Barbara glared at the man advancing on her with a knife, irritation seeping into her tremor of nerves. It was four in the afternoon for crying out loud! Muggers were getting lazy or impatient or something—shouldn't they be waiting for night or something?
"You're Gordon's kid," He grinned evilly, taking a step closer.
Oh, great. Another vengeance dispute.
"And you're ugly. Stop stating the obvious." She snarked back, slightly regretting it when he snarled and launched himself at her.
She managed to twist out of the way of the knife—thank you gymnastics!—and land a pretty fierce kick to his stomach—thank you martial arts!—but he was marginally bigger than her and had the sheer weight of his stupidity to slam her against the wall with. She cringed slightly as her head hit the brick with a crack, and inhaled sharply, ready to let out the mother of all screams to catch anyone's attention (though in Gotham, chances someone would help were… not so great), when the thug was suddenly on the ground, his knife skittering away.
"Didn't anyone ever tell you that picking on someone smaller than you is just begging for karma to kick your ass?" A cheerfully snarky voice interrupted them, and Barbara sighed in relief at the familiar mop of black hair and caped back suddenly standing between her and her attacker. "Hello—I'm karma!" He cackled.
The thug only snarled and lurched unsteadily to his feet, clenching his meaty fists at the boy. "And what do they call beatin' your puny ass?" He grunted, stomping forward.
Robin just beamed. "Fun!—For me." He cheered, leaping up and twisting mid-air, his heel somehow finding precise purchase on the thug's jaw, sending him wheeling. The boy landed on his hands and spun out low, knocking the man's feet from under him and sending him crashing into the ground. Fast as you could blink, Robin had him pig-tied and a wrist computer hovering before his eyes, typing faster than you could see his individual fingers.
He shut off the screen and turned to Barbara with a grin. "We gotta stop meeting like this." He cackled.
The shock of her attack was quickly wearing off now that her hero friend was here, and she managed to grin broadly back. "Well, if you came 'round more than when I'm being mugged, maybe we would." She countered right back with a snap.
She had always liked the Boy Wonder, ever since his first mission out with Batman. Her mom had just died and her dad—drowned in the extra work he had to take on to support the two of them—had taken her into the station for lack of a better baby-sitting plan. On that night, she'd caught the first glimpse of the world's first child hero, and was instantly inspired. Even though her mom had died of sickness, at the young age of eight she felt like she should've done more to help save her. Seeing someone even slightly younger than her out there, helping people, saving the day, well… it was enticing.
As she grew, she understood that there was nothing she could've done to help her mother, but her drive to help people never stopped. She threw herself into martial arts and gymnastics, trying to copy the Boy Wonder and, though never coming close without Batman to train her, was still a great fighter if she did say so herself.
And, over the years since then, she'd often found herself with Robin for more than one occasion. Batman was always talking to her father on business, and Robin had the ability to listen into their conversation and also play with her on the rooftop of the Police station, the brilliant multi-tasker that he was. As the commissioner's daughter, she was always in danger or in some sort of trouble from outside threats, and while Batman was off putting the Joker back behind bars, Robin was hanging outside her window making sure no one was coming to steal her away when those threats arose— and he wasn't exactly one to pass up a good conversation instead of protecting in silence and unheard like his mentor might've done.
She had the feeling that Batman didn't have friends, but if he did, her dad would be one of the only ones who could boast of such a feat; not that the Commissioner would, humble as he was. She kinda figured that Robin hanging around her for her protection wasn't something her dad was exactly aware of, and sort of something the dynamic duo was doing out of respect for the only honest cop in Gotham.
Also, like in times like these, Robin was usually the one to appear from nowhere to save her.
And she couldn't say that she was complaining—she didn't have too many friends her age, more acquaintances that anything, and the Boy Wonder was always cheerful and funny. Not to mention a great fighter, her inspiration, and more her maturity level. She was smarter than most kids her age, and so she didn't hang out with them often. Robin was like her, and they got along great. Better than she did with anyone else besides her dad.
