he normally allowed himself to. “I’m never letting anyone take you away from me again.”

…

“It was insane, Dami.” Jon laughed, trying to lick his ice cream between words before it completely melted. “There was even one universe where superheroes were completely fictional. You and I were just two normal dudes.”

Damian wrinkled his nose. “Normal?”

“Yeah, completely normal. Although, it didn’t seem to make a huge difference. Our personalities were still pretty much the same.”

“Were they now?”

“Yeah, you came at me with a baseball bat.”

Damian rolled his eyes. “Well, there is no universe where I would be stupid enough to just stand there staring at some strange man who appeared out of nowhere, waiting to get attacked.”

Jon just beamed at him, not caring about Damian’s attitude in the slightest, as long as it was his Damian’s attitude he was dealing with. Honestly, Jon couldn’t think of anywhere he’d rather be right now than on some Gotham rooftop, eating ice cream with Damian after a successful patrol.

It had barely been a day since Jon had been back, and he found himself constantly grateful for things he used to take for granted about his universe. Mainly things involving Damian. Which was why he had shown up at Damian’s apartment earlier and insisted on going on patrol with him, despite Damian’s protests that Jon should be resting. Technically, Jon had argued, he had rested for a full five hours and had even had time for a shower before coming over. That was more than enough rest for a Kryptonian, and certainly more than Damian usually got.

Damian hadn’t been thrilled with that answer, but had eventually relented. Apparently, dimension traveling could take quite a toll. Damian had learned a lot about the subject during the many hours he’d spent trying to reverse-engineer that gun and interrogating anyone he could find who’d had a hand in making it. Damian had spent most of patrol informing Jon of all he had found out through his research, and Jon had been more than happy to listen.

“What about the fifth universe?” Damian asked, pulling Jon out of his thoughts.

“Huh?”

“In order to get you back here, I first had to figure out what universe you were in.” Damian explained slowly. He wasn’t eating his ice cream anymore, having put it down on the ground beside him instead. “While I was tracking you, you traveled to five different universes, but you’ve only told me about four of them.”

Damian was right, he had only talked about the first four universes. He had told Damian about the world where Batman and Superman were evil, the one where they were just normal civilians, the universe where Damian was Batman and Jon was Tomorrow Man (although he’d left the whole marriage and Alfie thing out of that one), and even the world where they were girls. The only one he hadn’t talked about was the universe where…

Jon took a deep breath, putting his ice cream down as well. He suddenly wasn’t hungry for it anymore. “In the fifth universe, I was alone. That universe’s version of me was alone. You… you were dead.”

“Oh.”

“The me in that universe said you died a hero, saving people. Saving the whole world, actually.”

Damian smiled a little at that. “Not the worst way to be remembered.”

“Not at all.”

Jon studied Damian for a moment, he didn’t even look upset at the idea of another universe where he was dead. Then again, death was, unfortunately, an old friend to Damian.

Jon, on the other hand, felt chills run down his spine as thoughts of that terribly quiet universe creeped back into his mind. Although his Damian was still here and very much alive, he couldn’t stop thinking about a world where he wasn’t- a world where Jon never got to tell him how he truly felt.

The scariest part was that it was completely possible. It wasn’t something Jon enjoyed thinking about, but he knew what the likelihood of death was in their line of work. Especially with how reckless Damian could be with his own life.

Don’t make the same mistakes I did.

As terrifying as admitting his feelings seemed, the prospect of being without Damian was a million times worse.

“Damian.”

Damian turned more towards him. He used to his x-ray vision to peer past Damian’s mask, into his eyes. They were as green as kryptonite, and so beautiful that it made Jon struggle to catch his breath. Everything about Damian was beautiful- his tanned skin, his sharp cheekbones, his toned muscles- but his eyes were easily Jon’s favorite.

Slowly, Jon reached his hand out and rested it against Damian’s cheek. Damian’s eyes widened slightly, and Jon could hear his heartbeat pick up as well.

“Damian.” Jon said again, more a whisper this time.

He leaned forward, softly pressing his lips against Damian’s. He heard Damian gasp, felt him stiffen slightly. Then, all at once, Damian was kissing him back. Not only that, but he was kissing him back hard. He tasted sweet, like the strawberry ice cream he’d just been eating.

Damian scrambled on to Jon’s lap. Instinctively, Jon pulled him closer, his hands on the small of Damian’s back. Truthfully, they were awfully close to the edge of the roof for it to be safe to be doing this, but Jon couldn’t quite bring himself to care.

Damian pushed himself into Jon more firmly and it sent sparks up Jon’s spine. He needed Damian, he needed him so badly. His hands wandered to Damian’s waist, then down to his hips, and then even further down to his ass.

“Damian.” Jon practically whined, detaching his mouth from Damian’s for a moment to kiss and bite at his neck instead. “You’re so pretty, so beautiful.”

Damian grabbed a fistful of Jon’s hair and pulled Jon away from his neck. He leaned forward and kissed him again, biting down on Jon’s lip with enough force to have made it bleed had Jon been fully human. Maybe they’d have to try this with a red sun lamp next time, because Jon found that he really liked the idea of Damian being able to break his skin.

Jon desperately wanted to touch Damian- to touch his skin. The Robin suit was pretty tight, and had built-in armor, so Jon couldn’t exactly stick his hands under Damian’s shirt or pants. The logical choice was, obviously, to just start taking Damian’s clothes off. He groped around a little bit until he found the waistband of Damian’s pants, and began pushing them down. Unfortunately, he was stopped almost immediately by a hand on his wrist.

Damian pulled away slightly, his mouth downturned into a slight scowl. “We are not doing that on a dirty rooftop where anyone could see us.”

