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Jason’s tired as all hell when he’s rudely awoken by Tim yelling and throwing a parcel at him. Luckily it doesn’t land on his face, which now feels like one huge bruise thanks to getting punched in both eyes last night. It sure feels like his eyes are puffy, and probably a dark colour already, despite Alfred’s best bruise soothers. There’s really not much you can do for two black eyes at once. He’s not looking forward to checking the mirror to shave when he’s finally awake. The parcel lies in his lap, mocking him with its plain brown paper packaging, and smudged address label. Jason gingerly sits up, shivering as the covers fall down to his lap, and sighing when the clock tells him it’s barely past eight am. He’d only fallen into his amazingly comfortable bed at five, and three hours sleep is not enough, especially when it’s a Saturday.
Sighing again, he carefully opens the thick padded envelope, only to stare at the contents. And then he stares some more. Because he didn’t order this. And the company certainly didn’t send it to him, because the secret civilian identities of the Bats and Birds are, well, secret. So, there is no explanation as to why a Bluebird themed vibrator is sitting in its packaging with a figure dressed in a highly inaccurate version of his uniform smirking up at him, a speech bubble claiming that ‘the bluebird of happiness gives satisfaction, guaranteed!’
Shaking the now empty envelope for some sign of who the hell sent him a gag gift (Artemis wouldn’t waste money on buying him one. The most she’d do is link him in a text. Bizarro doesn’t even know sex toys exist, and if anyone tells him, Jason will put them in traction) leads to a further horrifying revelation. Because the universe loves to laugh at Jason, and the fact that his vigilante identity has a sex toy to its name isn’t enough, oh no, there has to be more. Because the receipt reveals that it’s not a gag gift.
Because Dick bought it.
Jason’s youngest foster brother isn’t the type to buy gag gifts; he’s more a handmade booklet of coupons type of guy. The coupons tend to be things like ‘Won’t Barge Into Your Room When You Have Friends Over For (At Minimum) Three Hours, Will Do Your Laundry With No Whining At Least Once (1) A Month, or One (1) Five (5) Minute Hug, No Questions Asked!’ No, there’s no way Dick bought this as a gag gift. (Roy Harper, that little shit, totally would though, and Jason Does Not Approve of the way Harper looks at Dick when he thinks no one is looking.)
Which means he bought it for himself. And Jason absolutely can’t think about that because his sixteen year old foster brother is sixteen. Jason’s absolutely not thinking about it, but he might be incoherently screaming on the inside where no one but a telepath can hear it, and last he knows, Martian Manhunter is, thankfully, on back on Mars for a visit.
Jason shoves the toy back into the envelope, never so glad that he didn’t rip it open, sealing it back up, and it’s a good job he’s not thinking about it because there’s a knock at the door. Jason drops the parcel to the bed and blinks when Dick shoves his head around the door.
“Hey, Tim gave me your parcel, I think? Because I definitely didn’t order this doorstopper of a book.” Dick waltzes in as if Jason’s silence was permission. Which it wasn’t. And to make matters worse, he’s wearing a brand new Haly’s Circus sweater, the one Jason spent hours tracking down, and paid an extortionate amount for. The one that was meant to be his Christmas present. Well, fuck.
“No.” Jason says, his voice creaking with slow creeping shock. “That’s mine.”
Dick beams at him, all sixteen year old happiness despite everything. “I’m guessing this was for me though?” Dick gestures at the sweater, his fingers trailing over it like it’s precious, which Jason thinks Dick feels it probably is already. “I figured since I saw it, I might as well wear it.”
“Yeah.” Jason has no idea what to say now. ‘No, take it off, that’s for Christmas? You can’t have that incredibly sentimental present early, despite how much you clearly love it.’
“Oh boy, you’re not even slightly awake yet are you? Sorry. Here, have your book and I’ll take that one, since I think it’s mine.” Dick chuckles cutely, rubbing awkwardly at the back of his neck. He slinks forward, holding out Jason’s new book. Dick lifts the parcel containing the sex toy, checking the seal and giving a relieved smile when he sees it’s closed. Oh, if Dick only knew. “Ha, good, you didn’t open it.”
“Why, is it for me?” Jason’s mouth says, while he internally screams at himself to shut up.
“What? Oh, no.” Dick gives him a sheepish smile. Dick holds the parcel behind his back, right at the level of his hips, and Jason wants to freak out about how close that vibrator is to his ass. “...It’s a secret.”
“OK.” Jason says, very carefully not moving a muscle and blinking slowly in an attempt not to lunge at Dick and grab the toy away from him because sixteen!
“Right, I’m gonna let you go back to sleep, and go pout at Tim for mixing up our parcels. Maybe if I do the eyes enough he’ll make us pancakes for breakfast once you get up properly!” Dick gives Jason one of his trademark charm award winning smiles, and backs out of the room, pulling the door closed behind him.
Jason stares at the closed door, feeling the weight of his new book on the bed. He closes his eyes; flops back into his lovely soft pillow, and very definitely does not turn over and scream into it. Even though he really wants to.