"We should go—your dad will be here in six minutes, and by then, you shouldn't be!" Robin smirked, looping his arm around her waist and slipping a grappling hook from around his belt. Before she could respond they were air born, but instead of being alarmed (she was far too used to this by now) she concentrated on studying the way his body arched in response to the pressures from the rope and holding a passenger. She wanted to someday do it too, so she took careful mental notes.
Their feet hit the rooftop and he released her, and she glanced down at the drop before turning to grin at him. "Race ya!" She laughed happily, turning heel and darting off across the roof.
"No fair!" He cried, but she could hear him grinning too. They raced, dodging air vents and using the curves and blocks to aid their speed, leaping over the gaps in the roofs like pros, and Robin occasionally scooping her up to cross a gap too big to cross without a grapple (though sometimes she'd jump anyway, just to see if she could, knowing if she failed he'd catch her—this training she saved for with him rather than on her own time when she could actually fall to her death).
He didn't comment as she took a slightly (quite a bit a lot) longer route home, practicing her rooftop running longer and stretching her time with her hero friend. He was always appearing from nowhere, apparently racing ahead then circling back to scare her, playing around expertly with those ninja skills of his, and teasing her while also giving her pointers, like how to angle your ankles after a long jump or where to place your hands when flipping over a barricade. He might not have known it (or, maybe he did, considering who he was) but he was also a great gymnastics trainer, pointing out when her toes aren't tucked right in her flips, or when her arms are bent incorrectly in a spin. He had an eagle eye, and it was fabulous for her routines, because she was a very fast learner, and he caught more things than all her trainers at the gym combined.
They finally made it back to her apartment after a good hour of running, and of course, as usual, he won, though she didn't quite doubt that he would.
She easily slipped down the fire escape with him in tow, ducking in her window (spare key in the sole of her shoe for occasions like this) and collapsing on her bed while he balanced cross-legged on the window sill.
"You're getting better." He noted with an amused smirk.
"I'm twelve, I better be." She shot right back with a grin. "And you missed my birthday you jerk. Thanks, really." She rolled her eyes sarcastically.
"I did not!" He cried indignantly, a sly grin crossing his lips. "Look under your bed."
She stared at him, uncomprehending for a moment, before coming to her senses and scrambling off her bed and looking underneath it. There, hiding behind books, missing socks, and a few shoe boxes of storage, was a small black box with Robin's signature "R" symbol on the top. She blinked in shock before pulling it out and sitting back on her bed. She shot him a suspicious look.
"How did you do that?" She demanded.
He grinned evilly. "Wouldn't you like to know." He cackled
She rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the box, lifting the lid curiously. She stared at the contents for a moment before it sunk in.
"Is this a communicator?" She gasped, picking up what looked like a palm-sized device, sleek black and gold, just like the one Robin had on his tool-belt that he often took to listening to when Batman was calling him back from her. It even came with a tiny ear piece, pretty much invisible and light-weight when wearing, so you could listen and talk separately.
"Yep." He told her proudly. "My own secured signal, so the Bat doesn't exactly know about it… yet. He IS the world's greatest detective, he'll figure it out eventually, but I doubt he'll mind. That one isn't even remotely connected to any other Bat signals and is pretty much only used for contacting this one," He said, slipping a matching device from his belt and grinning cockily. "Figured there was a solution to only seeing you when you're about to be kidnapped or stabbed." She shrugged easily, but she was internally giddy with joy.
On the outside she was still shell-shocked, but she was doing an excited victory dance in her head.
"Oh my god… just… thank you." She said breathlessly. She didn't want to admit he was her only friend, and was kinda hoping (as the world SECOND greatest detective) he already knew.
"To be honest… you're my only friend even remotely my age. It'd be nice to talk once in a while." The Boy Wonder confessed, and she blinked.
"Were you reading my mind?" She blurted out, before instantly regretting it and wanting to reel it back in as quickly as possible…
And then both their words sunk in, and they blushed slightly but shared a small smile.
