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Great. Just fucking great.
He paced back in forth in the living room, trying to figure out a way to get the fuck out of this house. This wasn’t supposed to happen. They were supposed to stop by, so Conner could see his family for the holidays, then go back to San Francisco to be with their own family. Nowhere in the plans did it say that Gar would be stuck in Superman’s house for who knows how long with his sort of crush .
Now, I know what you’re thinking, Gar should be stoked to be trapped in Superman’s home, but no one likes being trapped anywhere. Especially when he’s been put in a cage multiple times. Free will is something that Gar very much enjoys.
Getting to see the Kent’s again was really fun! He loved them, they always welcomed him and treated him like family. Now, it was time to go back to San Fran, but he couldn’t do that because it decided to fucking snow hours before him and Conner’s departure. So, now they’re stuck… in fucking Kansas… just the two of them. Alone .
Conner didn't mind the snowstorm because that meant that he and Gar could finally spend some time together. Ever since the Titans’ trip to Gotham, things haven’t been the same between the two of them. Their argument kind of put a strain on their relationship and they just sort of drifted apart. They still talked like normal and subtly flirted with one another, but for some reason, they just never did anything without anyone around. It was almost as if anytime they would be alone, Gar would find a way out. Conner didn’t think anything of it at first, but the more frequently it happened, the more he started to wonder if Gar was avoiding being alone with him.
Clark, Lois, and Jon headed down to Metropolis to spend the day with Jon’s boyfriend, Jay. They offered for Conner and Gar to tag along, but Conner insisted that the two didn’t want the family to feel rushed on their trip, so they just decided to spend their day getting ready to go back home.
Unfortunately for them a snowstorm came out of fucking nowhere and trapped the two of them on Kent farm, canceling all flights, buses, and every type of transportation that you could think of.
Well… not every. There’s still one that could be tested.
Flight by a human. Or an alien-human hybrid.
Conner knew that Gar was eager to get back home, so him being the person that he is, attempted to fly through the storm to the nearest city where it hadn’t been snowing. Conner recently had his first flying lesson with Clark at the beginning of the week which was a bit rougher than he expected. He ended up perfecting his form by Wednesday and was flying through the storm today. The only problem that arrived was how cold the Superboy became. The longer that he was out, the colder he got.
Not being able to feel his fingertips, Conner swiftly turned back around and headed for the farm, not curious to know what would happen if he continued to stay out. More or less he'd probably end up stuck in the middle of nowhere and would freeze to death.
Moments later, a loud shriek came from the farm, followed by a super landing on his back in the middle of the snow.
“Fuck!” Conner yelled out.
Gar turned to the noise and quickly exited the home. He had been waiting for him to return with good news, hoping that he could fly the two of them out of the snowstorm and back home.
As he stepped down the porch he zipped up his signature jacket, trying to keep himself warm for the time being. God, it was freezing. If Kansas could get this cold, he couldn’t imagine how cold the Fortress of Solitude could get.
Conner was laid out in the snow after his failed attempt at landing. Gar walked over to him and offered him a hand, “You okay?”
Conner took his hand and pulled himself up from the freezing ground, beginning to look around
Kent farm. Conner tried to speak but his teeth started to chatter, “Mhm.”
“God, you’re freezing. Come on, let’s head inside before you turn into a Kryptonian popsicle,” Gar kept their hands together and pulled him back in the direction of the house.
Conner had never experienced the cold before, at least not like this. He knew that Superman’s fortress was made out of ice and when he visited it earlier in the week with Clark, it definitely was colder than expected. Clark had a laugh at how often Conner would shiver, teasing him by calling him Kpop (Kryptonian popsicle). Conner tried to explain to him that that’s not what Kpop meant, but Clark is old… so.
Conner not being able to withstand the cold for a long period of time played a part in the lack of training that could happen at the fortress. Since then, Conner had been a bit annoyed about not being a full super. Clark tried to keep his spirits lifted by telling him that he was perfect the way he was, but clearly, he wasn’t. He was defective . How was he supposed to get him and Gar out of this storm if he could barely fly through it for 5 minutes?
