"Steady! Dick, hold still!" Flick wobbled precariously on top of Dick's shoulders. She was trying to hang the last few lines of tinsel around the top of the Christmas tree. At a moment where their balance was most unsteady (mostly down to Dick's amusement), Flick flung her arms around his neck, giving him an interesting new hair-do of blonde curls and tinsel.
"Is the tree finished yet?" Damian asked impatiently, as he entered the main room of the couple's new apartment, having spent the night before with them. When he saw the sight at the foot of the tree he stopped and raised a simultaneously questioning and disapproving eyebrow. "I thought you two were circus freaks?"
"We are," Dick said as he lowered Felicity down, "but sometimes it can be fun to mess with someone's balance."
"Fun when you're not six-feet in the air," Flick grumbled placing some more baubles on the tree.
"He's hardly six-foot," Damian scoffed, sizing himself next to the man in question. Puberty had started Damian's long-awaited growth spurt and he was soon catching up to his older brothers. Dick, being one of the shortest, was already over-taken by the youngest Wayne.
"Whatever," the blonde laughed as her fiancé drew himself up to Damian's height. She grabbed the last, empty, box of Christmas decorations and put it away in a closet, before crossing back to the kitchen and making the finishing touches to the snacks and nibbles.
"When's the rest of you due to arrive?" Dick's eyes flicked to the clock and registered the time.
"Any minute now," he replied as Damian took out his phone and headphones. "Ah, no little D, not today." Dick grabbed the phone away from him with a noise of protest from Damian, and placed it in his pocket as there was a knock on the door. "Speak of the devils!"
Within minutes the space of 45 minutes, the whole family had arrived, had been greeted, and were gathered in the sitting room, with various drinks from beer to champagne and fruit juice. Bruce stood and moved to a position where everyone could see him comfortably.
"Before we start opening the presents," he began.
"Alert! Alert! He's hijacked your christmas guys!" Steph told Dick and Flick, and the rest of the group joined her in laughing as Bruce cleared his throat.
"Before we start opening the presents," Bruce began a second time, "I think we should thank the host and hostess, everything looks wonderful!"
"Well, we try!" Dick gushed, only to be cut of with a coughing fit from Damian, containing the words you only put it up this afternoon.
"Guys! Shut up!" Tim chided, "the sooner he finishes, the sooner we can get to the presents." His words we met with giggles from most and Dick's anxious shh's.
"Thank you Tim. I think we should also be especially grateful that for the first time in a long time, we've had a christmas with the whole family here." Bruce directed his gaze toward Jason, but it was completely lost as he was fighting with Flick as to who was going to eat the last mini sausage. "Anyway, let's open the presents!"
All concentration on anything else was lost as everyone (save for Alfred, who remained as dignified as ever) dived towards the bottom of the tree where all the presents had been placed. Wrapping paper was torn open and squeals and gasps of delight were heard as he gifts were revealed. It would be safe to say the two people who received the most gifts were Alfred and Damian, but the younger man seemed disappointed at his presents.
"Uh, Father?" He asked nervously (he had reached an age where he learned not to demand first and ask later). Bruce looked up from inspecting Tim's new watch to be sure it was the right size. "Did Mother send anything for me?" Bruce's eyelids flickered for a moment, he then brought out a sealed envelope.
"She sent a card," he handed it to his youngest son, "I haven't opened it." Damian took the card and glared up at everyone who had gone quiet in anticipation.
"What?" He asked, in a deadpan. He took after his father, as his glare swiftly made everyone hurry back to their conversations and unwrapping of remaining presents.
My darling, the card read, I know that both you and your father wished to spend this time of year together, so I took the trouble of having your presents delivered directly to Wayne Manor. Your father will most likely not approve, but we both know you can find a use for them. Have a wonderful Christmas my son, perhaps we can meet in the new year. I love you, habeebi, with love,
Your Mother.
Damian stared at the card for a few seconds before crumpling it in his fist and throwing it at Bruce. He stood up as everyone turned to him in shock.
"I can't belive you," he growled. "How dare you?" Damian turned on his heel and slammed out of the apartment. Everyone could hear his feet thundering out to the roof as Bruce calmly picked up and read the card.
