10:04 PM 15/6/2013
The skyline of Gotham city stretched across the horizon, hazy from all the hazardous pollution of the Industrial District and the light mist that dampened the metropolis. Orange and yellow lights cast a lazy glow at least a mile above the city. It was like an ominous halo, warning of the city's true nature. In the center of the cesspool of skyscrapers, high-end hotels and slums, Wayne Tower, the very foundation of Gotham itself, stood high and mighty.
Late night stragglers wandered in and out of pubs and bars. They stumbled home drunkenly, or risked it and drove. Nightclubs were thriving with people on the warm June Saturday. Movie theaters played the latest summer blockbusters, opera houses were completely packed to the brim with the rich and glorious. It was a normal weekend for the dark hub.
Almost a normal weekend. No explosions, no jokes, no riddles, no cats swiping loot, no random snow in the middle of summer. Something was off tonight.
Where were all the notorious villains of Gotham? It had been at least three days since the last round of chaos appeared. Not even Harley Quinn gloating about her beautiful Mista' J. Should that be taken as a good sign, or a very bad one?
On top of a concrete gargoyle hanging from the corner of the GCPD building, Gotham's vigilant knight Perched. His eyes scanned the city through the black mask that covered the top part of his face and head. As it has been for the past several days, nothing was out of the ordinary.
Where were all the villains?
The dark knight's face remained smooth and emotionless as he continued to survey the city. Throngs of people pulsed on the slightly damp sidewalk, heading towards their desired destinations in the city. He watched as they carried on with their normal lives. As they enjoyed their summer freedom. As they enjoyed their freedom in general. Faintly, Bruce barely heard the woman land on the gargoyle next to him.
"Hey," She said quietly, balancing easily on the structure.
The Batman grunted lowly. "What do you want, Steam?" He asked bluntly.
"Excuse you," She murmured, frowning slightly. "I just wanted to see how the Batty-watty and his little Boy Wonder were doing. Speaking of Robin, where is he?" Steam Punk's head cocked to her shoulder as she stared at Gotham's guardian. The obsidian haired girl adjusted her leather gloves as she waited for a reply.
"He had something else to do, on the other side of town? And stop hanging like that, you'll injure yourself." He scolded as the slightly mad teenager as she was hanging upside down, uncaring of the great hight they were at.
"Aw, Bats, you're such a killjoy!" She giggled and flipped back up on the perch. "Anyway, where can I find him?"
"You ask more questions than Nygma."
"I'm flattered. Where's my little Robbie-pookins?"
"Please don't say that." Bruce sighed.
"Birdy-wirdy."
Finally giving in to the pestering girl, he nodded off to the north. "Over by the warehouses, looking, patrolling. Why don't you go bother him?"
"Will do," Valerie Wayne winked, pulling her brass goggles off her head and over her eyes before leaping off the statue and into the depths of Gotham below.
Bruce sighed and watched the city he grew up in. It was turning to hell before his very eyes, more and more every day. New territories were being aggressively defined by the villains and the mobs they controlled, drug dealers were moving in too... How could a city that started off with such good intentions turn bad?
With another low sigh, he kicked off from the gargoyle, his cowl catching the wind. He soared above the rooftops and through the office buildings, heading towards an unknown destination. There really was nothing to do if no crime was happening at that moment. All the major threats seemed to have gone silent. Even burly drunks stealing a petite granny's purse. It all just stopped.
The knight kind of missed it.
After all, without crime, what was Batman? He could do nothing except watch the normal citizens go about their lives.
His feet touched down silently on top of a small building that must have once been a small café or something, tucked away inside of an alley. He began strolling around the roof, pacing while thinking. Suddenly his foot hit something, causing him to glance down. All he remembered was the snare encasing his foot, unharming him through his tough armor.
And then Harley's hammer slamming into his head.
"Oh, Robin~!" Valerie hummed as she tackled her Boy Wonder to the roof of the abandoned warehouse.
"Ah, V- Steam! Get off!" Seventeen year old Robin shoved off his best friend and girlfriend, standing back up. After adjusting his cape to keep it from strangling him, he frowned sternly at her. "What the hell was that for?"
