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“It’s Christmas Dami!” Jon giggles as he flies around the boy excitedly. Jon’s favorite holiday has always been Christmas. Something about having his family all together, having a big feast together, even his Pa was home for Christmas this year!
So Jon was extra excited when his mama said that they’d be spending Christmas at the Wayne’s manor, he couldn’t wait to go see Damian.
Cut to present him, flying circles around the boy as he babbles on about how excited he is to open gifts and eat food with the family.
“Tt. Calm down Kent, it is only Christmas Eve. The official holiday has not come yet.” Damian grumbles, his signature scowl on his face which Jon ignores all together. They both know he’s not bothered or else he would’ve physically tried to stop him.
“Don’t be sour, Damian! You’ll like opening gifts too! I even got one for you!” Jon grins, he spent hours first learning how to make Damian the present he wanted to give him, then more time actually making it. He was slow at his craft to say the least, but he finished in time to wrap it in emerald green paper and put a bright red bow on top.
Damian looks at him baffled, rolling his eyes at his antics. “Yeah right. I will not be receiving any gifts tomorrow Kent.”
Jon stops.
“Oh, do you guys open gifts tonight then?”
“No. I do not know what “gifts” you are referring to. There is nothing prominent in my performance this year that requires such things.”
“Oh.”
Oh no, did Damian not know what gifts were for on Christmas? Jon immediately stops and flies back down to the floor, landing right in front of the boy, looking horrified.
“You… do know everyone is supposed to receive a present on Christmas right? It’s like, well, tradition, like the three wise men?”
“…”
“It’s to show you care about someone, and to give them a gift to show your appreciation for them…”
Damian remains silent, looking at Jon as if he had grown three heads. Though Jon is pretty sure Kryptoians don’t grow extra limbs so he pouts back at Damian. Maybe he could give him his gift now, that way, Damian would be prepared for tomorrow when his family gives him gifts to open!
Jon quickly grabs Damian by the sleeve and practically drags him over to where their family was in the kitchen, not telling him a thing about why. Both his family and the Waynes, were chatting while Jason, Mr. Alfred, and Mama prepare the food. It smelled delicious.
“Pa! I’m going to hang out with Damian!” He shouts to his papa before running over to the tree, they had decorated it beautifully. When Jon had first walked in he was mesmerized by the variety colored bulbs and pretty lights that lit up the main living room.
While pulling Damian along as he grabs his gift from below the tree, the small emerald wrapped box rests in his hand as he heads to Damian’s room. Damian looks disgruntled to say the least, but at least he isn’t protesting against Jon leading him along.
When they arrive Jon quickly closes Damian’s door and continues to pull the boy along until he plops on the bed. Damian sighs as he crawls over next to him, staring at the box in his hand with an unreadable expression, but Jon could see the confusion still lingering in his eyes.
“This is my gift to you! Handmade by yours truly.” He does a little bow as he hands Damian his gift, smiling softly.
Damian stares at his hand outstretched towards him before quietly grabbing the gift from him, holding it before his face.
“Do I just open it?” He murmurs, looking up at Jon for direction.
“Yes! Hurry hurry!”
“Tt.”
—+—
He slowly peels off the red bow plastered on the top of the gift before removing the wrapping paper gently, being careful to not tear the paper. It feels light, he knows it can’t be anything like the gifts he got from his mother for completing phases in his training or graduating from his language classes.
It’s definitely not a new sword— he finishes unwrapping it, his palm resting on the cardboard lid— it’s not robes or a ceremonial sash, so what could his “gift” possibly—
He opens it.
A bracelet. A small, jade beaded bracelet, almost perfectly resembling his eye color.
Damian just stares. Stares at the small bracelet resting in the little box, and looks right back up at the person who made said gift.
“A… bracelet.”
“Mhm!… oh um… do you not like it?” Jon almost frowns but Damian watches him catch himself, his lip trembles a bit as he tugs a smile onto his lips. Damian scoffs and swiftly places the bracelet through his hand, adjusting it on his wrist.
“It is adequate. I never said such things about disliking it, don’t jump to conclusions, Kent.” Damian won’t admit it, but he quite likes the feeling of the beads resting against his wrist, likes the coolness of them and the slight rattle it makes when he moves his arm.
Then he realizes he doesn’t have a gift for Jon.
Shi—
“Jon. Remain here I shall return in a moment.” Damian hops off the bed and rushes to his closet. Quickly he scavenges through his cabinets and bins frantically. He had to find the perfect thing to give Jon, he could not let Jon surpass him in the act of giving Christmas gifts.
Under layers of his old things from the League that he had brought with him to the manor when he first came with his mother, (he didn’t realize he was even looking in that bin) he finds his old blanket. Damian was not a sentimental person, nor did he really care about the past and holding items close, but this was given to him specifically by his mother.
It was made of the richest silks and intricately crafted by the best weavers they knew in Nanda Parbat. It was a blood red, laced with gold trimming along the edges, and adorned with deep crimson patterns laced in the fabric. He had kept it only because Mother had liked it, and brought it for him to keep instead at the Manor. But now…
Damian hides the neatly folded blanket behind his back as he steps out of the closet. He quickly spots Jon still on his bed, rocking back and forth while messing with the bedding. The idiot never knew how to sit still, which Damian has grown used to over the past year, and doesn’t tease him about anymore because he now knows he can’t control it.
“Jon. I have acquired your gift.”
“Wait, you got me a gift too?!” He laughs happily and scoots to the edge of his bed, swinging his legs.
“Obviously, Kent.” He sighs, a small smirk painting his face.
Slowly, he pulls the fabric from behind his back, just as it seems the wait was practically hurting Jon.
Jon stares at him, and Damian stares back.
“OMG IT'S SO PRETTY!” Jon dashes and takes the blanket, flying up and draping it around his shoulders. He gasps as he feels the soft texture of the silk, running his fingers over the golden edges.
“Thank you Damian! I love it!” He beams at Damian, all teeth and squinted eyes.
Damian just blinks at him and looks away quickly. He hates the way his smiles make him feel warm and fuzzy inside, how he wishes to always have him smile like that. He supposes this is what Father said “friendship” feels like, something he said Damian would want to protect.
And he truly does.
Jon rambles about placing the blanket on his bed along with all his other soft blankets. Then promptly forgets he was talking about blankets and babbles off about his plush toys, the dozens he owns and every name he has given them.
Damian just listens, sitting quietly beside the boy as he rants. Content to just listen to his friend. His fingers absentmindedly run along the jade beads as he nods along with what Jon says, often giving small quips and snark responses back.
They laugh together after a while and talk some more before Jon stupidly falls asleep in the middle of muttering some phrase. Damian had expected this though sooner or later as the boy was yawning more often than actually finishing his sentences.
He sighs as he wraps Jon’s new blanket the boy has clutched in his hands around his body, quietly tucking him in.
Damian pulls his own covers over both of them before trying to head to bed himself. He was tired anyway and didn’t have the energy to kick Jon out (not that he probably would’ve anyway).
As his eyes flutter closed, he thinks about Christmas arriving tomorrow, about these “gifts” Jon was so excited to open.
Damian thinks he might be a bit excited himself, if the bracelet he was given was enough of an expectation for what was to come. He wonders what other presents could be lying under the tree that might go to him. He doesn’t think any of them would be superior to his bracelet though.
He wants to open them with Jon, he thinks as his brain quiets down. He wants to be as excited as he is, to enjoy his first Christmas with his family.
He ignores the lingering pairs of eyes by the door which was opened slightly, already half asleep and not concerned enough to care. He hears small coos coming from the slight gap before the door quietly shuts.
Idiots.