***
Jason pulls into the parking space, adjusting his sunglasses. They mostly cover the bruising over his eyes, but they also weigh heavy on his also sore nose. He takes his keys out of the ignition and sighs. Sitting next to him, Dick turns to look at him with a slight frown on his face. Jason doesn’t know what he’s got to frown about; he’s the one who’s tagging along on Jason’s shopping trip. Not for the first time, Jason curses Bruce’s sense of timing in going away before Christmas to some tropical island with Selina. If he was still here he could have taken Dick on the shopping trip. Instead it’s Jason, because Dick had pouted and claimed he couldn’t very well go shopping with Alfred for Alfred’s own gift. Which had put Jason in a tough spot because he’d already told everyone he’d got the families’ gifts, so clearly he wouldn’t be shopping for Dick’s right now. (Jason wishes he hadn’t bragged. This is karma in action.)
“OK, so we should probably split up to buy whatever, right?” Jason says, hoping that Dick will agree. The way Dick’s frown increases tells him Dick probably won’t.
“That’s no fun!” Dick shakes his head, reaching into his bag and bringing out a tube of... Concealer? “We never get to hang out anymore, Jay. Let’s shop together.”
While Jason’s trying to think of a good reason why they shouldn’t, apart from the truth of course, Dick’s opened the tube and reached over with a gentle hand to grip Jason’s chin. “Uh. What the fuck?”
“You’ve been rubbing at your eyes while you were driving.” Dick says, twisting in his seat to face Jason better. Jason glances down at his hands, and yeah, there’s smudges of the concealer he’d put over his bruises before he left the house. “Let me fix that for you. Can’t have you going into all the stores looking like an abuse victim. It’ll make the news.”
“I think the paps have more interesting things to report on than us Christmas shopping.” Jason huffs, but he stays still as Dick swipes a thin layer of makeup over his bruised eyes with gentle, careful fingers. Dick leans in close as he works, the tip of his tongue poking out. His eyes are wide and focused on Jason’s. It’s enough to make Jason’s heart start to beat faster. If Dick does have a crush and he’s this close... Jason doesn’t know what he’d do if Dick went in for a kiss. It’s so damn awkward.
Before he can decide what he should do if Dick did, he leans back. “Done! You look much better now.” Dick grins, capping the tube of makeup and dropping it back in his bag. “More hung over rich kid than punching bag, now.”
“I don’t look like a rich kid!” Jason protests automatically. Bruce might have fostered him, but at heart Jason’s a street kid to the bone. Everyone says so. Bluebird is known for being from the streets. It’s Jason’s thing!
“In those shades, you do.” Dick beams at him, tapping him on the nose like he’s some sort of cute dog. “And once you get a cup of coffee in your hand while we’re shopping? Hung. The hell. Over.”
“Steal some tires, they said. It’ll feed you for a month, they said.” Jason sighs, thumping his head back onto the head rest. “I regret everything in my life that brought me to this point.”
“No, no you don’t.” Dick sounds far smugger than he has any right to. “Now, come on, Jay! I need your help picking out something good for Alfred.”
Dick bounds out of the car with far too much enthusiasm for a teenager this early in the morning, knocking the door closed with a solid thump. Jason takes a few breaths to centre himself before opening his own door and stepping out. Dick’s standing a few feet away, excitedly waiting for him, eagerness to get going shining in his blue eyes. (Jason doesn’t remember them being that blue before. Must be a weird trick of the light.) “Alright, alright. I’m coming.” Jason presses the keyfob to lock the car, automatically running his fingers over the pocket that has his wallet in it.
Dick grins wider and bounces on the balls of his feet, a motion that he nearly always does on patrol, not that he and Jason have patrolled together in a while. Dick’s right that they haven’t hung out in too long, really. Jason should probably make sure they get set up in the rotation at least once in the next month. “So! What did you get Alfred? I don’t want to accidentally get the same thing as you.”
“A teaset, and a first edition Jason Austen.” Jason says, watching as Dick walks backwards in front of him. “So, not something you’re gonna buy accidentally, Dickie.”
“Ooh, no. Probably not.” Dick taps at his chin with two fingers thoughtfully. “Tim got him a coat, and Damian got some fancy old cookbook. I’m kind of stuck, to be honest. I don’t know what else he likes apart from tea and old books.”
“Something practical but also luxurious?” Jason shrugs, tilting his head as Dick spins on his heel to avoid a pillar. “He doesn’t pamper himself enough, but if it’s practical, he’ll like it even more.”
“Fancy slippers? I think his old ones are getting a bit... Tatty, I think he called them?” Dick says, his voice going up at the end as he tries to mimic Alfred’s accent and doesn’t quite succeed.
“There you go then.” Jason shrugs, grabbing the door to the shopping mall. “You didn’t need me at all.”
“That’s not true.” Dick says, slipping through the door under Jason’s arm. “You were super helpful, Jay!”
“Holy fuck...” Jason breathes out, because in contrast to the absolutely deserted parking lot, the mall is heaving with bodies. “I thought coming out early would avoid the crowds.”
“It’s four days to Christmas, Jay. Of course it’s busy.” Dick grins at him, linking their arms.
