Damian sat on the edge of the rooftop, staring into the skyline, the city lights flickering beneath him. His shoulders were tense, his jaw set in a hard line as the events of the past few days played over and over in his mind like a broken record. Rachel Roth—Raven—had cheated on him. The memory of seeing her with Garfield Logan, Beast Boy, was still fresh, still raw.

The betrayal cut deeper than he expected. He had trusted her. Damian wasn’t one to open up easily, and when he did, it was with the belief that the person on the other end wouldn’t fail him. But here he was, alone on a rooftop, feeling the sting of betrayal from someone he thought understood him.

You stood nearby, watching him in silence. You had been there through it all—the fights, the arguments, the quiet moments when he was hurting and wouldn’t let anyone else see. But he had let you in, even if he didn’t admit it out loud. You knew what this was doing to him, how much it tore at him. Yet Damian, being Damian, refused to show it.

"You don’t have to say anything," you said softly, your voice gentle but steady as you approached him cautiously. Damian's gaze didn’t shift, still locked on the horizon. "I don’t need your pity," he muttered, his tone sharp but strained. "I don’t need anyone’s pity."

You sighed, coming to stand next to him, leaning against the ledge. "I’m not here to pity you, Damian. I’m here because I care." His fingers curled into fists, the tension in his body palpable. "Care…" he repeated, as if the word tasted bitter in his mouth. "She said she cared too. Look where that got me."

You didn’t flinch at his words. You knew him well enough to understand this was his way of pushing people away. "She made her choice, Damian. That doesn’t mean you need to shut yourself off from everyone else."

His eyes flickered to you for the briefest of moments, his steely blue gaze filled with frustration, pain, and the wall he always tried to keep up. "I don’t need anyone," he insisted, though the crack in his voice betrayed the