“Anyone? Really?” Jon laughed. “How many people go swinging around on rooftops?”

“My entire family.”

Shit, Jon had kind of forgotten about that. A visual of all the Bats showing up on this rooftop suddenly hit him. In it, they all looked absolutely murderous at the sight of what Jon was doing to the baby of their family. He was certain that that scenario would end with a crate of kryptonite being dumped over his head.

“Okay, yeah, maybe we should go someplace more, um, private.”

Damian just smirked. “You know where my apartment is.

Jon’s brain short-circuited at the thought of continuing this in Damian’s apartment. In Damian’s bed. “Your apartment. We can have sex if we go to your apartment?”

“Shower, then sex.” Damian dragged a finger down Jon’s chest. “Do you know how unsanitary the Gotham alleyways we’ve been running around in all night are?”

Jon completely ignored Damian’s question, he assumed it was rhetorical anyway. He was much more interested in the idea of showering. More specifically, showering and Damian put together.

“Do I get to shower with you?”

“If you’re good.”

Jon nodded enthusiastically. “Oh, I can be good. I can be so so so good, I promise. Please, Dami?”

“Lead the way, Superboy.”

…

Listening to Damian’s heartbeat had always been Jon’s favorite pastime.

Jon had decided that this was, undoubtedly, the best way to do it- laying on top of Damian, with his head resting against his bare chest. Like this, Damian’s heartbeat completely drowned out any other noise. It was the only sound he could hear, and the only one he wanted to hear.

This was the best thing to ever happen to Jon, and he never wanted it to stop. He wanted everything with Damian- sharing a bed, and cooking together, and getting into stupid arguments about the dishes. He’d take it all, and he needed Damian to understand that. To understand that Jon’s love for Damian was so strong, it existed in every universe.

“Dames,” Jon whispered. “Can I tell you something?”

Damian hummed in response. He had one hand in Jon’s hair, gently running through his curls.

“When I was in those other universes,” Jon continued. “The versions of us that I met, they were… they were together. Like, together-together.”

“Yes, I am aware of what ‘together’ means.”

“You don’t seem surprised.”

Damian shrugged. “I can’t imagine a world where I do not love you.”

Jon sat up so quickly that he got a bit dizzy. Or maybe it was just hearing Damian say those words that made him feel that way. Them hooking up was already enough to make Jon feel lightheaded, but Damian saying he loved him? Rao, Jon could now die a happy man.

“You love me?”

“Of course.” Damian laughed, sitting up as well. “You’re my best friend.”

Jon’s heart swelled so much he thought it might explode. He practically tackled Damian back down on to the bed. He kissed his cheeks, and his mouth, and his jaw, and his neck, and anywhere else he could reach.

“I love you, Damian.” Jon whispered in between kisses. “I love you, I love you, I love you. I love everything about you.”

“Everything, huh? I’m going to remember you said that.”

They were suddenly interrupted by the sound of Damian’s phone chiming. He detangled himself from Jon, then sat back up and moved over to the edge of the bed to grab his phone off the nightstand.

Jon pouted a little at the loss of contact, but he understood it. Superheroes couldn’t exactly silence their phones. Besides, Damian didn’t necessarily have to be laying down for Jon to touch him. Jon crawled over to the edge of the bed as well and placed himself behind Damian, looping his arms around Damian’s waist and resting his chin on his shoulder.

“Who’s texting you?”

“Drake sent me some video.” Damian sighed, clicking on the link. It brought him to some social media site, where the video was listed with thousands of views. “He says it’s urgent.”

Damian pressed play on the video. It was a bit blurry, but not so much so that it was an issue. Whoever was recording started off with a video of a street cat, only to then pan upwards towards the rooftop of the nearest building and zoom in. On that rooftop? Jon and Damian. Making out. With both of Jon’s hands visibly grabbing Damian’s ass.

“Fuck.”

Jon supposed he should probably be a bit upset about this. Honestly though, he really wasn’t. Let the whole world know that him and Damian were together- or that Robin and Superboy were, at least- maybe then people would stop hitting on Damian so much. Besides, it’s not like he was planning on ever letting go of Damian.

Damian turned and smacked Jon’s arm. “I told you anyone could see us up on that rooftop.”

“Hey! You’re the one who climbed on my lap!” Jon protested.

Damian just tutted in response. He was still staring down at his phone screen blankly, and he’d gone very pale. Jon’s stomach churned, he didn’t like how quiet Damian had gotten.

Jon leaned in and kissed his temple. “Is it really that bad? If people know about us? I mean, this isn’t some fling for me, it’s serious. I would have wanted to tell people anyway, and you know I’m no good at keeping secrets.”

“Obviously this is serious, do you think I say ‘I love you’ to just anyone?” Damian sighed, and Jon couldn’t help but smile at those words, no matter how annoyed Damian sounded. “I am more concerned with how many views this video has, and the fact that Drake sent it to me. That means that my entire family has likely seen it.”

Jon’s smile dropped. Shit. Okay, that was a different story.

As if someone had been listening in, Damian’s phone chimed with another text from Tim. Bruce saw the video. He’s on his way to your apartment.

“He’s going to kill me. Your dad is going to literally kill me.”

Damian grimaced. “Any chance we can escape to one of those alternate universes you visited?”

Damian’s phone pinged again. Jason says to tell Jon to run. I think he’ll probably be alright tho. B didn’t do anything to Kon when he and I started dating, just gave him the typical respect talk.

That calmed Jon down a little. He could handle that, his parents had raised him to be a gentleman anyway. Unfortunately, his relief was ripped away when another text from Tim came through.

Then again, no viral videos ever circulated of Kon grabbing my ass. On second thought, maybe Jon should run.

“So, about those alternate universes…”