“I’m gonna go out on a limb here and guess that you couldn’t find a way out,” Gar spoke as they entered the house, removing his jacket and placing it down on the couch. Conner only managed to groan, rolling his eyes slightly. Gar looked over at him and gave him a quick smile, “Right. Freezing to death. Sorry, I forgot.”
Gar pulled Conner out of his jacket and threw it near his own. Conner rubbed his palms together as he was trying to make himself warm.
“I- I’m s-” He tried to get his words out but Gar cut him off.
Gar shook his head, “Hey, no talking until you’re warm enough to speak, okay?” Conner nodded his head in response.
“Okay, let’s get you in a warm bath so you don’t freeze to death,” Gar said as he began to lead the Superboy upstairs to the bathroom.
Conner managed to leave a trail of water all the way upstairs to the bathroom, not being comfortable enough to remove his shoes.
Gar walked over to the tub and kneeled down to turn the faucet on. He placed his hand underneath the faucet and immediately removed it once the freezing water graced his fingers, “Fuck!”
Conner had managed to laugh at his reaction.
Gar rolled his eyes playfully, “I guess laughing is a sign that you’re warming up,” He replied before putting a stopper in the drain, allowing the hot water to fill the tub.
“Take your clothes off and get in.”
Conner followed Gar’s instructions and removed every article of clothing that was on his body, including his boots. He dipped a toe in the water to confirm that it was warm enough before fully climbing in and taking a seat. He exhaled once his freezing body began to defrost in the tub. God, it felt good.
Gar awkwardly stood there for a moment with the cutest most awkward grin on his face, “Alright, I’m gonna go find you something warm to wear.”
He exited the bathroom and headed down the hall to Lois & Clark’s bedroom. It was… not what he expected. It was small, with one closet, two bedside tables, two dressers, and a TV.
“Well, isn’t this boring…” He mumbled to himself, expecting to see a red and blue bed set. Maybe even a Superman Funko on the dresser, but no. Just plain, boring earth tones in their room.
Hmm.. they’re about the same size.
He started with the closet and began to look through it. There weren’t many clothes in there, just a bunch of flannels and denim. There’s no way that Thee Man of Steel was living like this. Now, Gar enjoyed a flannel just as much as the next superhero, but when that’s the only thing in your closet, that’s where a problem starts to arise. And don’t even get him started on the options Clark has for shoes, combat boots, or sketchers? This has got to be a joke.
Gar had to step away from the closet because the wardrobe choices were starting to hurt, so he settled for rummaging through Clark's drawers. It didn’t take long for him to find a pair of sweatpants and a long black tee. On his way out he caught a glimpse of photos that the couple had on their wall. One of the photos included Conner and Gar from the first time that the two had met them. Gar smiled and made his way out of their room and back to the room that he and Conner had been occupying, waiting for Conner to finish.
To say that Gar was happy to be trapped with Conner would be an overstatement. There wasn’t anything wrong with Conner, it was the first time in a while that the two had been alone together. They got really close once Rachel left for Themyscira but since then, they’ve had a few confusing moments, to say the least.
As Kory would describe it, it was as if they were an unofficial couple. No matter how much they denied it when she would say it, they both knew how they felt about one another. No one ever acted on it because they were friends. Becoming more would complicate things.
Then Gotham changed a lot for the two. After their argument, they just drifted apart. You couldn’t deny that the spark between the two was still there.
Unless you tried to, like Gar.
And to keep the spark at the back of his mind, Gar just avoided being alone with Conner for long periods of time.
Until now.
“Gar?” Conner stepped out of the bathroom with a white towel wrapped around his waist. His body was still a bit wet and his damp hair covered part of his eye.
“Krypton to Gar,” He chuckled a bit as he waved his hand in front of his face.
Gar nodded his head, quickly snapping out of his thoughts, “Yeah? Sorry, a lot is going on up here,” he pointed to his head.
“Are those for me?” He questioned, motioning his head to the clothes that had been in the other's hands.
“Yeah,” Gar placed the clothes on the bed near Conner.
“Awesome. You’re the best,” he smiled and removed his towel, sliding on the sweatpants quickly followed by the long sleeve shirt.
Gar just awkwardly stood there, unsure if he was supposed to turn around or? He just settled for a whistle, pretending to be interested in everything else that was in the room, which happened to be nothing. Gar had seen Conner naked plenty of times. But he wanted to respect him, so he looked away.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Conner said as he was putting his towel back in the bathroom.
