A SIMPLE CHRISTMAS GIFT

for Lomedet

by Jennifer S.

It started out simple: The Teen Titans were exchanging gifts, with each Titan picking a name out of bag and giving that Titan a gift. When Kon picked out Robin's name he figured he had it easy. Kon should have known better.

But he had a simple strategy. After all, Tim liked impossible-to-read books and complicated video games and he even made it easy for everybody by uploading his Amazon.com wishlist to the Teen Titan's server. Should any of those gifts fall through, Kon figured Tim would appreciate some of Ma Kent's cookies. Nobody could resist Martha Kent's cookies.

Kon should have known better than to tell Cassie and Bart his plan.

"That's lame, Kon. Books or video games? Robin always gets books or video games. You should try getting him something unique," Bart told him, the two large needles in his hand clicking so fast they were a blur around something vaguely sweater-like.

"How do you know what he gets? And what are you doing?"

"I'm knitting. I read knitting was a relaxing thing to do during the holidays because of how everyone's stress levels get heightened. So far I've made thirteen scarves, ten sweaters and a pair of socks. Hey, do you need a hat?" Bart picked up some black and red yard and stared knitting.

"Oh, yeah," he went on. "Robin told me what he's getting from his parents this year. I think he was kind of disappointed he found out but I think if you have a super detective as a child you should put some extra effort into hiding your gifts. Here you go."

Bart handed Kon a knit cap. It was black with the Superman logo knitted on the top. Kon thought they needed to get Bart some new hobbies, but just Bart grinned at him and continued knitting.

**************

"You are such a boy, Kon. Why would Robin even want books? He knows just about everything and I'm sure the stuff he doesn't know, Batman could tell him." As Cassie spoke, her eyes never strayed from the television set.

Kon rolled his eyes. Cassie was watching some MTV reality show that wasn't a reality show or something like that. She was such a girl, he thought.

"Plus, don't you think video games are impersonal?"

"No, they're not and why would I want to give him something personal?"

"Because he's your best friend, dummy. He's the guy who you tell all your darkest secrets. The secrets your girlfriend should know but doesn't. He's the guy who you'll run off to help without a second thought to your girlfriend and the fact she's been waiting to go out on a date with you for, like, forever."

"I said I was sorry. Besides, he really needed me."

"Well, I needed you too. But you were off having adventures with Robin. And when you were with me you were always wishing you weren't. You didn't need anyone but Robin. I'm so glad I broke up with you."

"You know, remarks like that make me wonder why I ever tried to go out with you in the first place."

Kon felt the remote control hit his head. Hard.

Girls sucked.

**************

What if they were right? What if books and video games were dumb ideas? Kon thought as he walked down the hall back to his room.

Kon couldn't give someone like Tim dumb presents. Tim was cool and brilliant and really special. Kon frowned. He kept on frowning as he entered his room and lay down on the bed. Tim special? When had Tim become special to him?

Kon groaned. Now his gift would have to be even more brilliant. Merry fucking Christmas Superboy, he thought.

**************

Kon was desperate. It was only two days before the deadline and he had no gift for Robin.

Beast Boy told him to get Robin video games. Cyborg rolled his eyes and said Robin probably was a little too mature for the current video games on sale. Which then led to an argument between Beast Boy and Cyborg on the current state of video games, the effect of video games on teenagers, and why Cyborg had broken Beast Boy's copy of Vice City.

When he asked Raven she started talking about looking inside one's self for some kind of actualization or something and he walked away. Starfire said perhaps Robin would prefer a plant.

Kon knew if he wanted answers he would have to get them from a reliable source. So he had Starfire make a call to set up a meeting with her former flame.

Gotham was out-- knowing his luck he would run into Batman and there was no way in hell he was ever going to ask Batman what Robin wanted for Christmas. Plus Batman was kind of picky about other superheroes in his city.

Kon figured Bludhaven was a safe alternative.

