The night had fallen over Gotham, the city glowing faintly beneath the watchful gaze of its protector. But for once, Damian Wayne wasn’t out on patrol. Instead, he was sitting on the roof of Wayne Manor, cape draped around him like a blanket. Beside him, legs swinging casually off the edge, sat Jon Kent, grinning like he always did.

“You brood too much,” Jon teased, bumping his shoulder against Damian’s. “You could at least enjoy the stars for once.”

Damian gave him a side glance, unimpressed. “I am enjoying them. In silence. You should try it.”

But the corner of his mouth betrayed him, twitching ever so slightly upward. Jon caught it immediately and leaned closer, his smile widening. “See? You like me talking. Admit it.”

“Tt. Hardly,” Damian muttered, though his hand shifted closer to Jon’s on the rooftop between them.

Jon noticed that too. With zero hesitation, he reached out and threaded their fingers together. Damian stiffened for all of three seconds before relaxing with a quiet sigh, letting it happen.

They sat like that for a while, the quiet night around them filled only with crickets and the faint hum of the city. Damian’s head slowly tilted until it rested on Jon’s shoulder, and Jon looked down at him with a softness that could melt steel.

“You’re not so scary when you’re like this,” Jon whispered.

“Don’t tell anyone,” Damian replied, eyes closed but voice steady. “I have a reputation.”

Jon chuckled and pressed a quick kiss to the top of his head. “Your secret’s safe with me.”

Damian didn’t say anything after that, but his fingers tightened around Jon’s just a little more, and that said everything.