Author's note: Happy new year! Hope you enjoy chapter 3, and please forgive/point out any typos; this was written late at night. Thank you again for the wonderful encouragement!
Richard had been five when he had attempted the trapeze for the first time. He had been practicing simple gymnastics for quite a while at that point (or at least what felt like quite a while to a five-year old), and was absolutely determined to join his parents in the air. His parents, especially his mother, had expressed concern. It's very dangerous, his mother had said. Even with the net, that's a long, scary fall, his father had added.
But the boy had been determined, and his parents were lenient; they had no desire to deny their son something he obviously wanted so badly. So one day his mother had brought him up, up, up while his father watched from below. The height was dizzying, and Richard had momentarily doubted his choice.
When they had reached the top, he had turned a little anxiously toward his mother. She had been smiling; he could still remember how radiant she looked in the circus lights. She had brought a gentle hand to his face and stroked his cheek.
"My little robin," she had said softly. "When a bird is flying through the air, it doesn't think at all about falling, right? It just flies. And that's exactly what you need to do, okay? You just fly, and you don't even think about falling. As long as you're in the air, the ground doesn't exist. You have to believe that; just try to think like a little bird."
He had shifted his stance nervously. "Is it scary when you fall?" he had whispered anxiously. Her smile had dimmed a little, and she had sighed, running her fingers through his hair. She had hesitated before speaking, as though she wasn't quite sure if she should tell the truth. When she finally had started to speak, her words had been quiet and honest.
"Yes, Richard. Because there's nothing a bird fears more than falling out of the sky."
Robin pushed off with all his might, letting out a short cry as he leapt into the night sky. For about two seconds he was flying, soaring through the air in a way he had never quite experienced before; it was incredible, the best feeling of his life.
And then he realized there was absolutely no way in hell he was going to make it. His jump simply hadn't been strong enough.
Panicked, his eyes widened and he whipped out his grappling hook only to quickly conclude, as before, that there was nothing it could attach to. The angles were all wrong, and even if they weren't his momentum was so great that he wouldn't be able to change directions to avoid crashing into the building's wall and tumbling to his death.
In short, he was completely screwed.
Terrified, he locked gazes with the thief, who was still calmly watching from the rooftop, and got an incredibly stupid idea. His jump alone hadn't had the strength to carry him all the way over; ergo, he needed an extra source of power. And since he couldn't push anymore, the only other solution was to have something - or in this case, someone - pull him through the air. He didn't know if the thief would actually help him; they were on opposite sides of the law, after all. But this man was clearly interested in him for some reason; if he was lucky, the man was interested enough to save his life. It was definitely a long shot. A very long shot.
A stupid, stupid idea.
Any port in a storm, he thought hysterically, and took aim with his grappler, his legs pumping madly through thin air. "Pull!" he screamed desperately, hoping with all his might that the man could hear him, and squeezed the trigger.
The hook shot toward the man, who calmly stepped aside from the metal claw and easily caught the rope that was shooting by him. And, just as calmly, he grabbed the rope with both hands, widened his stance, and pulled back with incredible power. The gun was nearly wrenched from Robin's hands from the force of the thief's tug, but he clung to it madly. The strength of his jump had been starting to fade, but now he was being viciously pulled through the air; the force of the jump and the force of the thief practically reeling him in was enough to send him sky rocketing toward the building.
Whipping through the air, his eyes widened in horror. He was going to land on the rooftop, that was for sure.
He was also going to crash right into the man who was saving his life.
"Oh, shi-" was all he got out before slamming into the thief and sending them both tumbling and rolling over the roof. He could hear the metal of the man's armor screeching shrilly as it scraped the ground. The concrete bit cruelly into Robin's body, ripping his uniform and brutally tearing open his exposed skin. He couldn't help the scream of pain that burst past his lips.
It felt like a lifetime, but finally he rolled to a stop. Gasping for air, he lay still for a moment before patting down his body with trembling hands to make sure he hadn't broken any bones. He winced and let out a hiss when his fingers shakily passed over his ribs. He could breathe fairly easily, so the damage probably wasn't too awful, but he had definitely bruised them at the very least.
He let out a shaky breath, remembering his mother's words from so long ago. There's nothing a bird fears more than falling out of the sky... And wasn't that the awful truth. He had never been so terrified in his entire life. That feeling of falling, of losing control of the jump...
Death had never felt closer. He had gotten off easy; if the thief hadn't saved him, he would most certainly be dead.
And speaking of which...
Wincing with every movement, he pulled himself to his feet and warily flicked his gaze over to the man, eyes widening in shock at what he saw.
The thief was standing perfectly still, his hands clasped behind his back. He looked utterly calm, unharmed. Robin began to tremble, feeling afraid of this man for the first time. He should have at least had a scratch, some sign of weakness, after a tumble like that.
Maybe this guy really wasn't human after all.
