Like Fathers, Like Sons

"Our fathers like each other."

Jon snapped his head up from their game in order to look at Damian. Boredom was evident on his features, while his fingers held onto the chess piece. He put Jon's king in check for the fifth time in a row. Jon scowled. Why was this the only boardgame Damian was willing to play with him? Didn't he know checkers was a great American pastime?

"Yeah," Jon said finally, "They're best friends."

Damian's icy blue eyes glanced in his direction. They rolled off to the side, a sign of what he thought of Jon's intelligence.

"No, you idiot. They like each other."

"You mean....like like?"

"What?"

Jon moved his king away to safety, but it would only be a matter of time until Damian threatened it again. He was relentless in chess. Turns out that a real-life assassin was good at killing imaginary people too.

He thought about what Damian said. As reluctant as he was to admit, Jon himself had wondered the same thing. Their dads tended to fight a lot, but they were also friendly. The friendly moments always seemed really friendly too. Like the kind of friendly that Jon had seen with mom and dad. Plus, he saw the way Mr. Wayne looked at dad at times.

And the way dad looked at Mr. Wayne too.

"Are you saying they like like each other? As in...they wanna kiss?"

It looked like Damian understood now.

"You call it like like? How droll."

"You're a droll!"

Damian ignored Jon's outburst. His knight moved to put Jon in check once more, "It doesn't matter what you call it. They like each other. I bet your father wished he never married your mother."

Jon gritted his teeth. Sometimes Damian said things that made him really mad. But his dad warned him not to let anything the Waynes said get to him. They were hurtful, but never take it personally, he said. Doing so would just end in disaster. His dad's words were the only reason he didn't threaten Damian with heat vision right now.

"My dad loves my mom! Mr. Wayne is just his friend." Moved the piece out of the way. Jon's king was running out of subjects to protect him.

"Just because your dad loves your mom doesn't mean he doesn't also love my father. Love isn't something that's reserve for only one person, you moron."

"But you just said—"

"Yeah, and I meant it. If your dad hadn't married, he wouldn't feel bound by the social constructs of matrimony."

Jon had to work out what his friend had just said.

"You mean he feels guilty liking your dad?" he had to be sure that was what Damian was saying. It was hard sometimes when he insisted on using those big words.

"Father probably feels guilty too. He doesn't take to being a third wheel very easily. I have a feeling he wishes your mother wasn't in the picture."

Jon was upset by Damian saying this, but he wasn't nearly as angry as earlier.

"Are you sure you're not just making things up in your head? What makes you think they like each other like that anyway?"

"It's simple really. They try to hide it from us, but their mannerisms scream more than their words ever will. Remember last night at the Batcave?"

That knight was going after his king again, "What about it?"

"When our fathers were working on the computer. Mine had his hand on the mouse. Your father moved his hand on top of his."

"He was trying to show your dad something."

"And my father was smiling just because?"

"Because he was impressed by what my dad showed him!" Jon insisted. He didn't want to think their dads actually liked each other. It was just..too weird. He rather just deny it, despite the evidence to the contrary.

But Damian wasn't willing to let the subject drop, "Okay. How about when they were sparing?"

"My dad beat yours," Jon said as soon as he got the opportunity to boast, "He pinned yours down."

Damian smirked, "Yep. He did. And he stayed on top of him a long time," the tiny assassin sighed, "Not that my father was trying very hard to get him off. He looked ready to kiss yours at any moment."

"He was just impressed, like he was with the computer. Seriously, Dami. I think you're looking too deeply into this."

"Oh yeah? You want proof? How about my father's gift to yours? He gave him a watch."

Jon smiled at the memory. He had seen the gift too and it was so cool. Apparently, it was a way to get in touch with Batman. Heroes couldn't always trust cell phones, so these extra precautions were always a nice thing.

"That's just to help him. That doesn't mean anything."

"Except father didn't have Mr. Fox make this gadget this time. He wanted to be the one to make it himself," Damian placed Jon in check one final time. The game was over, "Father doesn't make things for people on his own unless he really liked them. Otherwise, he'd just buy them something."

Jon....had trouble arguing this. Truth be told, that did sound a lot like Mr. Wayne. He stayed silent for a long time, thinking over this. The more he thought, the more he realized that Damian had a point. It felt weird to know that his dad loved someone else other than his mom.

Damian seemed to realize he had hit a nerve. They left each other alone for the next few hours. Finally, it was time for Jon to leave with his dad. Clark had just finished a mission with Mr. Wayne and was now ready to get home in time for dinner. He ruffled Jon's hair.

"We better get to flying."

"Dad...."

"Yes?"

Do you like Mr. Wayne? Jon wanted to ask. But his mouth was having trouble moving. Suddenly, Mr. Wayne came into the room with Damian following behind. Damian seemed really embarrassed about something. Clark beamed with a blush on his face.

"Bruce! I thought you were going to—"

"Damian wanted to give Jon something."

Clark paused, "Oh?"

Damian looked flustered as he stared at the ground. Finally, he gave Jon a watch.

"It has a speaker, so we can talk to each other."

"Like ours!" Clark exclaimed, happily. Bruce nodded, looking like ever the professional.

"Damian spent a long time making this."

Jon took a step back, "He made it!"

"Father!"

Bruce turned to Damian, utterly confused at his son's outburst. Jon giggled. Damian's face was a total tomato. He hugged Damian in a tight embrace.

"Thanks!"

Damian stood like a frozen statue. Jon looked up to see Clark hugging Mr. Wayne, who was also a frozen statue, but there was a smile on his face. Jon had a feeling that there was one on Damian' face too.