Chapter Text
POV Jonathan Kent
Dad always told me that I needed to be careful. That Waynes could be dangerous. I never really understood what he meant by that until now.
My face was a mess, about as puffy as my Krypton heritage would let it get. My breathing was all over the place as I tried to blink the blurry city lights clear. This sucked. Everything sucked.
There was a bang and scuttle spread across a few of the skyscrapers next to me. I turned towards the noise but didn't see anything.
"Hey," A sudden voice came from above me. I spun around, suddenly knocking someone's legs with my arm. I felt heavy arms grasp around my shoulders and familiar hands on my chest.
"Whoa," Damian Wayne looked down at the 300 meter plummet where my feet dangled, "That was a close one."
"Damian!" I clasped his hands to my chest to steady him, "You scared me."
"Sorry, it's been awhile since I had the chance to sneak up on a Super. I thought it'd be funny," he said awkwardly. He smiled at me gently, creasing up his thickly lashed green eyes. I couldn't help but smile back. He mouth stretched wider, dimples he'd inherited from his father showing in his deep olive skin. I released his hands and he settled down beside me. He was wearing a fitted zip up moisture wicking jersey with biker shorts.
"What's with the get up?" I raised a brow, laughing.
"Hey, this is designer. Eco-friendly recycled material sewn for a perfect fit," Damian stretched his jersey with sarcastic pride. I laughed harder. Damian grinned, once again flashing his dimples.
"I actually just got off my shift at the hospital, I was about to cycle home when I saw you plopped down in our usual spot," Damian nudged me playfully.
"I didn't realize you'd already started your residency."
"Halfway through it. It's been awhile."
"Hey, I still send you memes everyday."
"Yeah, but for a man who can fly at the speed of light, you've been rather scarce. Dink and Cass keep asking me why you haven't come around lately."
The gentle admonition in Damian's deep purr of a voice brought it all back. I turned my face away, the city lights sparkling across the frozen moisture on my cheeks.
"What is this?" Damian brushed a tiny chip of ice from my face with his thumb, cupping my cheek in his hand.
Damian's expression suddenly darkened, his eyes narrowing.
"Oh, they must of frozen when I was flying. It gets cold at those heights..." I sputtered.
"Tears?" Damian's full mouth twisted into a thin angry line.
"Who?" Damian said in a ferocious tone.
"No, no. Damian, it's not like that. It's...Something happened with Jay, and well...it's my fault."
"Jay? Isn't it supposed to be you're honeymoon period, with you guys moving in together and everything?"
"I just moved out."
Damian's thick Wayne eyebrows shot sky high at that statement.
"Well, if you need to talk about it, I'm sat. I'm happy to listen to whatever."
I was silent for a moment. I didn't know where to start.
"Well, I love Jay, and he loves me too but...I'm not...enough. I guess?"
"How can a six foot seven blue-eyed man with heat vision not be enough?" Damian shook his head, confused.
"Jay liked that about me, of course. But he likes a lot of things about a lot of different people."
"So, Jay likes lots of people."
I nodded shyly.
"You're telling me that Jay is polyamorous."
I nodded again.
"God," Damian ran both hands through his slicked back hair, "Let me guess. He didn't realize he was poly until now, huh."
I kept nodding.
"What a mess. So what did he do? Ask for an open relationship or something?"
"We've been in one for around a year now."
"Shit. Really? And how do you feel about that?"
I gave him a tense smile, "I mean, I'm in Gotham at night after sobbing my guts out in the stratosphere. How do you think I feel?"
"Shiiiiit," Damian plopped back, hands covering his face. The gesture was familiar, something he did all the time when we were kids.
"Even when I didn't see it, I could still feel it. How fast his heart was beating when he was with someone else. The laughter, the...well, I tried my best to tune everything out."
Damian gave me a sympathetic look, which made me feel a little less miserable.
"That's honestly heart-wrenching. I'm guessing you weren't really sharing how you felt because you were scared he'd break up with you, or something like that."
Another nod.
"So, how did it all go down in the end?"
"He tried to introduce me to one of his other established partners. They liked me as much as Jay, and so then Jay and them wanted to..."
"Oh?" Damian turned, confused, "Ohhhhhhh."