“Uh. What the fuck?” Jason stares down at Dick, for a second panicking that Dick thinks they’re on a date or something.
“So we don’t lose each other in the crowds!” Dick says, with absolutely no guile on his face. “It’s this, or holding hands.”
Jason pulls his arm away from Dick’s, annoyed that he’s right. He looks away into the crowd and then back at Dick who seems not to care at all that Jason just moved away. Sighing, Jason takes Dick’s hand in his, ignoring the small smile that appears on Dick’s face. “You know what we actually need? One of those child harness things. We could strap you in, and then I wouldn’t lose you when you dash off to look at something.”
“I think you’re confusing me with Biz again.” Dick says, shaking his head. “I know you love being his clone daddy, but I can walk by myself. Promise.”
“I do not.” Jason says automatically. Except... “OK, yes, I kinda do love being his dad. Shut up.”
They weave their way through the crowds, ducking into some offshoot store from Saville Row, one that Jason knows Alfred favours because he buys his aftershave there. Dick finds a fancy pair of black slippers, embroidered with the store’s logo and with a heavy duty rubber sole suitable for outside, with memory foam insoles that look a lot like the traditional type Alfred wears. If Dick was energetic before he finished his Christmas shopping, he’s practically bouncing off the walls now, and Jason’s hand holding his is pretty much the only thing that does stop them getting separated.
Jason pulls Dick into a much less expensive store, desperately trying to think what he could get him. His eye’s drawn to a rack of scarves, one in Dick’s favourite blue colour. “What do you think?”
Dick wrinkles his nose; and Jason’s annoyed by how cute he finds it. “Well, I mean the colour’s nice, but I wouldn’t wear it. But then again it’s for Biz, right? He’ll love it. Or whatever you give him, because he loves his clone daddy too.” Dick smirks, and Jason throws the scarf at him. “Ew, no!”
“Rude, but accurate I guess.” Jason sighs, looking around for anything that Dick might actually want. “OK, seriously, is there anything in here you think is OK?”
“Uh... Honestly, not really?” Dick shrugs, looking slightly apologetic. “It’s all plain and classy. Nothing in here is fun enough for me. But, you’re not buying anything for me, so it doesn’t matter.”
“Right, I forgot I was talking to Mr. Hot Pink Hawaiian Shirt with Neon Yellow Shorts is a perfect outfit for a moment.”Jason shakes his head, his sunglasses slipping down his nose with the motion. Dick puts the scarf back on the rack, and with his now free hand pushes them up Jason’s nose. “Not enough colour for you in here, Dickie.”
***
Jason’s finally shopping on his own, and he’s got something for everyone but Bizarro and Dick now. Artemis had been easy, the exiled Amazon doesn’t really celebrate the holidays, so all Jason had to do was wander into one of the high end Chocolatier’s and drop a painful hundred dollars on fancy chocolates for her. (He’d winced when he saw the prices, back in the day a hundred dollars would feed him and his mom for well over a month...)
Sitting in a cafe while taking a break from shopping, Jason re-evaluates his methods. The shopping trip with Dick hadn’t been a complete waste of time; Jason had noticed the things that Dick’s eyes lingered on. But all of those things feel impersonal for some reason. Generic, maybe. Certainly something that anyone else who knows him could buy for Dick.
And Jason doesn’t want to get Dick something generic. Not after he spent all that time getting that damn sweater that Dick will only take off to either replace with his Robin uniform, his pyjamas, or a Christmas sweater when Alfred really coaxes him to. And by coaxes, Jason means bribes with chocolate chip cookies right out of the over, the lucky little so-and-so. Jason doesn’t get oven fresh cookies anymore.
Because if Dick does have a crush on him, well... It’s not like Jason can take him out on a date, can he? (Can he? Can he actually though? It’s a question that keeps rattling around his skull. Maybe just maybe, he could.) The very least Jason can do, however is buy him something thoughtful, meaningful, something that doesn’t necessarily return Dick’s feelings, but acknowledges them? Something that says ‘Not Yet’ rather than ‘No’.
But then again, something that conceptual isn’t an easy buy. He can’t walk into a store and ask for it. Jason stares down at his eggnog latte and decides he’s overthinking it. He’s done thoughtful with the sweater; now he just needs something to go under the tree for Dick, and something fun for Biz.
Fun for Biz means going into a Toy Store. Which is pretty much unfamiliar territory for Jason, but he walks into one that has a brightly lit display with a wide range of options. He finds himself standing in front a wall of soft, fluffy plush toys. The kind that he’d never had the money for as a kid. He settles on a massive light coloured dog for Bizarro, and he’s about to head out to pay when he spots the perfect thing for Dick.
A three foot, perfect replica of an elephant in the softest grey plush. It’s got white tusks made from probably-not-real-leather, and the kindest eyes and smile Jason’s seen on a non-living thing. It’s a struggle getting both massive toys to the checkout, and Jason refuses to look at the price when he takes his card out to pay; but looking at both of the toys in their massive carrier bags, he knows he’s done well.
