“This is impossible,” Damian groaned, flopping dramatically onto your bed and sending his sketchbook tumbling to the floor.

You rolled your eyes, twirling your pencil. “Put your head to paper—you can figure this out. It’s not impossible.”

Damian sat up abruptly, glaring. “…That’s not the expression.”

“…What?” you asked, giving him a confused look.

“It’s pen to paper,” Damian said, arms crossed, perfectly straight-backed as if posture alone could enforce correctness. “You say put pen to paper, not… head.”

“Well, obviously I meant head,” you shot back, pointing to your own temple for emphasis. “It’s, like… metaphorical!”

Damian blinked. “Metaphorical? Since when is ‘head’ metaphorical in any correct sense?”

“Since now,” you retorted, spinning your pencil like a tiny baton. “I’m the one trying to make a sketch here. You’re the one sprawled on my bed like a defeated cat!”

“I am not a cat!” Damian hissed, jumping to his feet and glaring at you. “I am a disciplined, highly capable—”

“—Doomed to sound like an idiot?” you interrupted, grinning.

“I am not doomed!” he snapped, though his indignation wavered as he bent down to grab his sketchbook. “And you… you are intentionally confusing me!”

“Intentionally? I’m helping you! Clearly you needed someone to translate ‘head’ into something that doesn’t sound like nonsense,” you said, barely holding back laughter.

Damian glared, but your laughter was contagious, and his scowl faltered. “…Fine. Put pen to paper, if you insist,” he muttered, flopping back onto the bed. “Happy now?”

“Ecstatic,” you said, leaning back and spinning your pencil lazily. “Though I’ll admit, ‘put head to paper’ had… character.”

Damian groaned, face buried in his hands. “I can’t believe I’m arguing about idioms on your bed. This is… beneath me.”

“‘Beneath you’ or… ‘beneath your dignity?’” you teased.

“…Both,” Damian muttered, utterly defeated—but the faintest twitch of a smile betrayed him.

You snorted, leaning over to flick his forehead. “There it is. Admit it—you sound like an idiot.”

“I do not,” he protested immediately.