Last chapter! Thanks to everyone! :D

L.L.A.P

~Laces

Chpt.37

Damian hated fighting Victor Zsasz. The man was crazed, strong, and skilled. He also left a bloody mess everywhere he went.

"Getting tired boy?" Zsasz chuckled as he brought his sword down on Damian, but he easily blocked. "You appear to be off your game, Robin. Tired?"

Damian didn't say anything as he continued to block Zsasz's jabs and tried to advance when he could.

"You know, I have a spot on my arm for when I kill you. It's a special spot that I'll never forget and I shall cherish making the slice. I look forward to killing you today."

"Will you cease your babbling." Damian grunted, irritated.

He really was tired. As the nights passed, he either spent them patrolling with Colin, patrolling with Dick, Patrolling with Bruce, or patrolling solo (Damian never patrolled with Tim). He never took many off nights, which didn't worry his father, but it did worry Dick.

"When was the last time you slept, Little D." Dick inquired in the cave once Damian was suiting up for patrol.

Damian shot a glare at the man.

"I believe my sleeping patterns do not concern you, Grayson." He snapped.

"So it has been awhile." Dick hummed. "Hey, take the night off, alright? I got this. You go get some sleep. Your little assassin body is going to need it."

"Tt. Little? I am taller than you are, Grayson." Damian snarked.

"You'll always be Little D to me." Dick shot Damian his goofy grin, causing the teen to roll his eyes.

"Goodbye, Grayson." Damian grunted, heading out to patrol the city.

"You're getting sloppy." Zsasz chuckled once he nicked Damian's leg with his sword. "It won't be long until I kill you. You can hardly last several hours. This? I can do this all day." He beamed, full of confidence.

Zsasz sliced Damian's arm, cutting the teen deep, then kicked the sword out of Damian's hands, then kicked him again in the gut, making Damian fall to the ground.

"I will cherish this moment." Zsasz grinned as he placed the blade at Damian's throat.

However there was a loud gunshot that hit the hand Zsasz was using to hold the sword. The man screamed in pain as he dropped the sword.

"Damn Robin. I leave for several months and come back to you losing to a lame ass criminal. It's such a shame to see."

Damian thought that Zsasz had knocked him out and he was having a dream. One of his painful but wonderful dreams when Livy returned to Gotham.

However, appearing for the shadows was a girl dressed in a red hooded cape and a black cat suit with a red bat symbol engraved on the chest.

"You." Zsasz growled, recognizing the girl as the one who apprehended him before he could even get started on a killing spree.

"I'm afraid you brought a knife to a gun fight." The girl smirked as she raised her pistol at the man. "Drop the samurai sword and then put your hands in the air unless you want me to kill you. And we both know that you're saving that final blow for yourself." She smirked, and the man obeyed.

Damian lifted himself to his feet and limped over to Zsasz, putting handcuffs on him while the girl called the police.

The girl… is it Livy? It can't be her… can it? Damian thought, not being able to get a clear look at the girl.

The police picked Zsasz up while Damian and the girl watched from the rooftop.

"Well, you're a bloody mess." She chuckled as she took out some bandages and disinfectant from her belt. "Good thing I want to become a nurse."

"Livy?" he whispered and she chuckled.

"So much for using work names while out in the field." She smirked as she pulled down her hood, revealing the flash of golden hair.

Damian's eyes widened, but he quickly recomposed himself.

"Tt. You should work on disguising yourself better. It is so easy to tell it is you."

"Oh, so you're criticizing the person willing to help bandage your wounds that you were stupid enough to get? Nice." Livy said sarcastically as she continued to wrap the bandages around Damian's arm.

"Stupid enough to get? I was fighting Zsasz. He is a skilled fighter."

"Excuses excuses." Livy tutted, shaking her head.

"You have no room to mock me. I could best you in a sword fight any day. Were you in my position, Zsasz would have killed you easily."

"That's why I use guns. They get the job done."

"There is no skill in guns." Damian debated.