“You do?”
“Yeah. You’re pissed off about being trapped here. I’m sorry that I couldn’t find a way out. I really tried to fly through the storm, but I’m just not super enough,” He mumbled the last part, hoping that Gar couldn’t hear him.
Gar shook his head as he looked at him, “What? That couldn’t be further from the truth. Would I prefer to be home? Yeah, but I’m not pissed at you.”
Conner raised a brow as he became even more confused, “You’re not?”
“Kon, you flew through a snowstorm for me. No one’s ever done that before,” Gar gave him a warm smile, “Thank you for trying.”
Gar appreciated the gesture. Kon risked his well-being to ensure that he would be able to make it back home.
“Well, no one’s ever drawn me a bath before. So we’re even,” He returned the smile which made Gar laugh.
Conner then thought to himself following Gar’s laugh, “No one says draw me a bath , do they?”
Gar shook his head as he began to laugh harder, “Not unless you’re a snobby rich person, no. I guess tonight is the night of firsts,” He added.
Conner narrowed his eyes as he thought about the statement. Several things could be considered a first for them. He knew that Gar didn’t mean it like that but he couldn’t help himself from laughing.
First kiss.
First time.
First Boyfriend.
Gar realized what he said immediately after and hoped that Conner would have a slow moment and not catch it, but alas, there he was chuckling.
“I didn’t mean it like that. Besides, it's not like it would be your first.”
“And what makes you think that?”
Gar was going to bring up Blackfire but he just shook his head as he thought about how close he and Conner were before she came into the picture, “Never mind. It was just a joke, but this was nice. It almost started to feel like old times” He forced a smile before exiting the room. He didn’t want to dig deeper into his emotions because deep down inside, he was still frustrated with Conner. He chose someone that he barely knew over Gar, and over what? An argument where all Gar tried to do was comfort him.
Conner’s brow rose and he folded his arms, watching Gar walk out of the room. He had an idea where the conversation would’ve gone and he wanted to go after him to talk about it, but he just sat down on the bed.
He knew that things between them had been off since the whole Gotham debacle. He hurt Gar, in more ways than one. He insulted him and then started dating someone new right in front of his face as if the two of them hadn’t felt the connection that was being formed. Conner knew that he owed Gar an explanation and an apology but he couldn’t find the right words. He kinda hoped it would be one of those unspoken things, but clearly, it wasn’t.
This is what Dick must feel like.
Gar spent the rest of the time out in the barn, tossing hay around. He found a winter coat, gloves, and a scarf in Jon’s room and threw them on because he knew that his own jacket wasn’t warm enough.
Had Gar rummaged through everyone’s closet at Kent farm? Yes. Did he feel bad about it? No. He was sure that Superman would understand.
“Superboys are so stupid,” He mumbled and kicked a stack of hay.
“Thinking that every wrong thing that they say and do can be fixed by flying through a snowstorm for you,” He kicked it again.
“Well, no! You’re wrong. I’m not falling for it!” He said, giving the haystack one last kick, letting out a frustrated groan.
“You alright, young man?”
Gar jumped out of his skin, immediately putting his arms up in defense as a low growl escaped his lips. He wasn’t sure who had snuck up on him, but he slowly began to turn green until he spotted an old man wearing a red jacket with a matching hat, near the barn door.
He let out a sigh of relief before focusing his full attention on the old man, “God, you scared me. Can I help you?”
“I was just about to ask you the same thing,” The man stated as he walked over to Gar.
Gar’s eyes narrowed, tilting his head as the man approached him, “Sorry, I’m not following. Not to be rude or anything, but where did you come from? This farm is in the middle of nowhere… people don’t just pop up ,” Gar kept his guard up, afraid to let it down just in case things went left.
The man chuckled, “I live next door,” he pointed behind Gar to the yard that was suddenly next door to Kent farm.
Gar turned his head with swiftness to see where the man’s alleged home was. There it was, a home similar to the Kent’s but it was made with red brick and a chimney. Confusion was written all over his face as he swore that space was empty, “How did I miss that? I swear there was literally nothing there.”
“Are you high?”
“What? No, I’m not high!” Gar responded, a bit offended.
