Thinking more about Damian and Jon going to college together so I wrote a few scenes for fun.
Jon yawned widely. He hadn't managed to get much sleep last night, still not used to having a roommate. A roommate who snored. One would think, with Jon's ability to hear everything, that someone making a loud noise nearby wouldn't make that big of a difference. Turns out it made sleep nearly impossible.
"Rough night?" Cindy asked sympathetically. She was in his morning class, and had run into him outside the main building. "We have time to go grab a coffee before class if you want."
"Thanks, but it's okay. Damian's bringing coffee," Jon said. "He should be here any minute now."
"Oh," she said, looking surprised. "Who is Damian? Your boyfriend?"
"Nah, my best friend," Jon said, scanning the campus for any sign of him. "He's-"
"Already here."
Cindy jumped, but Jon didn't. He turned around to see Damian standing behind them, dressed in a high-collared shirt and a pair of slacks. Too formal for 7:30 at a college campus. He also looked like he'd had enough sleep, the bastard, but Jon forgave him because he came carrying coffee and two small brown bags. Bagels, Jon confirmed by the smell.
Damian gave Jon an unimpressed look. "Here," he said, handing one of the coffees and a bagel over to Jon. "You're wearing your sweatpants inside out."
"Oh." Jon looked down at himself. Damian was right, he had somehow managed not to notice that in his sleepy stupor. If Cindy hadn't been standing beside him, he would have used his super speed to fix it, but instead he supposed he would have to find a toilet to change in before class. "Thanks. Are you staying to eat with me?"
"I would, but my class is on the other side of campus. Be thankful this place was on the way," Damian said. "I'll see you at lunch."
"I'll text you," Jon agreed, and Damian walked away while Jon took a sip of the coffee, feeling a little better. It was all placebo, of course. Caffeine had no actual effect on Kryptonian physiology, but he had grown to enjoy the taste and association. At least when paired with a lot of sugar.
Cindy gave him a long look. "I have so many questions," she said. "But first, where the hell did he come from, and how old is he?"
"He's fifteen, and honestly I've stopped asking. He just does that," Jon shrugged, taking a bite out of the bagel. It was still warm, and the cheese melted in his mouth. "Sorry I didn't introduce you, he seemed in a hurry."
"No, that'sâŚfine," Cindy said. "Your best friend is fifteen?"
"I get that a lot," Jon said with a laugh. "Our families were close when growing up, and he's never acted his age. It's not actually as weird as it sounds."
In all honesty, it was probably weirder, what-with the time travel and everything, but Jon couldn't exactly tell her that.
"So, he got into university at fifteen?"
"Yup. He's incrediby smart," Jon smiled. "Probably could have gone earlier if he had wanted to."
"And he brings you coffee in the mornings?" Cindy asked incredulously.
"Not every morning. His apartment is right above a coffee shop, so he texted me to ask if I wanted something while he was standing in line," Jon said.
"His apartment?" Cindy asked, wide-eyed. "You're not telling me he lives alone? At fifteen?"
"Um, yeah," Jon said awkwardly. It hadn't even really occurred to him that was a weird thing until now. "I guess he must have special permission or something, I don't know. His father owns the place, anyway." Or so he assumed.
"That seems widely irresponsible of his Father."
"I mean, Damian can take care of himself," Jon shrugged. "Honestly, most of the guys in my dorms are far less prepared to live away from home. I had to stop a guy from microwaving a fork yesterday."
She snorted. "I guess you're not wrong. We had a fire-alarm the day before yesterday because of a popcorn incident."
She seemed distracted talking about her dorm mates, and they walked to class while Jon finished his coffee and bagel.
***
Jon hurried towards the cafeteria, late for lunch. Damian was already seated and in the middle of eating when Jon got there. There was another guy at his table talking to him, tall, blonde and looking around Jon's age. Jon assumed he must be Damian's classmate.
"Hey," Jon said as he sat down in the seat beside Damian. "Sorry I'm late. I had to run an errand." Meaning a wildfire down south, but it hadn't taken long to get it under control.
Damian nodded, unbothered, and turned back to to the guy he had been talking to. "See? He exists."
