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Damian had been in Osaka for exactly forty-seven minutes, and he already hated it.
The city was humid in a way that made his uniform cling to his skin. The architecture was a dizzying blend of ancient temples and neon-lit skyscrapers. And the vigilante assigned to "escort" him, Father's words, not his, was possibly the most infuriatingly nervous person Damian had ever encountered.
"You're sure Batman knows you're here?" Kaminari asked for the fourth time, his silver-and-gold hair practically vibrating with nervous energy. The wolf cut was slightly disheveled, as though he'd been running his hands through it repeatedly. "Because Salix will—"
"Salix is currently in Gotham," Damian interrupted flatly. "With my father. Discussing security protocols. I was sent here to—"
"To scope out the territory," Kaminari finished, nodding too quickly. "Right. Territory. I have territory. It's fine. Everything is fine."
It was clearly not fine.
Damian studied the vigilante as they walked along the edge of a rooftop overlooking the city's harbor. Kaminari was taller than him by a significant margin, 182 centimeters, according to the file Father had provided, with tan skin and eyes that shifted between a muted pale green-grey. The bandages wrapped around his neck were a peculiar choice, but Damian had seen stranger.
"You are aware that you are the most anxious person I have ever encountered," Damian stated. "And I have met the Riddler."
Kaminari winced. "That's... not inaccurate." He rubbed the back of his neck, careful not to disturb the bandages. "Look, I'm not good with new people. Especially new people connected to Salix. No offense."
"None taken. I am also not fond of being associated with Salix."
That seemed to surprise Kaminari. "Really? But you're Batman's—"
"Son. Yes. And Salix is... Father's oldest friend." Damian's voice carried a carefully measured neutrality. "They have an unusual bond. I have learned to accept it."
"Aren't you supposed to be, like, the jealous type?" Kaminari asked, genuinely curious now. "The whole—I don't know—overprotective son thing?"
Damian's eyebrow arched. "I am not jealous of a man who treats Father like a cat treats its favorite human. Salix is undeniably competent, but he is also exhausting. I have enough exhausting people in my life." A pause. "You included."
"Fair." Kaminari laughed, and it was surprisingly warm, a brief crack in his anxious facade. "Salix told me you had a way with words. He wasn't wrong."
"He told you about me?"
"Salix tells me about everyone. It's his thing." Kaminari's expression shifted to something softer, almost fond. "He talks about Bruce constantly. Honestly, I think he'd marry him if Jason didn't already have dibs."
Damian's nose wrinkled. "I did not need that image."
"Sorry, sorry." Kaminari held up his hands in surrender. "Too much information. I'm bad at boundaries. Another thing Salix probably mentioned."
"He did, actually." Damian paused. "He also mentioned that you bathe in wine."
The sound Kaminari made was somewhere between a groan and a laugh. "Of course he did. Why wouldn't he mention that? It's not like it's weird or anything."
"It is objectively weird."
"I know! I know it's weird. You think I don't know it's weird?" Kaminari threw his hands up. "I didn't choose the wine bath life. The wine bath life chose me. Literally. Water would kill me. Do you know how inconvenient that is?"
Damian's lips twitched. It wasn't quite a smile, but it was close. "I imagine it complicates travel."
"Complicates everything. I can't go swimming. I can't take a normal shower. My apartment smells like a vineyard. My boyfriend makes jokes about me being a 'fine vintage' and I can't even get mad because he's technically right." Kaminari was gesturing wildly now, his voice rising with each word. "And everyone in Osaka just accepts it. No one questions it. Do you know what that's like? Being surrounded by people who don't question the fact that you bathe in sake?"
"Actually," Damian said, "yes."
Kaminari stopped mid-gesture. "What?"
"My family is... unusual." Damian's voice was carefully controlled. "We have a butler who is also a former intelligence operative. A brother who died and came back to life. A sister who can read body language so precisely she knows what you're thinking before you do. Another brother who—" He stopped himself. "You are a vigilante who bathes in wine. I have a father who dresses like a bat. We are both surrounded by people who have accepted the unacceptable."
Kaminari stared at him for a long moment.