“Sure, kid. I don’t judge. Anyways, I have some hot cocoa and cookies ready, If you want to talk,” The man stated, beginning to walk out of the barn. Gar watched the man, still trying to figure out where the hell he came from, he wasn’t crazy.
I’m not crazy.
The man didn’t hear any footsteps following so he stopped and turned to him, “Well, are you coming? Or are you going to continue talking to yourself like a fool?”
Gar began to follow the man over to his home.
Once Gar entered the home an aroma of candy canes filled his senses, and warmth wrapped itself around his chilling body. The home was small, enough for about two people. There was a Christmas Tree up with many presents underneath, a fireplace that had been burning wood, a kitchen, and two rooms in the back. The man went into the kitchen and pulled out two mugs, one for him and one for Gar, “You can take a seat wherever you'd like.”
Gar nodded his head and took a seat in a chair that was near the fireplace. The man had his back turned and chuckled to himself as he poured the liquid into the mugs, “I had a feeling you’d pick the seat near the fireplace.”
“Wha–” Gar looked at him before checking around the corners of the ceilings to see if there were any cameras pointed at him, “How’d you know?”
The man finally walked over to him, handing him the mug of cocoa before taking a seat across from Gar, in a rocking chair, “Everyone picks that seat. I assume it has to do with the warmth that the fire exudes.”
“Ah, so you normally invite strangers to your home for cocoa and chill?” Gar slyly asked.
“Cocoa and chill?”
“Nevermind,” He cleared his throat and took a sip of cocoa.
The man took a sip as well and placed his mug on a nearby table, “I typically invite those that are in need.”
“In need? I don’t need anything.”
“You may think that you don’t need anything, Garfield, but everyone needs something,” The fire began to crackle as he spoke.
Gar was about to take another sip of his drink, but slowly removed the cup from his face once the stranger said his name, “How do you know my name?”
“I know a lot of names. Are you ready to quit stalling and tell me what’s been bothering you, son?” The man was very mysterious, but something about him made Gar feel like he could talk to him, maybe he needed someone to find him and query his mental.
“Basically, I like this guy and I feel like he likes me back but…” He looked down at his fingers and began to fiddle with them, letting out a sigh as his mind started to go into panic mode. He’s never talked about this before… with anyone.
“I know that he likes me back. Uh,” He cleared his throat as it began to feel dry, taking a quick swig of cocoa, “Have you ever cared about someone so much that you’d do anything for them? But they hurt you once– and you know they didn’t mean to. But you’re scared to trust them again?”
“That’s oddly specific. But sometimes those we care for the most can hurt us during their most vulnerable moments.”
“I know that he’s sorry and I want to forgive him, but him acting like it never happened doesn’t help. And that terrifies me. What if I forgive him and he ends up hurting me again?”
The man gave Gar an empathetic look, he felt for the young changeling. He could tell that Gar was a kind and genuine person who deserved to be treated the same, I don’t have that answer for you, son. There’s only one person that does, and that’s Conner.”
Gar huffed a laugh, rolling his eyes slightly, “Of course, you know his name. What else do you know?”
“I know that Conner isn’t the only one to blame here.”
“Oh, so now you’re going to tell me that all this is my fault?”
The man shook his head, “No. But it’s your job to tell him how you feel. If you truly care for him the way you say you do, then you need to talk to him. But not just for him, for yourself. You’re a smart kid, Garfield. You and I both know this.”
Gar nodded his head and gave the man a small smile, “Yeah, maybe I just needed to hear it from someone else.”
The man returned the smile as Gar arose from his seat, “Well, If you’ll excuse me there’s a conversation that I’ve been putting off for too long that needs to happen. Thank you for the cocoa and chat.”
“Cocoa and Chill?”
Gar cracked a smile as he made his way to the door, “We’ll work on the name. Merry Christmas–” Gar stopped and turned back to the man who was sitting in the chair, “Sorry I didn’t quite catch your name.”
“My friends call me Claus .”
Gar’s smile widened, “ Claus , I like it. Merry Christmas, Claus.
“And a Merry Christmas to you, Garfield,” He gave him a wave as he exited the home.
