Jon had woken up to a surprising warmth on his small mattress. He tried not to make any noise as he wiggled backwards away from Jason’s sleeping face. He’d woken up with his head tucked under Jason’s chin, nuzzled into his chest. Jon blushed bright, embarrassed that his subconscious got so comfortable in forgoing his boundaries. Surprisingly, Jason hadn’t seemed to notice, or at least he hadn’t woken up yet, which was also odd for him. He almost always woke Jon up at the crack of damn near the crack of dawn. Just as Jon was thinking about capitalizing on Jason’s sleeping in, he saw his eyebrows knit together as he stirred. Jon panicked, still being a bit close, and only just noticing Jason’s arm laying across his middle. Jason sniffed, rubbing at his eyes and freezing as he met Jon’s wide eyes.
“Oh, shit.” Was Jason’s eloquent response.
“Um, sorry.”
“No, no it’s fine. It was cold last night.”
Jason almost looked as embarrassed, his ears turning pink as he pushed himself up and away from Jon, sitting up. Jon rolled over, grabbing Jason’s old but his new phone and checking the time. He was off work today, which somehow Yancey knew, and had texted him an invitation to visit his apartment after their morning shift at the Lounge. Jason was already dressed, pushing his bed head into a more reasonable style.
“I’ve got some stupid family meeting back at the manor today. Need anything before I go?”
“Yancey invited me to his and Laurel’s apartment.”
“Hm.” Jason thought for a moment. “Here, then. You take the keys and Tim can pick me up on his way up.”
“You’re… giving me the keys?”
“Yeah. You’ll need the car, I can grab my bike when I leave.” Jason shrugged.
Jason tossed the keys on to the dresser and grabbed his phone, shooting off a message.
“Are you sure?” Jon asked.40Please respect copyright.PENANAwwvkNgEn3l
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Well, it’s your car.”
“It’s fine, Jon.” Jason smiled, shaking his head. “Just wear your seatbelt, okay? I’ll be back tonight.”
Jason was already headed out the door before Jon could protest any more. Jon shrugged and sent a text to Yancey: Be there in an hour.
________________________________
Jon pulled up to the apartment building, surprised by the proximity to his own apartment. He walked inside, somewhat happy to be ignored by the person at the front desk. He made his way upstairs, hunting down the apartment number Yancey had mentioned. He gave a solid knock and heard Yancey within the apartment. “He’s here! Laurel, get out here, Jon’s at the door!” He smiled as he heard another set of footsteps, the two clamouring around before wrenching the door open. They two wore twin smiles, their eyes glimmering.
“Jon! We’re so happy to see you!”
“Thanks for coming!”
The twins spoke over each other, each tugging on one of Jon’s arms before he scooped the two up into a hug, lifting them both slightly off the floor.
“It’s been way too long, guys.”
“Come on, take the tour!” Yancey pulled him along.
“It’s all still a work in progress!” Laurel noted.
The two yanked Jon around the apartment, showing them their lack of furniture but sugar-coating their predicament with smiles.
“And look at this view, isn’t it nice?”
Laurel gestured to the window which admittedly boasted a decent view of the harbour and pier. Jon tried not to notice that he could spot the warehouse Jack frequently hid out in. He chuckled, rubbing at the back of his neck.
“‘Pretty nice, yeah. I was kinda surprised ya’ll moved in so close to my place.”
The twins brightened up at that.
“Really? We’re close?” Yancey cocked his head.
“Where? How far?” Laurel grabbed Jon’s hand.
“Ah, maybe a block that way? Like a 15 minute walk.”
They looked at each other, smiling brightly.
“Perfect! We can visit each other whenever we want!”
“Now, Yancey, we all still have jobs. We are adults after all.”
“Oh, forget the job, we’re too close to not visit often!”
“Well, I might be moving a bit farther soon.” Jon interjected, looking shy. “It’ll only be like 10 minutes further.”
“Oh, why’re you moving? Crappy landlord?”
“Sucky neighbors?”
“Uh, my friend invited me to move in with him.”
“That Jason guy? Who picked you up from work?” They asked in tandem.
“Yeah. He’s been kind of staying with me and-”
The twins interrupted, waving their hands in a “no no” fashion and leading him to the futon as Yancey folded it up back into a couch. They sat him down and gave him a serious look.
“Jon, be honest.’ Yancey started.
“Are you and Jason seeing each other?” Laurel finished.
Jon blushed, sputtering in denial.
“No! No, we are not- not dating, no. He’s just been hanging out with me! You know, bein’ a friend!”
“You live in a studio apartment. And you’ve had that couch for like, years.”
“Where’s he been sleeping?”