***
The day of Christmas Eve Eve, by agreement of pretty much everyone, is spent with their teams. Mostly because given the nature of superheroing, Christmas Eve tends to be stupidly busy; and of course for those who celebrate it, Christmas Day is to be spent with their families. Which is why Jason’s sitting in the common room of Titans Tower, having a small little thing with Bizarro and Artemis; since his team only has the three members, including him. Artemis had actually given him a nice, pleased smile when he’d presented her with the chocolates. Bizarro had taken the huge dog and promptly shoved his face into the fur, and even after ten minutes, hasn’t really surfaced.
Artemis had given Jason a promise of a one-on-one training session with Wonder Woman, which is been pretty much the best gift Jason’s ever been given. Bizarro had shyly given Jason a handmade, knitted infinity scarf, streaked through with the blues from his uniform. It’s not perfect, there are lumps and bumps in it, but it’s warm and Jason can wrap it around his neck twice to keep his nose and ears warm, and that’s more than enough for him. It’s currently sitting in his lap as he and Artemis are attempting to hash out the playlist for the New Year’s Eve Eve party. (Held a day early just like Christmas.)
“I still don’t know why we can’t just spar instead of dancing.” Artemis says, not sighing, but her tone heavily implies she wants to.
“Because New Year’s Eve parties don’t have fights.” Jason does sigh, because he’s not holding himself to the image of a stoic warrior. Although, thinking back to when he was a kid growing up in Park Row... “Well, not unless you’re drunk. And we’re not allowed booze because minors.”
“Which is ridiculous! Not everyone on the junior teams is under twenty one.” Artemis huffs, shaking her head so that her long red ponytail swishes on the floor behind her.
“Most of us are, so... No booze.” Jason shrugs. Personally he wouldn’t mind a drink on New Year’s Eve, but then again, Bizarro’s barely more than a year old, and he looks old enough not to get carded in a liquor store, so maybe they’ll be able to sneak in a single bottle for just them.
“Mmm.” Artemis rolls her eyes, leaning forward to rest her chin on her hand, elbow on the table. “And you’re distracted. You’re written Despacito down on the playlist three times in a row. What’s going on?”
“I meant to do that.” Jason sniffs. He hadn’t meant to do that. He actually hadn’t meant to write Despacito at all, but it’s there now, so... “I’m not distracted.”
“Do you want to try that again, or do I need to pull Bizarro’s face out of his toy dog so he can give you puppy dog eyes?” Artemis says, clearly not buying Jason’s attempt at brushing off his worries about Dick’s possible crush.
Bizarro makes a whining noise, pushing his face in deeper to the back of the dog’s body. If he wants to keep his face in there then the look he’ll give Jason will be absolutely heartbreaking.
“Ugh, fine.” Jason groans, throwing down his pen. Fatherhood sucks. “It’s just... Stupid.”
“I am surprised by that.” Artemis says, her face about as unsurprised as it ever gets. “That’s utterly surprising.”
“So, I ordered Robin’s Christmas present online.” Jason says ignoring Artemis’ subtle mocking. “Only there was a mix up with the parcels, and he got mine, with my present for him in it, and I got his.”
“And you need to get him a new one?” Artemis asks, raising one eyebrow. Which, to be fair, was an issue before Jason went shopping.
“Nah, I sorted that out.” Jason lifts a hand to scrub it over his face, trying to carefully pick his wording. “It’s what was in his parcel that’s the problem. I opened it and there was a Bluebird... Toy. Inside.”
“A Bluebird toy.” Artemis repeats, staring at Jason blankly. Well, when Jason puts it that way, it doesn’t exactly sound anything to worry about.
“Yeah...” Jason winces, closing his eyes at the unwanted memory of the vibrator. He makes a jerking off gesture. “A toy.”
“Oh, that kind of toy.” Artemis hums, a thoughtful look on her face. “Now, that is genuinely surprising.”
“Me am want a Blue-Him toy!” Bizarro says, pulling his face out of his toy dog and looking up at Jason with wide eyes.
“Uh...” Jason fidgets, wondering how he’s going to explain this to Biz. Oh god, is he going to have to put himself in traction? Is he going to have to put Artemis in traction? Not that he could, but he could try...
“I’m not sure the Bluebird action figure is actually out on the market yet, Bizarro.” Artemis says, patting Biz on the shoulder. Jason’s never felt so grateful to anyone in his life.
“Blue-Him has an action figure?” Bizarro says, his little gray face lit up with a hopeful smile. “Me am want a Blue-Him action figure!”
“You know what buddy? You promise not to eat all the party food for the party before it begins, and I’ll see if I can get you an action figure of me, ok? Hell, I’ll even throw in Wonder Girl and you, if I can.” And Jason’ll do it if he has to fucking commission the making of the three of them himself.
“How many times must I tell you not to call me Wonder Girl.” Artemis throws a glare at him.
Jason just smiles and shrugs. “Probably a few hundred times more.”
“Me am not eat any party food before party.” Bizarro nods seriously, and then face plants right back into his dog. Jason can’t help but grin at that. At least he got Bizarro the right gift.
“Could it have been a gag gift?” Artemis says, once she’s sure Bizarro isn’t going to surface again.