As he flew through the night air, Kon realized he didn't know Nightwing that well. Sure he'd worked with the guy a few times, but friends they were not. Tim liked Nightwing, though. Tim liked Nightwing a lot. Kon knew he was Tim's best friend but the way Tim talked about Nightwing sometimes worried Kon. He tried not to think about why.

Kon landed on the roof of building, stepping gingerly around a pile of unidentifiable debris to find a place to sit. Starfire told him he might have to wait a while for Nightwing, so he was sitting on the edge of the roof watching for shooting stars when Nightwing landed beside him.

Looking at Nightwing, Kon realized why Tim preferred Nightwing's company. Nightwing was hot. Really hot. Supermodel hot.

Nightwing smirked at him just like Tim always did when he was about to say he knew what Kon was thinking. Kon swallowed and tried to think about something else.

"To what do I owe the pleasure, Superboy?" Nightwing asked, settling down beside him.

"It's Conner-uh-Kon," he said, trying not to think about the proximity of the really hot superhero. "It's about Robin."

"Is he okay? I thought he was still in Gotham, that he didn't go to the Tower until the weekend?"

"He's not in San Francisco. He's okay, I guess. Uhh, what I wanted to ask you was...I need to ask you something important."

"Go ahead," Nightwing encouraged.

He took a deep breath and blurted out his question in a rush. "What do I get Robin for Christmas?"

Nightwing looked at him like he was insane and Kon knew this had been a dumb idea. He tried desperately to think of a way to get out of the situation, but nothing came to mind.

Finally, Nightwing smiled at him, which made him relax. Damn, Nightwing was hot with those little crinkles around his mouth and the muscles and...Kon swallowed hard again.

"Robin likes obscure books and complicated video games," Nightwing said with a shrug.

"That what I thought but everybody said 'No it's too impersonal' or 'It's too lame.' I don't think it's that impersonal if it's what he wants. Why does it have to be so complicated?"

Nightwing laughed a little. Great, Kon thought, now he would be the laughing stock of the Bat-clan.

"You're cute, kid. Robin will like whatever you get him."

"I know." Kon sighed.

"You know, Robin has told me I'm a good listener."

"It's nothing. Just...well this started out as a simple gift. Buy Ti-Robin a present and all would be cool but now his gift has become a 'thing'" Kon said while making airquotes. Kon hated airquotes and he seriously considered banging his head against the nearest wall. Except he'd probably damage the wall.

"Robin is special," he said, trying not to sound stupid. "I mean you just can't get a guy like that something off a list. It has to have some serious thought put into it or it will suck. I bet he could come up with twenty different gifts for me and all of them would be cool and I can't even come up with one. He deserves special gifts." Kon sighed and rested his chin in his hand.

Nightwing smiled at him again.

"The simplest things can turn complicated when you overthink them. Tim, yes I said Tim, is your friend and he likes you. Anything you get him will be great, especially because of how much thought you've put into it." Nightwing turned Kon to face him. "You should tell Tim how you really feel."

Kon fell backward onto the roof.

"What?! What do you mean? Nobody said anything about feelings here. I don't have any feelings. I mean, who's got feelings?"

Nightwing paused and he could hear someone laughing in the background. Nightwing started to laugh too.

"Superboy, you just made my night. Mine and Oracle's."

"Oracle was listening too?"Kon knew he shouldn't have trusted the Bat family. They were a bunch of sneaky bastards. Damn them and their Batman-like ways.

Kon got up and was dusting himself off when a thought occurred to him."You're not going to tell Tim about this, are you?"

"Tell Tim what? I thought you didn't have 'feelings.'" If Kon lived to one hundred he would never forget the sight of Nightwing doing airquotes. Kon still hated them.

"I don't, but if I did I would hope you wouldn't tell him of those feelings I don't have." The idea of banging his head against a wall was looking better. Or maybe he could throw himself into the sun.