Damian suddenly understood.
"I would've never imagined you of all people getting into a threesome. And most of the Justice League are, and I say this with full respect, pretty slutty. You just always seemed very wholesome Kent-family-farmed American apple pie," Damian sounded impressed.
"That's the thing. I am."
"You're what?"
"I'm..." I opened my hands and shrugged.
"Oh, I see," Damian sucked his breath in awkwardly.
"I threw up."
"You what?"
"I vomited. On Jay's handmade carpet."
"What?"
"Everyone had their clothes off, I got so anxious and upset and just overwhelmed that I threw up. And then, I threw my clothes on and flew out the window."
"WHAT? Did the other person see????"
"No, I think they just thought I ran down the fire escape really fast. We're only on the second floor."
"Well, that's good at least."
"Yeah, I guess so."
"So, you broke up with Jay after that?"
"No, he dumped me."
"Shit."
"I know."
"That's really unfair, Jon."
"I guess."
Damian frowned, "Don't be so hard on yourself. I understand that you're trying to be supportive of Jay exploring, and don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with being polyamorous. But if you're coming into a relationship thinking you're both monogamous, it's kinda hard to let that go and switch things up all of a sudden."
"Yeah, well, I wouldn't say I was exactly monogamous."
"Wait," Damian looked me straight in the eye, "What do you mean by that?"
"At the start of our relationship, Jay knew I had feelings for someone else, too."
"So, you've been dating that other person?"
"No, it's always been one-sided. I've never acted on it either. But I also...couldn't let go."
"And Jay knew about this from the start?"
"Yeah," I said hesitantly, glad Damian wasn't probing on who the other person was.
"I see."
"Jay said he was okay with it, because he knew I loved him in a different way. Anyways, I do think that's why he thought I'd be okay if he also...had someone else. Or, several people."
"I see. But it wasn't okay."
"No. I guess it kinda felt like outside of my parents, Jay was the only person who really liked me for me, and could love me in the way I needed. And when other people entered the picture..."
"You felt like that was being taken away from you."
"Yeah."
"Honestly, that is definitely selfish in its own way. I can see why you feel guilty."
"That's what he said. That's part of the reason why we broke up."
"And the main reason?"
"We're just too different in all the ways that matter."
"Oof. I've heard that one way too often. But honestly, hearing you sum everything up, I can't help but agree."
"I know," I couldn't help but weep a little, "But it was my first relationship."
The dull ache I'd been trying to fight off the whole time returned. My breathing became ragged.
"Hey," Damian laid a firm hand on my shoulder, "Hey, slow your breathing a bit. It's okay to cry and be sad, that's normal. But don't go choking on me."
"Thanks," I couldn't help but lay my head on his shoulder. He side hugged me gently before slowly rubbing my back while I cried a little bit more.
A sprinkle of rain interrupted my cry sesh.
"I know I've staked out on rainy nights plenty as Robin, but I'm really aching to get home and shower," Damian smiled, "Do you wanna crash the night? I know I'm only six foot three, but I should have one or two oversized things that can fit you. I was gonna order in some falafel and other veggo things from my favorite halal place, but Cass tells me their kebab is pretty tasty."
"Okay," I sniffed, "I'd appreciate that."
Since we both agreed it'd stand out too much if I flew Damian AND his bike through Gotham, I followed behind Damian as he biked to his apartment. It was in an old but well-cared for building, one of those art noveau brownstones with swirling wrought iron and fanciful wallpaper. It was exactly the sort of place Damian would live in.
"Gosh, this place is as old money as you," I scoffed as we entered.
Damian smirked, "Well, my family did build it. It was a boarding house for graduates of the local orphanage back in the 1910s. They could stay here for cheap while they looked for a job or went to technical school. It's been well-maintained thanks to the city council."
"I didn't realize you'd moved out of your dad's house."
House was an understatement. The Wayne Manor was more akin to a gothic castle than a house.
"I live here when I'm on shift, since it's closer to the hospital. Or sometimes I just need a hideaway from all the clamor at home. But I'm always at home on the weekend or when I'm off work, if only to see Batcow, Goliath, and Titus."
"Oh, so, cat Alfred is here?"
"Usually, I actually have him at home right now, since they're doing construction on this street. The noise doesn't sit well with him."
