I had actually planned to go home, honest to God, but it wasn't my fault Batman wouldn't leave me alone.

I kept seeing a shadow in the corner of my eye, and I kept feeling his stare. He wasn't as inconspicuous as he perhaps thought.

Wasn't there any actual crime for him to stop or something instead of stalking some random kid?

So yeah, I couldn't exactly go home with a bat following my every step, so I went to the skatepark. It was empty, a rare sight.

I ran up one of the larger ramps and made myself comfortable on the little platform. I had a feeling I was gonna be here a while. Maybe some music would help me pass the time. I didn't have any headphones though, but then again, the skatepark was empty, so who cares.

I just put my playlist on shuffle, but promptly skipped the first two songs, they just didn't fit the vibe.

Once the guitar riff of The Fall started playing I decided that would do, and put my phone down.

Now all I had to do was wait. I mean, Batman was going to give up eventually, right? There was no way he'd spend the rest of the day stalking me, right? Okay, he might, but I could always hope.

Besides, if he took too long I could always text Selina and ask her to cause some trouble. That would for sure force Batman to leave me alone. But for now, I would wait.

Turns out I only had to wait for about half an hour before I got a text from Wally.

U free rn?

I'm not home but

yeah I can talk

The face-time ringtone sounded and I picked up.

"Hi, Wally! What's up?"

"Just wanted to talk" he admitted.

"Well, someone's a bit clingy" I teased.

Wally stuck out his tongue in retaliation, as a toddler would.

"So what're you doing outside? Shouldn't you be resting?" Wally changed the subject.

"Yeah, that's what Batman said as well, and I did, for like a week" I replied.

Wally blinked twice before his brain finally processed the sentence.

"Hold up, you talked to Batman? When?" he almost yelled.

"Like an hour ago. He thought my hang-out spot was too dangerous and lectured me and then he recognized me from when he saved me and scolded me for not resting" I explained.

"I-...what?" it appeared Wally was at a loss for words. Couldn't really blame him.

"Yeah, so that was pretty cool"

"But wait, what was you hang-out spot if Batman thought it was too dangerous?" Wally then asked.

Oh boy.

"Uh...a rooftop..."

"Robin!" he scolded.

"It's fine, Wally! I've been there so many times before" I tried to defend myself.

Wally pouted.

"You promised to be more careful"

I did, didn't I, huh.

"I was fine, Wally. You don't have to worry your pretty little head so much" the words slipped out of me before I had a chance to think about what a terrible idea that was.

Wally tilted his head, a smirk forming on his lips.

"You think I'm pretty?"

"Pretty stupid" I fired back.

Ah, yes, situation saved.

"Hey! That's not nice" Wally complained.

Then we just talked, for hours. Talking with Wally almost made me forget about the dark figure staring down at me from a rooftop, almost.

It was already completely dark when Wally eventually yawned and rubbed his eyes.

"You tired?"

Wally hummed.

"Then go to bed, dude. Don't you have school tomorrow?"

Wally hummed again.

"Seriously, Wally, get some sleep. Bye-bye"

"Okie, bye-bye, love you" half-asleep Wally mumbled, before fumbling with his phone and then ending the call.

Fuck. My face flushed red, I could feel it. Obviously, I knew he didn't mean it. It happens. You're used to talking to loved ones and then you talk to someone else and the 'love you' just slips out. It was nothing more. Wally was my friend. He probably didn't even realize he said it.

I forced myself to take a few deep breaths.

Now was not the time to simp for a superhero.

Suddenly there was a gunshot.

Okay, this was definitely not the time to simp for a superhero.

Another gunshot. This one whizzing past my head, way too close for comfort. The shooter was suddenly struck by something, falling onto the ground, getting knocked out.

Batman dropped down from wherever he'd been hiding and picked up the shooter's gun, removing the magazine and pocketing it.

"Two-face's henchmen. We need to get you to safety, kid" Batman explained.

Oh.

I'd hoped for too much. Of course Harvey was gonna come after me. The question was, was he going after me first, or had he already...

"We need to find Jason!" I demanded.

Batman nodded and pressed something on his glove. Nothing happened for a few seconds, but then the Batmobile sped into view, coming to an abrupt stop a few feet in front of us.

Batman climbed into the driver's seat.

"Get in"

I got into the passenger seat and buckled my seatbelt, God knows I'd need it with Batman's driving, and the car door closed by itself.

"Your friend should still be in the hospital. We'll check there first" Batman informed.

It was a relief to hear he was taking this seriously. But also, was Jason really still in the hospital? It had been almost two weeks. They'd let me go, although reluctantly, after a couple of days. Just how badly injured had he been?

Batman sped off towards the hospital.

I took a moment to appreciate the interior of the Batmobile. Everything was clean and matching. All the meters were digital, and the windows were practically one-way mirrors. Everything was so cool! If my friend's life wasn't at stake this would've been one of the best days of my life.

Batman drove, once again, like a fucking maniac. I doubted he went below the speed limit even once. And for once, I didn't mind at all. The faster we got to Jason, the faster we could save him if need be.

The car came to a stop in front of the hospital, similar to the last time.

"Stay in the car" Batman commanded before I even got a chance to remove my seatbelt.

"No! He's my friend" I argued.

Batman just glared at me, before exiting the car. There was no time to argue, and Batman seemed to agree as there were no further complaints when I exited the vehicle and followed him inside the hospital.

Everything was disorganized. Shelves had fallen over, papers were all over the floor, people were cowering in corners, and there were bullet holes in the ceiling.

We were too late.

Batman ignored all this and marched up to the front desk.

"Jason Todd. Kid with short black hair. Where is he?"

The lady peaked her head up from beneath the desk.

"T-the men, I think they took him. I-I already called the police but they haven't arrived yet, sir"

Jason was gone. Harvey had him again. And I had failed. I failed to protect my friend.

"Give me the room number. I'll check it out" Batman demanded.

The lady quickly looked it up on her computer and scribbled it down on a post-it note.

"You," Batman pointed at me, "are staying here until I get back, okay?"

I huffed and crossed my arms, but nodded, and Batman left up the stairs.

I looked around in the lobby again. The people seemed fine, mostly just shaken up, which was understandable.

"Did anyone get hurt?" I asked the lady.

"Three, one is a nurse as well. Thankfully no one died and the injured got help quickly" she assured.

Three innocent people were hurt. Hurt because of me. Hurt because I couldn't do my job and protect Jason. The least I could do was fix this mess, but Batman wasn't going to let me.

Perhaps it was time to confront Harvey villain to villain...

"Tell Batman I went somewhere I know is safe," I told the lady.

She looked confused.

"But h-he told you to stay, didn't he?"

"Byeee!" I was already on my way out the door.