"What does it say?" Dick asked, concerned. Jason, possibly the only one who seemed unaffected by the turn events, grabbed an apple and casually ate it, while scanning the card behind Bruce.
"She sent presents." He told them as Bruce set his drink down. "What were they?"
"Heavy duty weapons," the older man told them, "I have no idea how she got them through, I'd better go after him-"
"I got this one old man," Jason cut him off. He was met with a few words of protest but he ignored the rest of the group and proceeded to follow the youngest family member to the roof of the apartment block.
He half expected to find it deserted, but Damian had just sat on the edge of the rooftop. He walked over to him and nudged his shoulder and tossed the apple core over the edge of the building. Damian looked up and his expression turned sour as he saw it was not who he was expecting.
"Nobody sent you, Todd." He grumbled as he turned away to look at the skyline again.
"No one did, you're right. Get up, I wanna show you something," Jason told him. When Damian did not move Jason nudged him again and said, "look, if you don't come with me I'm just going to keep nudging you here, and some one will be coming up to look for the both of us so let's go."
Figuring he had nothing better to do, Damian got up and followed Jason down the fire escape. At the foot of the long flight of stairs (and a ladder), stood a motorbike and a helmet. The older man handed the helmet to Damian and started the engine.
After a short drive they arrived at the back of some kind of soup kitchen. The teen went to enter the building but was grabbed by the collar by Jason who was climbing to the roof.
"You see these bums kid?" Jason said when they overlooked the group of men huddled over a small fire in the courtyard outside the shelter. "Do you know why their only source of income is smuggling drugs for me?" Damian raised an eyebrow.
"Poor life choices?" He surmised. Jason chuckled and turned so he was sitting with his back on the lip of the roof.
"Mostly, yes." Jason lit a cigarette and paused for a while to inhale the smoke. Damian sensed he wanted to continue so he waited. "But at the root of that kiddo, it was because they didn't have a dad who really cared about them. Who let them have drugs, and knives and, as cool as they are, AK47s at your age."
"Is that what she sent?" Damain interrupted.
"An AK? No idea, Bruce just said heavy-duty weapons, whatever that means," Jason replied before taking another long drag and stubbing the butt out on the floor next to him. "But my point is, he just is trying to protect you. You're-"
"Tt."
"You're fucking lucky kid,"Jay said,standing up. "He cares Damian - he's shit at showing it, but he does. We've all taken on some quality of his, but I think me and you share the one where we want care from those we love, but can't accept it when we get it." Jason pulled out another cigarette and lit up, he offered it to Damian who was looking at him in disgust.
"I am nothing like you, Jason."
"Deep down, we're a group of selfish bastards, who show and accept love when it suits." Jason responded, "so you can either come back with me and say sorry for storming off and forget that your mom sent presents for today, because you have no idea how much Christmas means to the rest of them, your dad included."
"Or?" Damian asked.
"Or you can stay here and eat from the soup kitchen until the batclan come looking for you."
Dick came back through the main door, shaking snow off of his coat with a sad look on his face.
"They've not come back to the roof, and it's started snowing."
"They'll be back soon," Barbra said comfortingly, "Damian wouldn't be able to stand Jason for much longer!" A few members of the group smiled half-heartedly.
"I'm going to look for him," Bruce stated, after brooding intermittently between sending his son texts and voicemails to come back.
"To be honest Bruce," said Flick, bringing out more chips, "he'll probably resent you more if you go and look for him. At least give him an hour. You know how you hate people cutting into your brooding time."
The room turned to her and gave her a look as if to say do-not-tell-someone-how-to-parent-their-kid. Bruce, casting her a scathing look, picked up his coat and left the flat.
He was only about half way down the stairs, and sending another message to his youngest son's phone when he was met why a snowy and windswept Jason and Damian.
The two Waynes stopped where they were and awkwardly stared at each other. Jason continued up the stairs until he was level with Bruce. Without turning back he told them:
"Be nice to each other. It's Christmas for Christ's sake!" He snickered at his own joke and began making his way make to the party.
Merry Christmas Morgannnnn! A little Jason/Damian brotherly-fluff:) Enjoy sunbathing and swimming and general beachy-ness. I shall be wrapped up in a jumper that plays Christmas songs and playing Young Justice Legacy:)
Wish a Merry Christmas to your family from me and mine! Have a good Christmas day!