So it's just us, I thought. My palms started to sweat.
"What about you? Did you move back home?" Damian asked as we tackled another flight of stairs. How far up was this dang apartment? It might've been better to fly us up.
"Yeah, for now. I'm looking for a few places to move into. It's hard since I'm looking at places I can afford on one income versus two."
"I see," Damian said, obviously unable to relate to my middle-class financial woes.
"And your parents...they know?"
"Yeah, most of it. Not the...vomit part."
Damian couldn't help but chuckle at that. I smiled and laughed as well. It felt good to laugh after crying for such a long time. Everything had been so heavy the past couple weeks.
"They don't really understand though," I sighed.
"Oh?" Damian arched a brow.
I smiled awkwardly, "It's like you said earlier, um...slutty."
Damian raised both brows and turned his face away.
"Here I thought it was just my dad," Damian laughed.
"Yeah, but at least your dad has an excuse. He's a dominant omega, with...needs. My mom is a beta and my dad, well, he's an alien. Alphas and omegas didn't even exist on Krypton!"
Damian paused, his voice lowering, "Yeah, but you should know that gender is never an 'excuse.' I'm not mad that my dad gets around, but neither he or any of the other dominant alphas and omegas should ever use their gender as an 'excuse' for being messy."
"Sorry, I didn't mean to offend..."
"Besides," Damian interjected, turning and narrowing his eyes in a wicked smirk, "From what I've heard Kryptonians have 'needs' too."
My heart pounded a little too loud in response to that sentence. I hated myself for feeling excited. I'd just broken up with my boyfriend. Now wasn't the time to be swooning over my best friend.
I shrugged, "I think you might be getting us confused with Daxamites."
"Oof, not the age old Kryptonian prejudice. You sound like a boomer."
Jon laughed, "I may be half, but I have to keep Kryptonian traditions alive. But honestly, you know I'm just kidding. I love my Uncle Mon El. And about your dad, I didn't mean..."
"I guess you know better now. I can recommend a few gender theory books if you'd like to educate yourself."
"Wow, I've really shot myself in the foot, huh."
"Okay, I guess I can forward a few Youtube video essays."
"Now you're talking."
Damian paused, his expression serious.
"I mean, I did mean to correct you. But, I didn't mean to be so harsh about it. I guess I've been a little on edge about the whole alpha omega thing."
Damian Wayne, a man who'd always surmounted any challenges he'd faced--who'd even managed to get through medical school while still doing nightly patrols as Robin--suddenly looked so forlorn.
"Damian, I..." I started to reach out a hand.
Suddenly, Damian shoved a key in a lock and started to turn it.
"Just a warning, my pheromones are all over the place. So it might smell."
I pulled back my hand. He was clearly trying to change the topic of our conversation.
"That's okay," I smiled sadly, "I've always thought they smelled good anyways. Like, what's that really fancy perfume? Oud?"
Damian laughed, "Well, Al Ghul alphas are nothing if not bred to smell expensive."
"Figures," I shot back, "I bet I just smell like a plain plaid shirt that's in the 50% off bin, if that can be a smell. If I even had a smell."
Damian cocked his head as he slowly opened the door and to let us in.
"You know, it is strange considering there weren't any omegas or alphas on Krypton. But both you and your dad have a pretty strong scent. I guess that's why people mistake you two for alphas all the time."
"Really?" I said, surprised, "We...have a scent?"
"I mean you and your dad are different. His is pretty heavy while yours is more gentle. Like, the smell of sun in freshly dried clothes, or warm skin in sunlight. I like it. It reminds me of when I'd spend time in different deserts with my mom. It's like that kind of nice heat."
"Wow," my heart fluttered, "Damian Wayne, it almost sounds like you're flirting with me."
Damian smiled and punched me softly in the arm--soft as in it still threw me back a foot or so.
"You started it, SuperBOY," he crinkled his nose, teasing me like he used to when we were kids. He would always emphasize the "Boy" in my title to highlight the fact I was still immature or not as "adult" as he was. I felt rather childish in this instance, my heart haphazardly skipping about as we entered his apartment. I was really in trouble of falling for him all over again.
Dad was right, Waynes were dangerous.