"No of course I won't tell him. Well, at least not tonight." The smirk was pure Bat-clan.

"I don't need this." Kon started to fly away. "Thanks for nothing."

"Merry Christmas, Superboy!" Nightwing yelled at his retreating back.

Kon hoped Nightwing's night vision was good enough to show Kon giving him the finger.

**************

When Kon arrived home he went straight to his room and pulled up Robin's wishlist on Amazon.com. He purchased a book and a video game, charging them to Clark's account because Clark was always oblivious to the wrong-doings of any of his friends, especially around Christmas. Kon couldn't wait for the day when he got hit up by Lex Luthor for some cash, but according to Tim, that plan wouldn't go into effect until Kon reached twenty-one. Tim always had the greatest plans.

Kon logged off the computer and went to bed. If he fell asleep thinking about Tim, he told himself, he didn't remember in the morning.

**************

The day of the gift exchange finally arrived and while Kon knew Tim would like his gifts, he wouldn't "love" them. Kon shrugged, at least he'd bought him *something*. Kon's secret Santa was Starfire, who she had given him a plant (to nobody's surprise). According to the card, the plant had been specially bred by Starfire for Kon. It was a strong looking weed-like thing, kind of cool actually. Kon told Starfire thank you and hoped he could keep it alive for more than a few weeks.

Kon noticed Tim sitting on the sofa in the corner, so he went to sit next to him. Tim was browsing through the book Kon had given him.

"Thanks, Superboy." Tim said, giving him a small grin.

"Do you like it?" Kon asked, trying not to sound nervous.

"Of course. It's what I wanted."

"You don't think it's lame or impersonal?"

"No, why? Never mind." Tim put down the book with a sigh. "You've been talking to Bart and Cassie, haven't you?"

"Yeah."

"You should know better than to listen to those two. Bart gave Beast Boy a sweater for every day it's supposed to be cold in the coming year and Cassie gave Raven a gift card to Hot Topic. I think I was the only one to receive something I really wanted."

"Who was your secret Santa?"

"Starfire. I got her a membership to the San Francisco garden club and a pass to go to the JL headquarters to contact her people."

"See now, those are great gifts. I never would have thought of that."

"You don't give yourself enough credit. If you'd picked anyone else you would have figured something good out without any help. From anyone."

Kon look at Tim smirking. Tim knew about Nightwing.

"Did Nightwing tell you?"

"No. Oracle did. She contacted me when Starfire called Nightwing. Oracle wanted to make sure everything was okay with me and the Titans. I told her everything was fine and you just needed information on my Christmas gift. I knew you'd tell me what was going on when you were ready. Plus, the rest of the Titans told me how you were obsessing over the gift as if you were bat-related."

Kon leaned forward on the couch and put his head in his hands. "Does everyone know?"

"Know what? That you're a dork? Yes, but they already knew that. Don't smack me. What they didn't know was that you were such a nice person."

Kon looked up and smiled at Tim. "You think I'm nice?"

"I've always thought you were nice." Tim stared at Kon and then gave him a small smile.

Kon blinked. Then he blinked again. Then he groaned. "Nightwing told you the rest of our conversation, didn't he?"

"Yeah, he told me this morning." Tim's smile turned evil.

"So you know?" The words were faint.

"Yes."

"Uhh...just to be clear: You know I have certain feelings for you. That I like you in that way."

"Yeah, I know."

"So, what do we do about it?" Kon asked, his heart pounding like he'd just flown around the entire world.

"Right now? Nothing. Right now we enjoy our gifts and celebrate the holidays with everyone."

"What about later?"

"Later, you come to my room and I'll give you your real Christmas present."

That sounded promising. "Huh. So it's that simple?"

"That simple."

Tim got up from the couch, ran his gloved hand discreetly through Kon's hair and walked over to talk with Cyborg.

Kon stayed on the couch, hoping no one noticed his lap, and thought of how simple Christmas turned out to be.

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