A/N: This doesn't follow any particular comic continuity.
"Robin -"
But before Batgirl could get the next word out, she was already jumping from the roof and landing on the bulky shoulders of one of the henchmen. She kicked him in the face, jumping off him and into the next henchmen, who was already pulling his gun out. Knowing it was probably a bad idea to take on that many bullets at once, she jumped to grab one of the low-hanging girders over her head, swung herself over his head and dropped behind him. It only took one kick to the back of the head for him to drop like a sack of rubber noses.
"You what?"
Neck-deep in trouble already, Robin ducked down and kicked the feet out from under the four men surrounding him. He smiled cheekily to himself before eyeballing another group of armed goons from across the room and running at them, seemingly with the intention of bowling them all over. At the last second, he dodged left and threw a flash bang in front of them. The men all recoiled, temporarily blinded. Batgirl threw a set of bola at their feet, and the goons all fell to the group in an uncoordinated pile of criminal scum.
"Nothing!"
Batgirl launched herself off a wall and delivered a kick of tremendous force to the clown-masked henchman. The large man stumbled back once, but didn't drop his gun. Before he could pull the trigger, Robin threw a wing-ding, his work-in-progress take on a batarang, as his hand. He dropped the gun and cried out in pain.
Robin punched out yet another goon, who fell to the ground, before handspringing in the direction of the two more with semi-automatic machine guns. In one smooth motion, he threw two wing-dings, each burying itself in the barrels of the guns just as they were pulling the triggers. The resulting blast fired the thugs backwards into the wall, instantly knocking them both out.
Batgirl laid a quick beating on her now-crippled goon, happily leaving him in an unconscious heap on the ground. She used her grappling hook to pull another goon closer and punched him once in the nose. She eyed the last three of Joker's thugs sneaking up behind Robin, who was kicking the feet out from under the henchman he was working on. She threw three batarangs at the backs of their heads, successfully knocking out two of them. Robin glanced over his shoulder and saw the last one standing. With a precise blow to the goon's midsection, Robin threw a wink Batgirl's way and punched the goon in the face.
Robin and Batgirl silently dragged the unconscious henchmen to the center of the room, handcuffed them for good measure, and tied them to a beam. Satisfied with their handiwork, they grappled up to the rooftop and waited for the police to arrive.
They sat together in silence for a few minutes, both waiting for the other to catch their breath. Batgirl smiled at him, her face flushed from exertion, before she caught herself and forced a more neutral look. Robin, however, continued his proud smiling as though this was the best stake-out he'd ever been in. Batgirl was at his side and he'd just kicked the asses of at least ten henchmen, what more could he ask for?
Robin sat down next to her. "So what were you saying earlier?" he asked.
"Well..." Batgirl considered the tense, gut-wrenching seconds before the ambush. The idea that she could kick ass instead of talking to Robin was preferable. Her lips stayed in a firm, thin line as she considered her options.
"Batgirl?"
An hour earlier, the boy and girl wonders sat silently on the roof of one of Gotham's infinite abandoned warehouses. Batman had tasked them with apprehending the Joker's henchmen before they could receive a shipment of a particularly deadly chemical. Batman was on the other side of the dockyard waiting to intercept the ship.
The worst part about stake-outs in general is that you never know how long you're going to be waiting for. They had been waiting for hours in the chilly weather and salty wind coming in from the harbour. It was uncomfortable, as it usually was. The worst part about this particular stake-out was the awkward tension between them. They had argued into the wee hours of the morning the night before and had yet to make up, despite Robin's best efforts to lighten the mood and make Batgirl laugh. She wasn't mad at him anymore, though, she was just stressed beyond what she had the capacity for. She wanted them to be okay again, but she knew that wasn't a possibility at this point.
Dick burst through the door to her apartment looking panicked and out of breath. He held a sleek black motorcycle helmet under one arm, and was wearing an expensive-looking leather jacket with designer jeans. He always looks so good, Barbara thought to herself, momentarily distracted and thumbing the hem of her long sweater.
"Are you okay? Did something happen?" he asked, eyes wide and out of breath.