"Really does. Damn," the guy said, holding up a hand to wave in Jon's direction. "Jon, was it? I'm Aki from Damian's biology class. He told me he was meeting a friend for lunch, but I was starting to think he made you up. "
"Why would he make me up?" Jon asked, confused. It did look like Damian was almost done with his veggie meal, though, so clearly he's been waiting for a while.
"Because apparently it's weird for a fifteen year old to be friends with a nineteen year old," Damian said, rolling his eyes. "Gonna be a very boring few years of studying for me if that's the case."
"I didn't say 'weird', I said 'unusual'," Aki said, then got on his feet. "Well, I'm done with my sad sandwich. I'll see you for afternoon classes, kid."
He scuttled off, and Jon glanced at Damian, lifting his eyebrows in question.
"No idea," he said. "Some of my classmates seem to be under the delusion that I need to be protected, so they rarely leave me alone on campus. I don't mind the company, but it's a little stifling."
Jon snorted. "Protected? You?"
"You say that like you're not my biggest stalker," Damian said, then lowered his voice. "And it's not entirely useless. A couple of them have older siblings who've gone here before, and they've told me some rumours about a few of the professors and older students that we should look into."
"Sounds like a plan," he agreed. "Tonight?"
"We'll discuss it at my apartment when we're done with classes for today," Damian decided. "Now eat yourâŚwhatever that dish is supposed to be."
"The menu said 'beef stroganoff'," Jon said. "It looks a bit messy, but the taste is fine."
Damian made a disgusted face. "I realise the purpose of this cafeteria is to provide lunch for a lot of people at a low price, but the quality⌠leaves something to be desired."
"You're such a snob," Jon told him.
"Wanting adequate nutrition is not being a snob," Damian grumbled.
"It is when you're doing it."
Damian didn't dignify that with an answer.
***
It was past midnight when Jon flew both of them in through the window at Damian's apartment. Damian could have swung up there by himself, of course, but Jon flying them was easier and faster, and Damian's window had a lock and opening mechanism on the outside to make it easier to enter through.
"Thanks for the ride," Damian said, already taking his cloak off. "Do you want me to bring breakfast again tomorrow?"
Jon hesitated. He wasn't really looking forward to going back to his dorm room, and listening in he could hear his roommate snoring just as loudly as he had the last few nights.
"Actually, I was wondering," Jon said with some hesitation. "Can I sleep on your couch tonight?"
Damian sighed. "I knew I should have demanded an apartment with a guest room," he said. "The couch is all yours. Let me grab you a blanket."
"Thank you," Jon said in relief.
"Not to say I told you so, but," Damian said as he returned with blankets, "I did tell you."
"The dorms are not that bad, I just need to get used to them," Jon said. "It wouldn't even be a problem if ear plugs worked on me."
"I think you're overestimating how effective store-bought earplugs are for regular humans," Damian said mildly. "And even without that, there's still the smell."
"You visited at a bad time, it doesn't usually smell like that," Jon said defensively. "You're just mad because you can't drop in on me unannounced while I have a roommate."
"Tt." Damian rolled his eyes. "I could, but I hardly need to if you're sleeping on my couch."
"Look, if you don't want me here-"
"That's not what I said," Damian argued, and threw a pillow at him. "I'm going to my room to change. There are unused toothbrushes in the bathroom cabinet. Take one."
He stalked off, leaving Jon in silence. He felt a little bad. Damian was doing him a favour, and nothing he had said was untrue. Maybe that's why he was being so defensive. Damian had offered to share an apartment with him when they both decided to attend Metropolis University, but Jon had declined. He had wanted to be independent, and figured he'd have more freedom separated from his fifteen year old best friend.
He was kinda regretting it now, with the apartment being blissfully quiet and not smelling of old weed and bad hygiene and the couch being more comfortable than his actual bed. The only downside was that the couch was a little bit too short, forcing him to curl up rather than stretch out.
Damian didn't snore. After he had gone to bed, Jon lay listening to his soft breathing. He didn't mean to listen, but the easiest way to sleep was to focus on a sound and let all else fall away, something that was impossible with loud snoring close by. Tonight, his subconscious had chosen to listen to Damian's breathing, and it was a soothing sound.
Jon fell asleep faster than he'd had in weeks.