"Are you excited for school?" Robin changed the subject, slipping back into their casual air.
She blinked, an older excitement surfacing again. "Yeah! Well, this year I am! I got accepted into Gotham Academy on a scholarship for my academics and gymnastics! So, maybe this year won't be so boring, and maybe I can actually talk to people who aren't complete morons." She sighed contentedly.
"And what am I, chopped liver?" He joked.
"You are moderately intelligent, yes." She amended with a mocking grin.
"Hey!" He cried.
"But really, I'm excited for a fresh start and everything! It'll be fun, I hope." She finished. Somewhere in the back of her mind it registered that this was the first time she'd ever heard him talk about school, and that signaled to her as important for some reason. "Are you excited for school?" She asked curiously. After all, he was roughly her age, he had to go to school too, didn't her? Vigilante hero or not, right?
He sighed heavily. "Yeah, I guess. I like being Robin though, you know? Being my normal self is boring, and having to go to school for eight hours a day and NOT be Robin is…"
"Boring?" She finished with a sympathetic smile.
"YES!" He huffed. "I mean, I LIKE being my normal self sometimes, like, when I'm hanging out or something, but when I'm with other people I'd much rather be Robin than me, you know?" He ranted.
"No, not really," She said honestly. "I'm only ever me, so, no. But, I can get that you'd rather be some famous hero than the average Joe. You know… I'm trying to, you know… be a hero too…" She kind of figured he already guessed that, but this was the first time she'd admitted it aloud. The fact he didn't comment and just kept nodding along was a good sign, but she couldn't tell—he had a killer poker face. "I would bet that if you spend so much time and energy in being a hero, being a normal person who does relatively nothing—that you can tell people about at least—is hard. I'd bet it's hard to relate to other normal people."
He stared at her for a moment. "Yeah… I guess that's my problem." He sighed. He then tilted his head and gave her a funny look. "You're remarkably understanding for someone who has not yet been in a mask outside Halloween." He noted calmly.
Her heart fluttered as he said 'not yet'.
There was hope…!
Outwardly she only smiled knowingly. "I'm smart, or didn't the world's second greatest detective figure that out already?" She joked.
He grinned back at her. "Oh, I knew. But being smart and being understanding are different. When you're smart, you know things, but when you're understanding, you see things. Crucial difference." He smiled.
"I'll keep that in mind." She noted briskly, smiling broadly at her new present.
Just then, they both heard the front door open and Jim Gordon's slightly panicked voice called out: "Barbara!? Please tell me you're home and the guy I just arrested didn't hurt you!?" He sounded more panicked by the second.
"I'm here, Dad! Don't worry, got home safe!" She called back to comfort him, standing as he approached her door through the apartment. She glanced to the window, but Robin was gone.
Her new communicator vibrated gently in her hand, and she saw a message blinking back at her, reading
Rob- Make sure that you do :P
She smiled, dropping it to the bed and pulling her covers over it just as her Dad burst through the door, visibly relaxing when he lay eyes on her, unharmed. He sighed heavily, "Oh thank god." He pulled her into a hug as she went to him.
"Robin showed up and brought me home." She told him the extremely edited version.
He sighed again, though this time mixed in with a chuckle. "The Bats are uncanny at that. I'll need to thank him next time I see them. Which, odds are, will probably be tonight." He admitted. He frowned, pulling back and turning her around to pull sticky note off her back. "Um… what's this?"
"What's what?" She asked curiously, frowned as well when he showed her the sticky note.
It read:
Dear Comish—
Babs mighta hit her head in the scuffle, though she'd never admit it. Just for your reference :P
-Robin
"Oh that troll!" She huffed.
"Babs," Her father sighed wearily.
"Fine, fine, I'll go sit down or something, but he's still a troll!" She growled.
"Whatever you say honey." He sighed, kissing her on the forehead and shaking his head at the note in his hand while leaving to get her the aspirin her soon-to-be headache would need.
Bats.
Life with them was difficult to say the least, but they could never live without them.