She froze. She hadn't actually thought this far ahead. The only thing she knew was that she called him, almost in tears, because talking to him seemed like the only way to make things okay.
"Babs, sweetheart?" Dick put his helmet on the kitchen table and rushed to her side where she stood in the living room. He put his hands on both sides of her face and looked her straight in the eye.
"I, uh, wanted to talk with you," she said, not quite sure how to begin. He seemed a lot taller than usual. Than before. Had he really grown this much in the three years since their first kiss?
"I know, that's why I'm here." His eyebrows were still high, anticipating the huge piece of news that Barbara's tone on the phone had indicated.
She exhaled deeply, gathering strength. This wasn't going to work. The reason she had called him over was still too unreal to be discussed. She had to think of something else. Quickly, before she accidentally told the truth.
"We should move in together," she blurted. She immediately regretted it.
"What?"
He had obviously not been expecting that. One of his hands flew up to the side of his head and buried itself in his thick hair as he scrutinized her face for an explanation. This wasn't something that had ever come up. Obviously he'd thought about it, but his age still seemed like a factor in terms of their public relationship. He was expected to be his father's son, and playboys don't move in with their girlfriends. This topic was almost considered a taboo for them, despite knowing how much they loved one another.
"Yeah! I mean, we've been together a long time, right? And you're more than old enough to move out of Bruce's."
Dick lowered one of his eyebrows and looked Barbara skeptically. "Is this what you called me over here for?" His tone was careful, non-judgemental.
"Well, no," she said. "But it's pretty important, don't you think?"
"I suppose it is. Yeah. But I was hoping we could talk about -"
"So what do you think? Let's get a place together!" She was fully-committed to this idea now and filled her voice with faux-enthusiasm. Her apartment obviously wouldn't do for the both of them, especially with their exercise regimes and after-hours lifestyle, but they could find somewhere else.
"I can't."
"What? Why not?"
"I, um… I was hoping to tell you this later, but I'm moving." He unzipped his jacket and hung it over the arm of Barbara's couch. "To San Francisco."
"You what?!" she said, louder than she had intended. This was news to her.
"I need to be able to coordinate the Titans full-time, you know? I think it would be better if I could just be there in person."
The idea that he was putting the Titans, which she had yet to be invited to join thank you very much, ahead of their relationship was incomprehensible. He was already spending more than half of his free time out of Gotham and they were struggling to spend any time together at all. In fact, the most time they'd spent together in the last month had been studying between classes.
"I can't believe this!" Barbara dropped herself on the couch.
"They need me, Babs. I'm their leader."
"Gotham needs you!"
"Gotham is protected."
"San Francisco doesn't even have a quarter of the crime that Gotham does."
"It's not just about the city; we do missions all over the world."
"You can still coordinate them from here! Hell, we have teleports! You could be at Titan Tower in ten seconds!"
"And Wally could be there in one. It's honestly better if I'm just there all the time."
"I just… I can't believe you're just up and leaving!"
"I've been thinking about it for a long time. Over a year. But I'm going to do it soon, once the semester is over."
"But what about…" She didn't want to make this about herself. She didn't want to sound needy. "Why didn't you tell me before?"
"I'm sorry. I know I should told you this before, but... I didn't know how." Dick had seated himself next to her on her plush couch but kept his hands to himself and his eyes focused on her slippered feet.
"I get that you were scared, but you have responsibilities to Bruce and Gotham... and me." She pulled her knees to her chest and leaned back on the couch and did her best not to cry.
"I'm an adult now. Bruce knows that. I can't be his Robin forever. Gotham is safe in his hands... and yours."
"So that's it? You're going to leave us all? Are you even going to be Robin anymore?"
"I don't know. It wouldn't seem right without Batman, would it?"
"I guess not."
"I'll figure that part out when I have to." He laughed, but it lacked any kind of sincerity or feeling. "I'll probably need a new costume, too."
As best she tried to keep the tears off her face, Barbara couldn't keep them out of her voice. "Please stay with me," she said quietly, uncharacteristically softly.
