Don't Deny It Chapter 04
Chikorita-Trainer1
T
Disclaimer: I don't own Batman or Super Sons.

"Hey, Dad?" asked Jon.

"Yeah, bud?" replied Clark.

"Can I talk to you about something kind-of personal?"

"Of course, son. Sit down," said Clark, setting his newspaper aside. Jon sat down at the table with his dad.

"Well, I like someone," Jon stated. Clark nodded. "And they like me. They've told me so."

"That's good," said Clark, smiling.

"Well, it's actually not. Because even though they like me, they don't want to date me."

"Why not?"

Jon took a deep breath and rolled his eyes.

"I'm not entirely sure. They say because of our age difference. They're older. And I think they're worried that because of that, that makes our relationship creepy."

Clark chuckled. "Yeah, sounds like he takes after his dad. Always over-analyzing everything." Jon's eyes widened and his stomach knotted.

"It's that obvious?" he asked.

"Everything about you is obvious, son," said Clark. "When I pick you up from hanging out with him, and I step into the room with the two of you, I can hear your heart pounding, your pulse racing. I know you have feelings for Damian."

"Jeez!" groaned Jon, thunking his head down on the kitchen table. "Did I get ANY powers that are good for concealment?"

"That's not in my repertoire," said Clark. "The best weapon of concealment I have is…well, these," he gestured to his glasses.

"Anyway, we talked about making it official, but he just doesn't want to. And, even though he says it's because of the age difference, I'm worried it's because he doesn't really like me. And maybe he just doesn't want to hurt my feelings, so he's using that as an excuse."

"That doesn't sound like Damian," said Clark. "He's pretty blunt, isn't he? If he didn't actually like you, why wouldn't he just say that?"

"I don't know," said Jon.

"What do you feel from him?"

"Uh, pretty much what you said. His heart beating, his pulse racing."

"Well, then that means he definitely does have feelings for you," said Clark. "And you say it's this age difference thing that's getting in the way?"

"That's what he says," said Jon. "But I've told him it doesn't matter. We're not THAT far apart, and it's not interfering with anything, so what's the problem? I feel like there's something he's not telling me."

"He might not be as emotionally mature as he seems, son," said Clark. "Like his father, he might just be afraid to be happy."

"Batman's afraid to be happy?"

"OH, like you wouldn't believe!" said Clark. "He's spent his entire career milking his hurt and misery. I think he thinks that if he lets himself be happy, he'll lose what it is that drives him, and he'll go soft."

"That's dumb," grumbled Jon.

"Big time," Clark agreed.

"So what do I do?"

"I guess just be patient," said Clark. "I know it's hard, but if he's not ready to be your boyfriend, you should respect that. Just accept what he's willing to give you for now."

"But…Dad…I…" Jon squeaked, lifting his glasses up and pinching the bridge of his nose, rubbing his eyes with his thumb and forefinger.

"What?"

"I don't know if I can," Jon continued, his voice cracking. "I really love him."

"Oh, Jonno," sighed Clark, opening his arms. Jon floated over and embraced his father. "I know it's hard. But you can't force him."

"I told him I love him," Jon mumbled into his father's shirt. "He didn't say anything back."

"Probably because he didn't know what to say."

"I probably ruined everything," Jon cried.

"Shh. Jon, it's OK. Just give it time."

"When I'm with him, I just want to protect him. And when I'm not with him, he's all I think about."

"I'm happy you've found that with him, son," said Clark. "I really am."

"I haven't found anything. There's nothing there."

"There's something," said Clark. "And if he's worth it, then he's also worth waiting for."

"Oh yeah. I forgot about that phrase!" said Jon, suddenly perking up. "Thanks, Dad!" And the young half-alien got up from the table and flew away to his room, smiling.

Wow! #parenting! thought Clark.

"I love you."

The words echoed in Damian's mind every second of the day. He had never heard those words from anyone outside his family. He never dreamed he would. Someone loved him. Someone he loved romantically loved him back.

Why couldn't he let go of his fears and just BE with him? What was stopping him? No one besides himself was telling him that there was a reason for them not to be together. Why was he standing in his own way? Who taught him that a ten-year-old and a thirteen-year-old couldn't date? Where had he learned that? Who put that idea in his head? Why was he torturing himself?

That night, as Bruce was getting ready for bed, Damian came into his room and hopped up on the bed.

"Father?"

"Yeah?"

"Have any of my brothers ever dated anyone you didn't approve of?"

"Heh, well, I was always suspicious of Dicks' girlfriends," Bruce admitted easily. "Secret identities being compromised, but he's mostly dated within the vigilante community, so that helps."

"What about Todd or Drake?"

"Jason…if he's had any girlfriends, he never introduced me to them. Tim's first girlfriend was a girl named Ariana. He had to keep his identity as Robin a secret from her, but at that time he was also keeping Robin a secret from his father, so I trusted him. And when he started dating Spoiler, well, she knew he was Robin but NOT that he was Tim Drake."

"But did you approve…morally?"

"Morally? Damian, why would I-? Oh. Heh. Well, I'm not sure he'd appreciate me telling you this, but Tim is a good boy. And by that I mean…"

Bruce tilted his hand back and forth.

"A virgin," Damian said.

"Yes. And, I imagine it's not for any ethical reasons, but because Tim is always calculating risks before he takes action, and sex is always a risk."

"Right. I, I wasn't asking about who's had sex with whom…"

"What are you asking?" Bruce said softly.

The child was silent.

"Damian?" he asked with a smile. Damian looked up fearfully. "Do you like someone?"

Damian's face heated up instantly. A tingling surge rose up from his stomach and into his chest. He felt his heart rate accelerate.