Jon froze up, unsure how to answer. The twins had him in a corner, it was a very difficult and obvious situation. Jason, a conventionally attractive guy, Jon’s age, and not to mention single. Sleeping in the same bed as Jon, in his crappy apartment, even though he could be sleeping in a nice fluffy bed at Wayne Manor. Constantly choosing to be around Jon, feeding him, letting him drive his car, and most recently, letting Jon cuddle up to him in their sleep. Jon had a terrible habit of getting attached to people early on, and this seemed to be another case of just that. Besides, Jason was definitely straight.
“Now, Jon, don’t get too into your own head.”
“I’m sure it’s fine. You just didn’t realize that-”
“I have a crush on Jason.” Jon hung his head in his hands, groaning. “Damn it. Why do I always do this to myself?”
“Jon, you haven’t even spoken to him about it. Don’t beat yourself up.” Laurel patted his shoulder lightly.
Jon sighed, feeling a headache coming on.
“Why don’t you let us treat you to dinner, huh?” Yancey asked.
____________________________________
It was late when Jon arrived back at his apartment, he spied Jason’s bike parked off to the side, and looking up he could see a light on inside his apartment. He parked the car next to Jason’s bike and made his way inside and upstairs, avoiding Robyn on the way up. The door was unlocked for him and there was a quiet muttering from Jason inside. Stepping inside, Jason regarded him with a short wave and smile, before Jason went back to seeming upset with whoever he was on the phone with.
“Bruce, for the last time, I’m not moving back into the manor. Yes, I know I always have a room there, but I don’t need it. I’m an adult.”
Jon stepped around Jason, jingling the keys to get his attention and laying them on the counter. Jason gave him a thumbs up as Jon tossed his jacket on the sofa and went to change into some sweatpants. He paused as Jason entered the room, turning the lights off leading up to the room. He wedged his phone between his shoulder and ear, dropping his pants and pulling on some boxer shorts. Jon flushed, turning away and tossing his shirt in the hamper.
“Look, Bruce, it’s late, Jon’s going to bed, I’m not gonna stay up and argue with you. Good night.”
Jason tossed his phone to the side with frustration and sighed, running his hands through his hair. He looked flustered, his cheeks slightly red and his eyes tired. He moved somewhat sluggishly, groaning as he stretched his arms above his head. Jon settled onto the mattress, choosing to lay closer to the edge than normal.
“Everything okay?” Jon asked.
“Family stresses me out. A lot of crap about staying in contact and whatever.” Jason flopped back on the mattress. “What’re you so far away for?”
“Huh? Oh, I just, I thought you might want some more space. You know, since I, like, accosted you last night.”
“Oh. I mean, I thought that was kind of nice, honestly. Comfortable.”
Jon blinked in surprise, watching as Jason’s ears tinged pink. They were silent for a moment before Jon timidly inched closer to Jason, who turned towards him, looking away shyly.
“You’re sure this is okay?” Jon whispered.
Jason answered by gingerly pulling the drawstrings of Jon’s sweatpants. He gasped, moving even closer and blushing scarlet as Jason settled in next to him.
“You wanna get the light? You’re closer.”
Jon cleared his throat nervously, reaching behind him to flip off the desk lamp beside the mattress. He froze as he turned back to face Jason, their faces inches apart. Jason’s face was tinted red by the neon billboard outside the window, turning his green eyes a muddy colour and cutting their normal intensity. It helped Jon to not lose his marbles in the moment. He didn’t move, even as Jason leaned over him, bracing his arm beside his head.
“Is… this okay?” Jason sounded nervous.
“I-I’m not sure. I think so?”
“You think so?”
“I mean, only one way to find out.”
Jon smiled as Jason cracked a laugh, shaking his head. It was a short kiss, but it felt like a damn millenia to Jon. Those Hollywood movies had it right; fireworks, cloud nine, the butterflies? Jon had it all as Jason curled around him, kissing him like he was starving for it. Jon gripped at Jason’s elbows, trying to gain some leverage as he was drowning in kisses. He gasped in a breath as Jason moved to his neck, shivering at the wandering hands. Jon felt his heart hammering in his chest along with the strange empty feeling as his anxiety flared. His throat tightened and he quickly scrambled to press his hands against Jason’s chest, patting softly.
“Whoa, okay, can we like, um…”
“Slow down?”
“Y-yeah. Sorry.”
Jason sounded like he ran a marathon, breathing harshly. He propped himself up on his side, giving Jon space.
“Don’t be sorry. I kinda… jumped into that. I should be sorry.”
“Well, I mean… It’s not that I didn’t like it, it- I just-”
“It’s fine, Jon. It’s okay. You don’t have to explain.”
Jon swallowed, feeling insecure despite Jason’s gentle smile.
“You wanna just go to bed?”
Jon hesitated, Jason’s breathing was still ragged, and Jon could see the shine on his mouth. He glanced down at himself, and then back at Jason, swallowing his insecurity.
“Maybe… If we just like, take it slower then…”
Jason looked somewhat surprised, a slight smile forming on his face. He let Jon come to him this time, welcoming him to lean over him the same way.
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