"Who are you?" the boy whispered fearfully. The man didn't reply, and Robin hardened his gaze. "Who are you?" he repeated with more force. The thief tilted his head.
"Not even a 'thank you' first?"
Robin quickly felt abashed. "Thank you," he said softly. "Thank you for saving my life. I just... I don't... Why did you do it? Why are you even talking to me?"
The man stayed silent before slowly walking toward the boy. Robin couldn't stop himself from taking one fearful step backwards. He was shaken; the confidence he had felt during the chase was now completely gone.
He was just a kid, and it was clear to him now that he was way out of his league.
The man stopped just a few inches in front of him. Robin trembled from fatigue and fright; it took all his strength not to fall to his knees. The man suddenly raised his hand and tilted the boy's chin up; Robin winced, but was otherwise too frightened to move. The man studied his bleeding and dirtied face for a moment before finally speaking.
"You'll learn my name soon enough from your mentor. As for why I saved you... You intrigue me, for reasons that are none of your concern at this time. What's your name, boy?"
Robin took a deep breath and counted to five. It was a trick Bruce had taught him, to avoid the mistake of giving the wrong name. It would be catastrophic if he answered with "Richard" instead of "Robin."
But it was awfully hard to wait those five seconds with the man's single eye boring into him.
He finally licked his lips. "Robin," he whispered. "It's Robin."
The man nodded slightly. "Robin," he said slowly, and the boy shivered; the way the man said his name, like he was tasting it... It frightened him.
"I haven't heard of you before," the thief said pleasantly, not moving his touch away from Robin's chin. "Why is that?"
The boy kept his gaze on the man's chest, unable to meet that single eye. "It's... It's my first night out."
"Hm. And you're Batman's protege, I take it."
Robin was far too overwhelmed to come up with a lie, so he simply stayed silent.
"Interesting that the dark knight would leave you in the car for your 'first night out,'" the man purred, and Robin stiffened instantly. "I wonder why that is; he must not find you very useful if he leaves you behind like the family dog."
Robin flushed with indignation, his pride wounded and fear momentarily forgotten. He wrenched his head away from the man's fingers and snarled. "If I'm so useless, then why am I here when Batman is still fumbling around at that lab?" he hissed furiously. The man chuckled darkly and began to slowly walk around him; Robin stood stiffly, every muscle tense.
"Oh, I don't think you're useless, Robin. In fact, so far you've done nothing but impress me tonight, far more than the dark knight did." Robin blinked in confusion, and couldn't help but feel a little flattered; he hadn't gotten such strong encouragement in a long time. The man continued, still in that smooth voice. "You aren't afraid of hurting your enemies; that much was clear with the blade you put in my back. A little sadistic for one so young, don't you think?"
Robin winced, remembering how Bruce was so concerned about his more violent tendencies. "You were about to walk away," he muttered. "I didn't have a choice."
"Of course you did," the man replied smoothly. "You wanted to hurt me; you were just itching to practice throwing that nifty little toy at someone who was alive, someone you could hurt. And you certainly didn't fail." Robin clenched and unclenched his fists, unsure of what to say, wanting to deny it but knowing he couldn't.
The thief stopped his circling, pausing behind Robin and placing his hands on the boy's thin shoulders; Robin flinched, but didn't move away. The man lowered his head to speak in the boy's ear. "Don't doubt what you are, Robin. I've only seen a small amount of you, but I can already tell that you and I are very much alike."
"You don't know anything about me," Robin muttered.
The man's grip tightened. "I will soon," he whispered, and before Robin had the chance to process the rather strange and frightening statement the man's fingers began to dig painfully into his shoulders. His mouth opened in a silent scream of pain and he choked out a gasp; he tried to wrench himself out of the man's grip, but to no avail. "Now Robin," the man said conversationally as the boy writhed in his grasp. "We've already determined that you have impressive aim, you're extraordinarily talented acrobatically, and you're able to think quickly in the face of danger. But now, I'm just wondering..." The man released the boy, and Robin stumbled away, whirling around to face his adversary. The thief slid into a fighting stance, and Robin's masked eyes widened in fear. "How's your hand-to-hand combat?"
Batman burst out of the building and sprinted toward the batmobile. Police sirens were wailing nearby, but he barely acknowledged them; making sure his ward was safe was far more important that dealing with the police. He slowed down when he was next to the car. His eyes narrowed at what he saw.
He couldn't say he was surprised to find the passenger door flung open and the vehicle empty, but he had to admit he'd been hoping that Robin had followed his orders. Of course, there was a possibility that Slade had forced the boy out...
He took a deep breath and calmed himself. He couldn't afford to panic; Robin needed him. Flicking his gaze to the ground, he saw slight indentations in the grime of the street. He had never been more thankful for Gotham's filth.
Taking off at a run, he began the hunt for his ward.