“Robin’s not the type. He’s more of a coupon or gift card giver.” Jason says, his shoulders slumping. “I can’t think of any reason he might buy one except, uh... The intended purpose.”
“You’re worried he wants the real thing?” Artemis is trying to bite back a smirk, not all that successfully.
“Shouldn’t I be? I mean, he could have picked anyone to buy a... An action figure of, but he chose me. Doesn’t that mean something?” Jason stares down at the table top, before risking a glance at Artemis. She’s stopped smirking, and appears to be giving the idea serious thought.
“Have you talked to him about it?” Artemis, reaches back and pulls her long red hair over her shoulder, flicking her fingers through it. “It’s possible it’s a misunderstanding.”
“No, I pretended I hadn’t opened it.” Jason winces at the memory. “I was kinda sleep deprived when it happened. I barely even had a chance to process what was going on before Robin ran in to grab his parcel.”
“So, it’s not a gag gift. Or if it is, it’s probably not for you.” Artemis says slowly, considering all options. “But you’re right, that’s not a very Robin thing to do. It does imply that he bought it for himself.”
“Right?” Jason says, feeling a faint edge of panic about to consume him.
“And you are the least likely candidate for an ...Action figure that Robin would want to buy if it’s just to play with it.” Artemis flicks at a lock of hair like a cellist does a string, before smirking. “I mean, I can think of at least five heroes better suited to be interested in off the top of my head.”
“Yeah, thanks, Artemis.” Jason can feel his hackles rise, especially when Artemis smirks again. “So you think that he...”
“Wants the real thing?” Artemis finishes for him when Jason trails off. She leans back and tosses her hair back over her shoulder.
“Yeah.” Jason nods, swallowing a little harder than he really should. He’s not sure if he wants Artemis to tell him he’s being completely delusional and all the little hints he’s picked up on in the last week are all in his head, or agree that Dick might have a thing for him.
“I mean he does idolise you.” Artemis hums again, a distant look in her eyes. “Mostly when you’re not looking, or are even around. He’s always trying so hard to prove himself to you when you are around. I suppose it’s not a huge leap to assume he might have feelings.”
“Little Bird likes Blue-Him.” Bizarro’s voice is muffled, but there’s no mistaking that it’s a statement not a question. “Me am think Blue-Him should take Robin dancing.”
“You know, I think Bizarro’s right.” Artemis says, leaning over to pat Bizarro’s shoulder again.
“What?” Jason stares at her, feeling utterly lost.
“If he doesn’t like you, he won’t want to dance, Jason.” Artemis shrugs. “At least then you’ll know, right?”
***
Christmas Day itself starts fairly late in Wayne Manor, since pretty much everyone who sleeps there, apart from Alfred, tends to rise late. It’s not the first year that Bruce won’t be around, but it is the first year that it’s a deliberate choice, not an unfortunate side effect of crime fighting. Bruce is off having a nice time on his tropical island with Selina, now that he’s retired and Damian is Batman. Because Bruce is Absent With Leave, it’s fallen to Alfred to be totally in charge of everything, and he’s taken the opportunity to make everyone try some of the traditions that Bruce usually vetoes.
So, on Christmas Eve, Alfred had taken them all into the parlour, letting them pick out one single small present from under the tree to open. The way Dick’s eyes had lit up at the prospect of getting a present early had stopped both Tim and Damian’s protests, especially when Dick had scrambled under the tree to pick them out for everyone, his ass stuck in the air while he was on his knees. (Jason had respectfully stared at the star treetopper until Dick had resurfaced.)
The evening had ended with Alfred bringing out the mince pies and a jug of cream. Steaming hot, and served with cream, he’d convinced everyone to at least try them. Jason had slid his fork into the small pie, eyeing it suspiciously until he’d put it in his mouth; flaky pastry, followed by sweet cinnamon and nutmeg-spiced sultanas and raisins, citrus peel, and the smooth taste of cream. He’d eaten the whole thing in three bites before he’d even realised it. Dick had shoved the whole thing into his mouth in one, his cheeks puffed up like a chipmunk. Tim was the only one who took one bite and then politely declined the rest. Jason didn’t see Damian’s reaction since he was too busy watching Dick struggle to chew and swallow without dropping any, but the rare smile he gave Alfred was a good sign that he liked them.
Tim makes pancakes for Christmas Morning breakfast. Dick looks adorable in his Christmas Robin sweater, an oversized thing that makes him look far younger than he really is. Despite how sleepy Damian and Jason are, the morning passes peacefully, watching cartoons while Alfred cooks. Dick spends the entire looking over at the tree and all the presents under it in between the action. It’s obvious he’s itching to get his hands on them, but Alfred had insisted no presents until after lunch.
Lunch is as delicious as Jason expected it to be, although it feels strange to have duckfat roasted potatoes instead of mash, and these weird little green not-cabbages cooked in bacon that Jason can’t decide if he likes or not. He can’t really complain though, as he got to annoy Damian with the pigs in blankets. As a vegetarian, Damian had a completely separate meal, but Jason didn’t let that stop him from wafting the delicious bacon wrapped sausages in his face. (Petty? Yes. Deserved? Also yes.) By the time dessert was ready, Jason was stuffed full of turkey and trimmings. Luckily Alfred knows his charges, and everyone tucks into an ice cream dessert with shards of chocolate interspersed within. There’s even mince pies for those with room left.
