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"Heya Vengeance!" Stephanie waved at the silhouette she noticed while it hid in the dark. "Wanna join?"
Batman blinked, puzzled yet... not seeing a suitable excuse to deny the little girl's invitation to get closer and watch the stars with her, her father and her brother.
This day had been warm for the middle of May. Nevertheless, Bruce didn't predict he'll find Jason, Stephanie and Edward Nashton on the terrace of their new apartment, blankets over their shoulders.
He ended up figuring out Eddie's identity... and by extension, he spied on his family from afar. Until then, although his ally became a frequent consultant offering valuable help for police investigations and although Bruce grew very interested in him, the vigilante never stepped past the frontier of entering his private life.
Tonight he... loomed too close when performing his routine tour on the rooftops.
"Come and sit with us!" Jason encouraged him happily. "The sky's clear tonight."
Stephanie and Jason.
Edward hadn't told him his daughter and son's names, but Bruce learned them over his researches.
The trio recently moved to this modern flat in a cozy quarter, at the fourth and last story of this residence circled by other equally modest-sized, pretty buildings.
The children didn't seem the slightest surprised to see him.
"We love to admire the stars," Stephanie enlightened with a knowing smile. "Eddie talks about you all the time and we are all keen observers, we often catch you watching us... you usually never come that close, though."
Bruce's cheeks flushed pink under his cowl whilst Edward looked awfully embarrassed.
"I... hu... Sorry Batman," his partner apologized feebly. "They... tend to say what they want..."
The blonde girl and dark-haired boy giggled together, like perfectly complicit siblings proud of their mischief.
Even Bruce had to admit, that was an adorable sight.
"You like... stargazing?" He tentatively redirected, clueless as for how to address to kiddos.
The children nodded vigorously and Stephie specified:
"Eddie knows everything, he gives us lessons about constellations and all the interesting stuff you can find in space. So now, we are fans!"
"Astronomy is a fascinating topic to study," Edward confessed quietly with an audible fondness.
"The only difference between Eddie and us is dat we like to look at the stars," Jason corrected.
This was apparently a traditional joke between them, because Edward immediately sighed and Stephanie complemented:
"While Ed tries to send messages to his planet to understand why his alien parents abandoned him on Earth at his birth. E.T. phones home."
Bruce smiled as the younger ones laughed. Edward shook his head, amused.
They don't call him 'dad' or 'daddy', they use his first name, he noted internally for ulterior, further digging.
From his youngest age, Bruce loves watching the sky. He spent countless nights outside in the park surrounding his parents' property, wrapped in a blanket with Alfred, in awe of the beauty of the celestial vault and theorizing about the mysteries of Space.
His new-found ally and his two clever kids would certainly enjoy the nocturnal view from Wayne Manor. Thanks to its fringe location, the house never suffered from the giant agglomeration's light pollution. Plus a walk in the huge garden added to the charms of a night under the beautiful starry sky.
Perhaps one day he'll let the Nashtons in to the point he could... invite them to his home and show them activities he loves, who knows?