"Oh, God…" Damian breathed. He got up and turned away.

"Ah! Ah! Ah! Damian," Bruce said sternly. Damian stopped. "Turn around," said Bruce. Damian turned slowly to see his father beckoning him towards him with his finger. "Sit down," Bruce commanded. Damian returned to his seat on the bed, visibly shaking.

"I'm your father. I'm allowed to ask these questions," Bruce explained gently. "Do you like someone?"

Damian gulped. "Yes."

"OK. Does this person know you're Robin?"

"Yes," Damian felt somewhat relieved that his father deliberately said "this person" and not "this girl."

Could he know?

"Does this person also have a double-life as a crimefighter?"

"Yes."

"Is this person Jon?"

Damian sitting cross-legged on the bed, simply leaned forward, still cross-legged, until his face met with the mattress.

Bruce chuckled and reached out and ruffled his son's hair.

"It's OK, son," he said softly. "Honestly, there's no one better for you I could think of."

Damian suddenly looked up. "Wait—really? You APPROVE?!"

"Of course. The son of Superman. He's a bright boy, he's kind, he can protect you, I already get along with his parents."

"But he's three years younger than me!"

"Wh—THAT? That's what you've been worried about?"

"Well, that and the GAY thing," Damian admitted.

"'GAY thing'?" said Bruce. "It's not a thing, it's a fact. And it's fine. Damian, I'm not homophobic. For goodness's sake, I've built my life around fighting for JUSTICE."

"Uh, good point."

Bruce tried to soften his laughter as he held out his arms.

"Come here, Damian," said Bruce. Damian crawled into his father's arms and turned around so that his back was pressed against Bruce's chest. "Now, does Jon know how you feel?"

"We've been, kind-of 'together' for a while now," Damian admitted.

"Really?" asked Bruce.

"Yeah. I mean, we haven't been on an actual DATE yet, but we know how we feel about each other."

"And do his parents know?"

"Uh, I don't know. I don't think so. I've been making him keep it a secret," Damian explained.

"Why?"

"Because I've been worried that there's a problem with our age difference," said Damian.

"Why? Three years is nothing," said Bruce.

"Maybe to adults, but we're just kids. Three years is a big difference to us," said Damian. "Maybe not now, but when I'm eighteen he'll still be fifteen. I'd be an adult in a relationship with a minor, which would be illegal."

"OK, first of all, you're NOT fifteen and eighteen yet, so don't worry about that right now," said Bruce. "And second of all, in some states, there are ways around that. They're called Romeo and Juliet laws, and they're in place for this exact situation. If the age difference between two people makes the relationship technically illegal, as long as both sets of parents approve, AND as long as the couple has been together since BEFORE the age difference came into play, it's legal. But most importantly, as long as there's no SEX involved, it's OK." Damian cringed at the mention of sex. OF COURSE there would be no sex involved! What did his father take him for?

"Seriously?" Damian asked, with one eyebrow raised. This seemed a little too good to be true, and also kind-of creepy at the same time.

"That can't really be what was stopping you," said Bruce.

"Why can't it?"

"Because since when have you been a morally-upright, law-abiding, ethics-driven person?"

"Gee, thanks a lot, Father!"

Bruce threw his head back with laughter.

"I'm serious, Damian. You've committed MURDER in your life. Why would dating someone younger than you—"

"Because it's an entirely different matter!" Damian argued. "And anyway, I've changed. I didn't KNOW murder was wrong while I was being raised in the League. It wasn't my fault. I didn't know any better!"

"I know. I know. I'm sorry," said Bruce. "And you're right, relationship ethics are a different matter than killing."

"I just don't want to do something illegal, if I can help it," sighed Damian.

"Well, you're not doing anything illegal, trust me," said Bruce. "Not that I'm unhappy that you're aware of the law and social norms and stuff like that. But Damian, I don't think that's really the reason you've been avoiding this."

"Then what's the reason?"

"Could it be that you're just scared to be in love? And that you were just LOOKING for any reason to keep from being with Jon?" Bruce asked. Damian's eyes widened and he looked away. "Everyone is a little scared to fall in love. To give someone your heart is a big risk. Trusting someone with your most vulnerable self is frightening."

"I guess," said Damian.

"If there were no such laws preventing adults from dating minors—if there were no such labels as adults and minors, would you still be as hesitant?"

"Probably," Damian admitted.

"Love doesn't happen every day," said Bruce. "Take it from me, it's a miracle if you find it at all. Don't punish yourself because you think the universe doesn't want you to be happy."

"I've done terrible things, Father," said Damian.

"But you've changed. You've come a long way since then. Don't punish yourself and deny yourself happiness. If the universe has given you a chance at love, take it."

"Even if one day it becomes technically illegal?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, son," said Bruce. "For now, go ahead and be a kid. And for the record, no one is going to look at you and Jon together and be like "Ew, why are those kids dating? They're so far apart in age!" Nobody in our immediate families or close friendships is going to think anything of it just because you're ten and thirteen. All anyone's going to see is two kids who like each other, being together. There's nothing wrong with that."

Damian took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

"If you say so."

"I think, one day, you'll probably look back on this, and laugh," Bruce said. "Now, just so we're clear; if you and Jon want to be boyfriend and boyfriend, I approve. And I'm sure Clark and Lois will approve, too. It's all up to you at this point."

"You mean I have to tell Jon I love him?" asked Damian.

"That would be amenable, yes," Bruce said with a grin. Damian blushed and buried his face in his hands.

Damian: Hey

Jon: Hey

Damian: Can we meet up at the FOA? I want to talk.

Jon: Sure

Damian: C U there.

END OF CHAPTER 04
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