Eventually Alfred lets them go back into the parlour, and Dick lunges for the presents the second he’s inside the door. He looks ecstatic to be organising the presents into piles by recipient. “Alfred should go first, since he’s the oldest.” Dick says, kneeling up to bring them over.
“Perhaps we could take it in turns?” Alfred says, amused as Dick puts his entire pile in his lap, like some sort of reverse Santa.
“Nope!” Dick beams widely at him. “All at once!” There’s a slightly manic gleam to his eyes that apparently nobody wants to argue with, so Alfred carefully unwraps his presents, The slippers that Dick got him, which gets a very pleased nod, the coat from Tim, the teaset and first edition Jane Austen from Jason, a five year long pass to the Monarch Theatre from Bruce, and the cookbook from Damian.
“Well, I must say, that’s quite a haul.” Alfred says, looking thoroughly pleased. He runs his fingers over all of his gifts, the smile on his face not wavering. “But I think it’s somebody else’s turn now.”
Dick hands Damian his presents. Jason pays attention only long enough to the stack Damian’s been given to check that he likes the sketchbooks Jason found for him. (Various sized sketchbooks from pocket to full portrait sized bound in vegan leather.) Damian has presents from not just the family, but also Clark, and Jon Kent, Damian’s former Flamebird, and the former Batgirl, now Spoiler, Stephanie.
Jason’s too busy patting his overly stuffed belly and revelling in being full and warm, surrounded by people who aren’t trying to fight each other for once, to pay attention while Tim opens his, because he’s got presents from Clark, his Superboy, Kon and his Batgirl, Cassandra, too. He’s feeling cozy and a little sleepy by the time Dick comes over with his own stack.
“Your turn Jay!” Dick’s beaming up at him, and suddenly Jason’s fully awake. He’s sitting at Jason’s ankles, barely touching his knees because of all the presents in his arms and Jason’s trying to fight off the image of Dick sitting there, about to put that smile to a totally different use. “I hope you like them...”
“I’m sure I will, Dickie.” Jason manages to say without being too strained. He really needs to stop thinking about Dick like that. It’s getting worse and worse. Jason takes the present from the top of the pile, ripping the wrapping off. The label says it’s from Tim, and it’s a perfectly nice, if a little boring wallet. Not something that had a lot of thought put into it, but that’s about par the course for his and Tim’s relationship. “Thanks Tim, my old one was getting worn out, so this is great.”
Tim waves him off, nose stuck in his phone, texting one of his friends. Jason hears Alfred sigh quietly in disappointment, but Jason’s moving on to the next in the pile. It’s a small box, a joint thing from Damian and Bruce, and inside is a set of keys. Jason looks up at him in surprise. “Don’t crash it, Todd.” Damian says with a smirk. “It might not be brand new or top spec, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth looking after.”
“You guys got me a car.” Jason says, switching from looking at Damian and the keys. “Wait, this is for...”
“The car I’ve been fixing up all year? Yes.” Damian shrugs, hiding his smile behind a fake bored look. “And if you even think of getting up and hugging me, I’ll take it back.”
“I’m gonna sit right here, and not move I promise.” Jason says, awed. Damian’s spent hours and hours on that car. Jason remembers him losing his temper over parts not being an easy fix more than once. “Thank you.”
Alfred gives him a new set of Shakespeare’s Collected Works, and Jason grins at him, knowing they’ll spend a few hours reading them together. Last comes Dick’s present, and Jason’s heart is nearly in his mouth as he reaches for it.
“I hope you like it, Jay!” Dick says, almost vibrating on the spot. Jason opens the large, light box pulling out the paper inside, looking for the contents. Eventually his hand hits the bottom, and he takes out a thin booklet. It’s Dick’s signature handmade coupon book. He flicks though it, noting the usual ones, and feels weirdly torn. On the one hand it’s pretty much exactly what he wanted from Dick... But on the other, he realises he’s been hoping for something more.
“It’s great, Dick. Thanks.” Jason pulls on his best smile to cover his confusion, patting Dick on the head. “And this means it’s your turn.”
Dick gives him an odd look for a second, but his enthusiasm for his own gifts wins. He moves over to the presents by the tree, ripping the paper off with abandon. Jason stares at the coupon booklet while Dick goes through his presents from everyone else (a leather jacket from Tim, dancing lessons from Damian, a plain black scarf from Bruce and a box of speciality from Alfred.) He flicks to the last coupon, ‘Exchange This For Your Real Christmas Present Later!’ feeling a smile pull across his face. He looks up just in time to Dick to unwrap his elephant.
Dick’s unabashed yells of joy, the way he hugs the elephant, before dragging it over to Jason so he can hug them both, makes it the best Christmas Jason’s ever had. That Dick continues hugging them both throughout the ‘Call The Midwife Christmas Special’ Alfred persuades them to watch is just the perfect cherry on the cake.