Then he burst out laughing.
It wasn't a polite laugh or a nervous chuckle. It was genuine, full-bodied laughter that seemed to surprise even him. His whole body shook with it, the anxiety falling away to reveal something more relaxed underneath.
"Okay," Kaminari managed, wiping his eyes. "Okay, I didn't expect that. That was actually... really good. Thank you."
Damian felt an unfamiliar warmth in his chest. "You are welcome."
They continued walking in companionable silence for a few moments. The Osaka skyline stretched out before them, a thousand lights flickering in the growing dusk. Damian found himself relaxing despite his earlier reservations. Kaminari was strange, yes, and clearly carried more emotional baggage than was strictly necessary for a vigilante. But there was an honesty to him that Damian couldn't help but appreciate.
"So," Kaminari said, breaking the silence. "How long are you staying? Because if you need backup or something, I'm happy to—"
"I am here to evaluate," Damian said. "Not to participate. Father wants me to understand how other cities manage their crime rates. Osaka is a test case."
"Ah." Kaminari nodded sagely. "The 'this is how other people do it' approach. Classic Bruce move."
Damian's eyes narrowed. "You call my father by his first name."
"I call everyone by their first name. It's a thing. Rin says it's a problem, but Rin also thinks I have attachment issues, so—" Kaminari stopped abruptly. "Wait. We're getting off track. The point is—"
He stepped back, gesturing emphatically as he tried to regain his train of thought. His foot caught on a loose piece of gravel that had shifted on the rooftop's edge.
In one moment, Kaminari was upright.
In the next, he was falling.
Damian's reflexes, honed by years of training with the League of Assassins, kicked in immediately. He lunged forward, arm extended, intent on catching the taller vigilante before he could tumble off the edge.
It was a good plan.
Unfortunately, Damian had not accounted for the fact that Kaminari's body was literally electric.
The moment Damian's hand made contact with Kaminari's wrist, a jolt of static electricity shot up his arm. His muscles seized involuntarily. His foot slipped on the same gravel that had betrayed Kaminari. And suddenly, he was falling too.
The world became a blur of silver and gold and electric blue. There was the sensation of impact, not the hard concrete he'd been expecting, but something softer. Warmer.
When Damian opened his eyes, he realized he was lying on top of Kaminari, who had somehow ended up on his back with Damian sprawled across his chest.
And their lips were touching.
Damian's brain, usually so quick to process information, simply stopped.
There was Kaminari. There was his lips. There was the distinct taste of something faintly sweet on his breath- Wait, sake, Damian's mind supplied distantly, because of course his brain would prioritize that information at a moment like this.
And there was the fact that this was Damian's second first kiss with a boy, and somehow it was significantly more awkward than the first.
Kaminari's eyes were wide open. His pupils had dilated slightly, and a faint blush was spreading across his tan cheeks. His hands had come up instinctively, gripping Damian's shoulders, not pushing him away, but not pulling him closer either.
They froze.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
Then, in perfect unison, they both scrambled backward.
"To'liq qanday—" Damian started, then stopped. His Arabic was slipping. He forced himself back into English. "That did not happen."
Kaminari was already on his feet, brushing at his clothes like he could somehow erase the past thirty seconds. "Nope. Nothing happened. Absolutely nothing."
"We fell."
"Yes. We fell. And then we—" Kaminari gestured vaguely at their lips. "And then we got up. That's it. That's the entire story."
"Agreed," Damian said quickly. "We never speak of this."
"Never."
"Under any circumstances."
"Cross my heart." Kaminari made an X over his chest. "Hope to die. Stick a needle in my—actually, scratch that last part. But you get the idea."
They stood there, both of them breathing slightly too fast, neither one quite able to meet the other's eyes.
Damian's hands were trembling. He forced them still.
Kaminari was fidgeting with his bandages again, the blush still lingering on his cheeks.
"Um," Kaminari said. "So. Do you... want to see the rest of the city? I could show you the—I don't know—the good ramen places?"
"That would be acceptable," Damian said, his voice carefully controlled.