Steam Punk was fashionably decked out in her normal armor of a black bodysuit, made from army strength materials and leather. Her black boots stopped at her knee, heels tall and seemly hard to walk in despite the girls easy strides. Her goggles were pushed back once again into her raven colored hair.
She smiled and ran a hand over his chest, causing him to blush below the green mask he wore. "I just wanted to hang out since not much has happened. Let's ditch watch and go somewhere fun." As she said this, she was leaning in closer to Richard, close enough to start nibbling his ear.
He smiled slightly before gently pushing her away. "I don't just wanna leave Batman alone out there... what if something does happen?"
"He can handle himself. He's Batman for fucks sake," Valerie smiled and grabbed his hands. "Come on, Robby. Let's go."
He sighed, pulling her with him to his motorcycle. "Fine.." Dick straddled the front of the leather seat of the sleek red and green bike, Valerie doing the same but behind him. She looped her covered arms around his waist. Jumping, he spun his head around to look at her, alarmed when she began to paw him through his suit. "S-Steam! Stop that!"
"I asked if you wanted to go somewhere fun..."
"God damn it, we're not going to go do... things.." The teenager blushed, starting up the cycle and speeding off into the warm night.
9:21 AM 16/6/2013
Golden rays of sunlight streamed through the window, basking the room with a halo of sun as the blackout curtains were drawn back. It was greeting them. Telling them they had a whole day to look forward to.
Valerie cussed aloud and pulled the blanket over her head.
"Now, now, Miss Wayne. Is that anyway to speak?" A warm, loving British voice teased.
"Alfred, shut the damned curtains," She groaned.
The old butler chuckled and pulled the blanket off of the young woman to awaken her. Richard snickered in the doorway as she curled up with her pillow.
"Shut up, Dick," She mumbled into the cotton and kicked her legs out. The younger man walked over and grabbed her by her slender, pale legs and off the bed, over his shoulder. "Put me down!" She screamed, pounding her fists onto his back to no avail.
"Wakey wakey," He chuckled and shifted her as the English butler left the room. She now had let legs wrapped around his waist, her front rubbing against his.
Valerie sighed and nuzzled his neck, threading her arms around his neck. "I don't wanna get up, Dick. Come back to bed with me." She mumbled lazily against his skin.
"Mm," He hummed, kissing her forehead. "As tempting as that sounds... We're going out today."
"What for?"
"Anything you would like to do. Apparently Bruce never made it home last night, so we have a free day."
A worried feeling pulled at her gut. "Really...?" The teen frowned.
"Hey, don't worry." He kissed her. "He'll be fine, he always is."
After chewing on her lip for a moment, Valerie nodded and dropped from Dick's waist. "Let me get dressed, and we can go out."
"Can I watch?"
"No. I tried to pull a move last night, but no," She drew out the 'o', "You didn't want to." The raven haired girl shoved her boyfriend out and giggled as she shut the door in his shocked face.
A few minutes later, she strolled into the hallway where he was waiting, wearing her favorite 'Hawaiian Punch' tee, cargo shorts and nearly ruined vans. "I'm ready." She smiled and pecked him on the cheek.
Despite being the daughter of Bruce Wayne, billionaire, Valerie didn't depend on him for her money or clothes. She spent years stealing from unsuspecting people as Steam Punk before her mother died of cancer. She and Bruce hadn't known they were related until Natalie, her mother, had died and she needed a guardian. When she finally made the link towards her father and Batman and Richard and Robin, she started working on her act and became a vigilante of Gotham, like them.
Some probably thought it was odd that she and Dick were dating. Bruce had technically adopted the boy, after all. But they weren't related by blood and Val's mother never put down Wayne's name on the birth certificate for his and her protection. regardless of what they were, they had a bond that couldn't be broken.
Richard smiled and hugged her. "Good. Let's go."
She nodded and fumbled with her faded, antique bronze and copper watch before nodding and walking with him out of the manor and to his motorcycle. "You never said where we're going."
He chuckled. "It's a surprise."