***
Jason stretches his legs out by his favourite gargoyle, the matt black of his suit blending in with the shadows nicely. The only part that might catch anyone’s eye is the reflective blue bird on the back of his jacket, but since that’s pressed against a wall right now, Jason has nothing to worry about.
“There you are!” Dick’s head pops around the corner with a wide smile on his face. “I’ve got break snacks, you want to share?”
“Depends.” Jason says slowly, frowning a little because Dick was meant to be on patrol on the other side of the city tonight, wasn’t he?
“It’s Agent A’s turkey sandwiches.” Dick interrupts him, holding up a clear baggie holding two of the coveted sandwiches. “Don’t tell Batman or Redbird!”
“Gimme.” Jason demands, holding out an arm and making grabbing movements with his hand. Dick grins and moves along the rooftop ledge. His yellow cape swings back, and Jason realises that something very important is missing.
“Robin... What the fuck happened to your pants?” Jason stares at the missing green leggings that he knows Dick had been wearing when he left the cave tonight.
“I took them off. They were getting irritating.” Dick shrugs, sitting down next to Jason and passing him a sandwich from the bag. Jason eats his in four perfect, delicious, hungry bites. Dick finishes his off in six bites, but then, Jason has more practice at eating on patrol, having been a sidekick for two more years than Dick.
“Don’t you want functioning nerve endings in your legs?” Jason says, staring at the even-in-winter tan skin.
“My legs are fine!” Dick says, making a hushing gesture. “Everyone says so. I even got some compliments tonight!”
“What? Who?” Jason sits up, planning on causing some pain. No one should be staring at Dick’s legs! “I’ll break their legs, see how they like it!”
Dick laughs, leaning over and pushing Jason back to the wall. “It’s the festive season; you should be feeling the goodwill toward your fellow man.” He leans his shoulder into Jason’s.
“The goodwill is me not breaking their faces too.” Jason grumbles, still staring at all the bare flesh with no protection from the elements or the cold. “Seriously, how are you not cold?”
“Mmm. Because you’re hot, Bluebird.” Dick says snuggling under Jason’s arm so that his jacket falls over his shoulders.
Jason takes a moment to breathe and not choke on his tongue. Dick just meant that as Jason runs warm temperature-wise, right. That was not flirting. “This is a blatant attempt to get my jacket because you are actually cold and regretting losing the pants, right?”
“Ooops, you caught me.” Dick chuckles, ducking his head into Jason’s chest, pulling his jacket around him more. It’s not loose enough to cover them both, and Jason finds that his arm is moving around Dick to hug him without his express permission.
“For fuck’s sake, Robin.” Jason sighs, holding him tighter. “Put some damn pants on.”
***
Glancing around the room, Jason checks that everyone’s having a good time at the New Year’s Eve party (unfortunately delayed a day,). Biz is happy on the dance floor, although Jason wouldn’t call what he’s doing dancing, exactly; more like wild flailing in time to the beat. But it makes Bizarro happy, so Jason’s not going to say anything. Artemis is surrounded by a gaggle of young female superheroes, all enthralled by her tales of past adventures. She’s also pretty heavily flirting with Stephanie, who from the blush on her face doesn’t mind as much as Jason thought she might. Stephanie’s meant to be chaperoning the younger members. Jason’s not sure if he wants to wish her luck or warn her that Stephanie’s nowhere near the easy mark Artemis thinks she is.
Everywhere Jason looks, people are enjoying the music and the food that had taken so long to organise; so he takes the opportunity to refill his glass and escape from the warmth of the party to the balcony outside. Christmas Day had been blissfully peaceful and quiet, but the day after Gotham had of fucking course erupted into all out chaos with a full Arkham jailbreak, (because the Joker couldn’t help himself, and had to try and ruin the holidays for everyone because he was still pissed after an entire year that Bruce had retired, and that Damian wasn’t as fun a Batman to play with, apparently.) It had taken all of the Bats and GCPD the last five days to bring order back again. Jason hasn’t really had any time to himself since waking up on the 26th to the news that they had to go into the field immediately.
Jason closes the balcony door behind him, blocking out the noise of the party, and sighing a heavy breath of relief as he’s finally alone. Glass of non-alcoholic champagne in hand, because Bizarro had refused to buy any real booze for Artemis and him; Jason wanders over to the stone bench and sits down, feeling the chill seep through his pants, cooling him down from the almost stuffy atmosphere of the party. He tilts his head back to rest on the wall behind him and basks in the solitude of not having to do anything or even think, for a solid five minutes, until the balcony door opens quietly. The near soundless footsteps make their way over to him and even without opening his eyes, Jason knows it’s Dick who’s sitting down next to him on the bench.
“You still haven’t redeemed your ‘Real Christmas Present’ coupon yet.” Dick says, cheerfully. He’s in good spirits, a smile on his face, and a slight bounce to his knee, but he sounds as tired as Jason feels.
“What?” Jason opens his eyes, turning his head to look at Dick in the near darkness. It takes Jason a few moments to remember what Dick’s talking about. “Oh. Right, no, I haven’t. It’s been stupid busy... I don’t think I’ve even got it on me. Must have left it back home.”