"Cool. Great. Awesome." Kaminari started walking, still not looking directly at Damian. "I know this great place near the harbor. They have pork broth that would make Jason cry."
"Jason does cry. Often. About food."
"Really?"
"Really."
And as they walked, carefully maintaining a space between them that hadn't existed before, Damian found himself thinking about the taste of sake.
He would never, ever admit that to anyone.
---
Three Months Later...
Damian was in the Batcave, reviewing city patrols, when Salix appeared.
The vigilante materialized from the shadows like he'd always been there, all mismatched eyes and quiet menace. His presence filled the space immediately, and Damian felt himself tense.
"Hello, little one," Salix said, his voice deceptively gentle. "We need to talk."
"I am not little," Damian said automatically. "And I have nothing to discuss with you."
"Really?" Salix's eyebrow arched. "Nothing? Not even the incident in Osaka?"
Damian went very, very still.
Salix smiled, and it was the kind of smile that belonged on a predator. "Kaminari tells me everything. He's a terrible liar. Did you know that?"
"He agreed to never speak of—"
"He agreed to never speak of it with you." Salix's voice was almost amused now. "He did not agree to never speak of it with me. And I asked. Nicely. I am very good at asking nicely."
Damian said nothing.
"Don't worry," Salix continued, settling into a chair like he owned it. "I'm not mad. Honestly, I think it's cute. My best friend's son and my favorite disaster vigilante having an accidental kiss. It's almost poetic."
"It was not—"
"Accidental. I know. That's what makes it funny." Salix's eyes sparkled. "You know, Kaminari has been a mess for months. A complete disaster. He keeps forgetting what he's supposed to be doing and he's dropped at least three villains because he was 'distracted.' Would you like to know what he was distracted by?"
"No."
"A certain someone with an attitude problem and a habit of running into danger."
Damian's jaw tightened. "That is incorrect. We have not spoken since—"
"You haven't spoken. But you've been thinking about it." Salix's voice was knowing now. "And so has he. It's adorable, really. Two idiots who can't admit they have feelings for each other."
"Kaminari has a lover."
"That is—I mean, he does. But it's complicated." Salix's expression flickered. "Kaminari's relationship with Karla is... unique. And Karla is very secure. She wouldn't mind sharing if Kaminari wanted to explore something new."
Damian's face flushed. "I am not interested in being 'explored.'"
"No, you'd hate that." Salix was laughing now, soft and quiet. "You'd want to be courted properly. For someone to put in the effort. To prove they're worthy of your time and attention."
Damian opened his mouth to deny it.
Salix cut him off. "I've been alive a long time, Damian. I know these things. And I know Kaminari. He's scared, he's always scared, but when he's with you? He's a mess. But it's a good mess. The kind of mess that means something."
"I am not discussing this with you."
"Fine." Salix rose, flowing to his feet like water. "But think about it. That's all I'm asking." He paused at the edge of the shadows. "And Damian? Be gentle with him. He's been hurt by people who were supposed to protect him. He doesn't trust easily. But when he does... he's worth it."
And then Salix was gone, melting into the darkness like he'd never been there.
Damian stared at the empty space for a long moment.
Then, against his will, he found himself smiling.
---
The Next Morning...
Kaminari woke up in his apartment in Osaka to find a small package on his doorstep.
Inside was a single origami bird, folded with the kind of precision that spoke of years of practice, and a note written in precise, controlled script.
"Osaka patrols were acceptable. Your technique has improved. - D.W."
Kaminari stared at the note for a long moment.
Then he burst out laughing.
"This is the most Damian thing ever," he muttered to himself. "Literally the most."
He tucked the origami bird carefully into his pocket.
It stayed there for months.
---
Two Years Later...
The origami bird had been joined by twenty-seven others.
Kaminari kept them all in a decorated box in his apartment, each one neatly arranged by size and shape. He'd started collecting them almost immediately after the first note, and Damian had never stopped sending them.
Every month, without fail, a new bird would arrive. Sometimes with a note. Sometimes just the bird itself.
Kaminari treasured them all.
And if anyone asked about the box (Rin had, several times), he simply shrugged and said, "It's a hobby."
No one believed him.