The cold breeze blew across Gar’s face as he made his way back to Kent farm, the snow was falling harder, so hard that Gar could barely walk through it. The wind along with snowflakes were aggressively slapping him in the face.
Standing out on the porch in Clark’s winter wear, Conner narrowed his eyes as he saw what looked to be Gar walking back to the home, “GAR?!” He shouted, making his way down the steps to get a better view.
Once his supersight confirmed his suspicion he ran out into the field to meet Gar, repeating his name, starting to feel comfort in seeing him again.
Gar heard his name and saw the Boy of Steel running towards him, “Conner? What’re you doing out here?”
Conner caught up to him and began lifting Gar’s arms up to check his body, scanning him to make sure that he wasn’t harmed.
Gar looked at him confused for a moment before pulling his arms away, “What are you doing?”
“What do you mean what am I doing? I’m checking to see if you’re okay. Where the hell have you been?”
“Of course, I'm okay! Why wouldn’t I be?” He yelled as it was becoming hard to hear with the blizzard that was beginning to form.
“You’ve been gone for hours!”
“Hours?! It’s only been like 10 minutes. I was talking to Mr. Claus,” he said pointing in the direction of the home.
“Who?”
“Mr. Claus. He lives right there…” Gar turned his head to view the home, but nothing was there. It was just an empty lot.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Conner placed a hand on his forehead, “You’re burning up.”
Gar was focused on the lot, confused as his voice grew quieter, “It was… it was right there.”
“Sure, buddy. Come on, let’s get you inside,” he grabbed Gar’s hand and started to walk out of the field but Gar pulled his hand back, refusing.
“No. There’s something that I have to say.”
“Okay, can you say it inside… where it’s warm?”
“No!” His eyes flashed green.
Conner put his hands up in caution, nodding his head, “Okay, okay. What’s up?” His voice soft.
This was Gar's chance to finally tell Conner how he felt. In the middle of a blizzard. There’s no turning back now.
“How come after we got into that argument back in Gotham, you started sleeping with Blackfire? Wh- Did I do something wrong?” Conner was about to say something but Gar cut him off, “I’m not done. Why do you walk around acting like everything’s just fine between us, flirting with me, joking with me, pretending that Gotham never happened? Don’t you feel bad? Don’t you feel how things have changed between us? Did you even like m–
“Of course I like you!” Conner blurted out.
Gar began to tense up.
“You think I don’t feel shitty? Haven’t tried to push the way that I treated you in Gotham to the back of my mind? Haven’t tried to find the courage to tell you that I'm sorry? Gar, I’m fucking sorry for everything that I did back in Gotham. I’m sorry that I hurt you. Did I say some pretty harsh things in that argument? Yes! Did I sleep with Blackfire as a way to try and get you out of my mind? Yeah, it was dumb, but I did it and I’m sorry.” Conner walked closer to Gar and cupped his cheeks with both hands, staring into his brown eyes.
“But I’ve never, not once, ever pretended to like you. Never have, never will. It’s always been you, Gar.”
Gar was at a loss for words, he looked into Conner’s eyes and saw the Conner that he used to know, the one that put him in front of himself, the one who stayed up with him in the middle of the night until he fell asleep from having a nightmare, the one who didn’t care about freezing to death in the middle of a field if it meant finally telling how he felt.
It was him.
It was always him.
Gar gulped as he was trying to figure out what to say.
“Gar, say something, anything?”
Gar glanced down at Conner’s lips, feeling like this was the moment, their moment. It was time to cross a first from off their list. Seconds later, Gar pressed his lips against Conner’s, closing his eyes as their lips intertwined with one another. Conner’s cold lips began to warm up to Gar’s own, pulling away as he laughed.
“What? Am I a bad kisser?” He asked with a smile.
Gar shook his head with a smile, “Your lips are freezing. But it’s always been you for me too.”
Conner rolled his eyes playfully, planting a quick peck on Gar’s lips, “Can we go inside now? I’m fucking freezing.”
Gar nodded his head and headed for the door, “Yeah, come on, Kpop.”
“No. We’re not making that a thing,” Conner said as he followed Gar up to the porch.
Before Gar entered the home he looked out to the home that disappeared and saw Claus waving before taking off in his sleigh.
Claus as in Santa Claus?
“Tonight was definitely the night of firsts.”
The end.