“No, it’s fine...” Dick pauses, fidgeting, and Jason realises he’s got a gift box in his hand. “Um, I want to give this to you before it’s next year though. So, here.”
Dick shoves the small but bulky box at Jason, the bright red silk ribbon catching what little light there is out here. “My real Christmas present, huh?” He slides the ribbon off, and with a click, opens the box lid. Inside is a watch, and just from a glance Jason can tell it’s a pricey one. The red leather strap looks soft and supple, and the black face has glowing red numerals and hands; and heavy duty crystal covering it, the kind that doesn’t scratch, making this watch perfect for wearing every day. He takes it out of the box, sliding it around his wrist, doing it up. It fits well, and is even more comfortable that he thought it would be. “It’s awesome, Dickie. Thank you.”
“Of course. I mean, red is your favourite colour, and you kind of hate checking the time on your phone, I noticed.” Dick reaches out to gently touch it on Jason’s wrist. He’s right; Jason does hate having to fish his phone out of his pocket just to check the time. “The back’s engraved, by the way. Um. Read it at home, maybe?”
“Why shouldn’t I read it now?” Jason says, making to undo the strap even as Dick tries to smack his hands away.
“No! It’s private!” Dick blurts out, managing to cover the strap so Jason can’t undo it.
“It’s a private message to me, but I’m not allowed to read now?” Jason can’t help but grin. “OK, now I’m intrigued.”
Harper slams through the door before Jason can ask why he should wait to read the inscription, clearly a little drunk, the lucky little bastard. “One minute till the countdown, guys! You should come back in!” As quickly as he arrived Harper’s gone again, shouting out the time to whoever will listen.
“You wanna head inside?” Jason says, even though he doesn’t actually want to.
“Um... Not yet.” Dick says, ducking his head down. “I get the feeling if I go in now, Roy’ll try to kiss me at midnight.”
Jason stills, fighting off every impulse that tells him to go punch Harper in the mouth. Or at least, to lock him in a broom closet somewhere, so he can’t kiss Dick. “And you don’t want him to?”
“No. I don’t want to kiss Roy.” Dick says, sighing heavily. He gets up from the bench and starts pacing the balcony. “I mean, there is someone I want to kiss... But he doesn’t seem interested.”
“Oh.” Jason says, his heart beginning to pound. Is Dick talking about him? Or someone else? “Maybe he just doesn’t know you’re interested?”
“I’ve been flirting with him for over a year!” Dick stops pacing to throw Jason an aggrieved look. “I mean I know he’s older and... But he’s so thoughtful and nice, and we aren’t as close as we could be but...”
The moon comes out from behind a cloud, and in that moment Dick goes from an attractive, cute kid to almost ethereally beautiful young man as the moonlight catches in the shine of his hair, and highlights the planes of his face, and the blue of his eyes. Jason’s heart skips a beat and his lungs stop working for a moment, and he can no longer deny that even if Dick doesn’t have a crush on him, Jason’s falling for Dick.
“But?” Jason says, his heart in his mouth.
“But he’s always doing nice things for me, helping me out.” Dick says, closing his eyes for a second, and the tiredness and sadness show in the way his lip trembles. “And he, he... You bought me that Haly’s sweater, and the elephant, and I know, I know, you probably didn’t mean anything romantic by them, or even see me that way, but I...”
Inside the countdown to midnight starts, with everyone yelling ten. Jason stands up, moving over to Dick, sliding one arm around his waist, the other hand moving up to cup the back of Dick’s neck. “But you?”
“But all I want is...” Dick whispers, standing still and staring up as Jason leans in closer, their foreheads resting on each other. The countdown reaches four and something electric passes between them. Jason feels like the entire world stops revolving while he stares into Dick’s eyes, even as he hears three, two, one!
Their lips meet, and fireworks go off, there’s loud cheering because it’s midnight on New Year’s Eve; it’s like the world tilts off it’s axis as Jason and Dick share a breath; the warmth of their bodies pressing against each other. Dick goes up on his tiptoes to reach easier. It’s magic, better than Jason could ever have imagined, having Dick in his arms. The kiss lingers, their lips unwilling to apart from each other. But eventually they pulls back, flushed and in need of air.
“You.” Dick says, breath a little shaky, in contrast to the tight grip he has on Jason’s shoulders. “All I want for Christmas is you.”
And Jason can’t stop himself. It’s in his head, and he wants to smack himself even as he opens his mouth to sing “Baby~~”, but Dick starts laughing so hard that he tears up, collapsing in Jason’s arms.
“Jason, you...” Dick gasps out, still laughing and clutching at Jason clothes, trying to stand up properly. “Seriously?”
“It’s OK. All I wanted for Christmas was you, too.” Jason grins, helping Dick stand up by pulling him in tight once again. “Baby.”
“I can’t believe you went with a dorky line like that, after that kiss!” Dick sighs, smiling wide and delighted.
“Happy New Year, Dickie.” Jason leans forward to kiss Dick gently once more. “Maybe if we’re lucky, next year we’ll be kissing at midnight again.”