Damian had been trained to notice patterns.

Footsteps that repeated too often.

The same vehicle appearing three blocks apart.

A shadow lingering just a second longer than it should.

Being followed wasn’t unusual.

It happened often enough that he’d stopped finding it interesting years ago.

This time, however…

Something felt different.

The person following him wasn’t particularly good at hiding.

Not because they lacked skill.

Because they weren’t trying very hard.

He caught glimpses of the same jacket in storefront reflections.

The same silhouette at the end of crowded sidewalks.

The same pair of eyes disappearing the instant he turned around.

Any ordinary person would’ve been unsettled.

Damian was…

Curious.

So he changed his route.

Twice.

Cut through an alley.

Crossed three rooftops.

Paused long enough to let his pursuer think they’d lost him.

Then circled back.

Exactly as expected.

There they were.

His girlfriend.

Standing perfectly still after realizing she’d been caught.

Damian folded his arms.

For a long moment, neither of them moved.

He had expected embarrassment.

An excuse.

Anything.

Instead, she simply looked back at him with complete confidence, as though following him across half of Gotham was the most reasonable thing in the world.

A slow smile tugged at the corner of Damian’s mouth.

Of all the possible explanations…

This somehow amused him the most.

Most people would have called it strange.

Dick certainly would.

Tim would probably launch into a conversation about healthy boundaries.

Jason would never let either of them live it down.

Bruce…

Bruce would absolutely have concerns.

Damian, on the other hand, found himself thinking something entirely different.

She had managed to follow Robin through Gotham for nearly forty minutes before he intentionally let himself be found.

That took patience.

Determination.

And more than a little audacity.

Objectively…

It was impressive.

Whether it was a habit they needed to have a serious conversation about was another matter entirely.

But as he looked at the woman who had somehow turned tailing Gotham’s most observant vigilante into an accidental game…

Damian had to admit one thing.

He’d never imagined being successfully tailed could be so oddly flattering.