"You should come with me." He gently put a hand on her thigh. "We could get a place together there, and we wouldn't even need to keep up our public façade. It would be great."
"I'm not re-locating to the other side of the country so you can babysit!" The tears were gone, replaced by indignity and sudden frustration. "I'm not going to keep coming second."
"What's the problem? I know that you're not particularly fond of Gotham either, so why are you so eager to keep me here?" Dick stood up and pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger.
"It may not be the best city, but it's still my home. At least I'm not abandoning it like you are."
"Wh- abandoning it? Don't talk about this messed-up city like it's something worth taking care of."
"Of course it's worth taking care of!" Barbara almost screamed. "Would you have spent the last ten years risking your life for it if it wasn't?"
"I know, I'm sorry. You're right." Dick sighed. "I'm just a bit angry."
"I'm so tired of this… why are you even here?"
"I'm skipping patrol because you called me over here in a panic, and it's turned into this."
"Right…" She suddenly remember the telephone call. Taking a deep breath, she dropped her shoulders back into the couch and looked up at Dick. He looked so tense and worried and frustrated; she would have felt bad for him if she weren't so furious.
He crossed his arms, but not in a defensive or aggressive way, and raised his eyebrows. "Can we talk about why you called me over here? You sounded so upset on the phone. I was worried about you."
"I… not anymore. No."
"Why not?
"Because you're being selfish and I don't want to deal with you right now."
"Selfish? I'm just trying to live my own life!"
"By leaving me behind!"
Silence. Regret. Desperation.
"Babs... I love you."
"I love you too, Dick."
Dick sat back down on the couch and put an arm over Barbara's shoulders. He gently rubbed her arm and the two sat quietly together for a few minutes.
"It's late and I've got a midterm in the morning," he said after he felt fully pacified. "Is it okay if I go home?"
"Of course it is." She didn't look up.
"Good night. I'll see you tomorrow." He pressed his lips to her cheek softly.
Barbara heard him pull on his boots, zip up his jacket, and grab his helmet. His keys jingled as he locked the door behind him. When she was sure that he was gone, she dragged herself to the bathroom and had a very long, very hot shower.
As she dried her hair, she stared at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were puffy and her face was still a little red. Rubbing lotion into her skin, she only hoped that she would look and feel better when she woke up. She tied her hair back and glanced at herself once more before walking into her bedroom.
"Tomorrow," she said to herself.
But it was tomorrow now. Robin was staring at her, expecting some kind of words to fall from her mouth. She was being unusually quiet and timid; Robin was used to being able to carry witty, punchy banter with his counterpart. The terrified look in her eyes only added to his worry.
"Batgirl?" he said again, a little louder.
"I, uh..." There went her nerve. Quick, think of something else. "Can I borrow your car on Friday?"
Oh good. Still tiptoeing around the actual problem. She immediately regretted not telling him the truth again, not that she had any idea how to tell him the truth. Maybe she didn't have to tell him. Maybe she could just keep quiet.
"Sure." He raised an eyebrow and leaned in a little closer. "Is something wrong with your bike?"
"No. I just need to go somewhere that's a little further away."
"Well that's not a problem." He grinned, but she didn't reciprocate.
"Thank you."
Robin bit his lip and put his hand on top of hers. "Is there anything else? Did you want to talk about what happened last night?"
She thought for a minute, legitimately considering it. He deserved to know the truth, didn't he? And she needed the support that only he could offer. No. She would deal with it herself. He didn't need the burden.
"No, that's it."
Everything is going to be okay.
"Hm." There was a short beep in Robin's ear. He put two fingers to his earpiece and looked in the direction of the docks. "Talk to me, Bats. Yeah. Neutralized, you? Perfect. Over and out." He glanced back at Batgirl and smiled. "We're done here. Do you need a ride home?"
"I'm fine," she said, smiling just a little.
"Okay." Robin fired his grappling hook at a nearby water tower. "Tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow."
Robin pressed the release on his grappling hook and was launched into the air. Barbara watched him glide off until she couldn't see him anymore. She balled her hand into a fist a punched the metal roof she was sitting on.
"Tomorrow," she said again.