"Oh, really? You don't consider being able to shoot somebody's hand from several yards away being skillful?" she questioned with a small laugh. "Last time I checked, that takes a lot of skill."

"Tt. This conversation is pointless." Damian stated, crossing his arms and Livy finished up her work.

"If the conversation is pointless, maybe I should just leave then." She shrugged as she turned her back, but Damian grasped her hand swiftly.

"No… please." Damian sighed. "What brings you here? You left…"

"I came to visit Lancy. She's in Philadelphia and I figured that I should swing by Gotham while I was at it." Livy smiled. "There was someone I wanted to see."

"Someone you wanted to see?" Damian questioned, smiling a bit, knowing that that someone was him.

"Yup. I mean, I just had to see Dick again. I never got to properly say good bye to him." Livy grinned and Damian's smile dropped.

"I'm kidding!" Livy laughed as she brought her hands up to Damian's face. "I came back to see you again. I missed you."

Damian wrapped his large hands around Livy's small ones.

"I have longed to do this." Damian said in a low voiced. "Longed to feel your hands in mine. To see your face again." Livy's cheeks flushed red at Damian's confession.

"Wow. There's a real poet deep down there underneath all that rough exterior, huh." She chuckled as she leaned against his body.

"I suggest that you do not go around telling people that." Damian mumbled as he wrapped his arms around Livy's body, pulling her closer against him.

"Don't want to ruin your street cred." Livy smirked with a small giggle.

She let herself relax against Damian. She missed feeling his arms around her and his familiar scent lingering in the air.

A thought crossed Livy's mind and she started to chuckle.

"What's so funny?" Damian inquired.

"This is the same rooftop where we met." She informed in a whisper.

She fell on her butt while the figure stood rigidly still. He was about five inches taller than her, but he looked close to her age. He had black hair and his eyes were hidden behind a mask.

He looked down at the girl as if she were an insect.

"Who are you?" he questioned.

"I… I'm…" Livy quickly thought of what Jason called her. "Little Red. My name is Little Red."

"Tt." The boy rolled his eyes at the girl. "That is a juvenile name. Very stupid." The girl glared at him as she stood to her feet, but the mask on her face was askew and the sight of it made the boy smirk.

"Well… you're stupid." She grumbled.

"You're idiocy is amusing."

"Shut up." Livy mumbled as she fumbled with her mask, trying to straighten it out. Her eyes adjusted to the figure and her eyes widened in surprise. "So… you're… Robin?" she questioned in a whisper.

"Indeed I am you idiotic female. Now, Little Red, what is a little girl like yourself doing up this late at night wearing a mask. A very pathetic mask if I may add." Livy shot him a glare and tried to get around him, but he wouldn't let her.

"I'm trying to help my friend." Livy growled. "And who are you calling little? You look like the same age as me." Livy debated.

"Tt. What are you, six?"

"I'm nine!" Livy exclaimed.

"I am ten, making me your superior." Robin said in a gloating manner. Livy scowled at the boy and tried to brush past him.

"I don't have time to talk to you." Robin grabbed her arm tightly before she could get away.

"What friend are you trying to help that involves you wearing a mask?"

"None of your business! Now lemme go douche bag!" Livy shouted as she kicked the boy in the shin, but he hardly even flinched.

"Tt. Was that supposed to hur-" Livy hit the boy on the neck, briefly numbing the boy wonder. "What the hell!" Robin exclaimed.

"Gotta go!" Livy smiled and started running. However, Damian was quick to recover and chased after her.

"You were very irritating." Damian mused, thinking back to their meeting.

"So were you." Livy shot back.

"We could always make a different memory on this rooftop." Damian whispered with a small smile.

Livy looked at him, confused.

"What do you-"

She was cut off as Damian kissed her.

"I love you, Livy." He whispered once he broke away from the kiss and Livy smiled happily, feeling giddy and excited.

"I love you too, Damian."

With that, the two continued to kiss on the roof without a care in the world.

Livy could hardly imagine what her life would have been like if she had never bumped into that angry boy on the rooftop.