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Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2015 20:22:42 GMT
December 7th 2017 18:03 Gotham City Since Robin had gone back to Gotham, Bart hadn’t been seeing a whole lot of him and it sucked. Wally’s death had caused a lot of people to go separate ways temporarily and at the worst possible time really. But time healed all wounds they had all learned and things were starting to look on the brighter side again. Bart was a year and five months into the Kid Flash gig and every day he did it he did it for Wally. It was only a few hundred miles to Gotham, no big deal. Distance was never a problem when you were someone with Bart’s capabilities. He left with nothing but goggles and the clothes on his back, Bart didn’t want to look too conspicuous darting around Gotham in a bright yellow and red costume, which is why he kept it under his clothes, naturally. By the time he had reached Gotham, which was barely any time at all, it was already twilight and there were a fair few people about on the high street. Obviously the first place he would look for Tim was his home, duh. Since Bart was one of the few people who knew of Robin’s identity, he figured he wouldn’t be unwelcome if he just dropped in, but then again that was coming from Bart. After coming to a halt at the front door and knocking a couple of times, Bart was thoroughly disappointed to find that Tim wasn’t home through their butler, Alfred. Although Bart wasn’t quite sure what you’d need a butler for, huh rich kids sure were strange. Though not defeated for long, Bart decided the next best option would be to go out into Gotham in search of the Boy Wonder. Bart quickly took to the streets, skilfully avoiding passers-by as they did their evening shopping. He glanced into windows of every shop and diner he passed until he saw the familiar face he was looking for. Bart skidded to a halt and jogged back over to the window before peering into it. When he saw Tim his face lit up and he rushed into the diner to see his friend while simultaneously stuffing the goggles into his pocket. “Tim, Tim, Tim, Tim! Hi Tim, I missed you!” he said cheerfully, offering the other boy a smile. Since Tim was both older and more mature than Bart, he wasn’t expecting the same response back.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2015 21:34:05 GMT
It wasn’t the death of Wally that had caused Tim to retreat back in Gotham. In truth he was one of the more fortunate ones, if fortunate was even the word. He really hadn’t spent much time with Wally to fully develop a friendship like others had done – he wasn’t as close to him as Dick or M’gann, or even Barbara. But Tim was smart enough to realize how much of a hit Wally’s passing was to the team as a whole, and a reminder as to what could happen to either one of them on any given day.
But Tim retreated to Gotham for his family, the bat family. Dick maintained his distance from all, but Tim could be there for Barbara and to some extent; Bruce as well. It wouldn’t have been a surprise for the incident to stir up feelings regarding the former Robin; Jason Todd. It allowed Tim to focus his talents, to become better than he had done. He had put distance between himself and the Team so he could be where he always wanted to be; alongside Batman as he fights crime in Gotham City. His only real contact with someone on the team had been with Cassie and that’s because, well… yeah.
It had been a long tiresome day Tim had spent at school, that had been made longer with the fact that Tim had a soccer match to play after. He did and the school’s team won; 3-1 – it was maybe the only sport Tim both excelled in and enjoyed. Afterwards he had been invited out by some of his teammates, as well as a few classmates. He took them up on that offer, figuring he could spare Alfred from cooking another meal.
That is where Tim found himself now. Inside a diner near to one of Gotham’s busiest shopping districts around this time of year. He was sat inside at one of the booths, finishing off his soda as his ‘friends’ sat around talking following a meal. ”Goggles a friend?” – said one of the girls having noted what Bart stuffed into his pocket. If only she knew what they were for and not just seen as a fashion accessory. Tim shook his head at the comment and didn’t even give them a reply. Instead he looked back at Bart as his face lit up. Tim narrowed his eyes slightly, a little confused as to Bart showing up in Gotham. ”Bart… hey… what’re you doing here?”. Tim said back as he set the empty soda down onto the table. He didn’t wait for a reply. Tim grabbed his bag from under the table and got up, throwing it over his shoulder. He gave his pals a friendly nod and then turned back to Bart. ”Let’s head somewhere else?”. It was barely a question as Tim gestured for Bart to lead the way. It was more so that if there were a ‘hero’ type problem they could talk more than anything… the stupid comments his ‘friends’ made didn’t help either though.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2015 7:37:09 GMT
It was strange being in Gotham, he rarely ever visited Tim in his own city, then again perhaps that was because he wasn’t trusted to go out alone. Gotham wasn’t exactly close to Central City but even after a day at school and a few hundred mile run, Bart wasn’t even close to getting tired. He’d probably get an earful from the Garricks when he got home, but it wasn’t like he didn’t tell them, only that he gave them a split second to comprehend what he had said before he was off.
There were a few comments made when Bart entered the diner, a few from the people Tim was sitting with, but he had heard things like that enough times to know to ignore it. Besides life was too short to be worrying about what other people thought of you. When Bart approached he didn’t even acknowledge Tim’s friends, not out of rudeness but rather just incredibly fast paced thinking. Besides his friends didn’t seem too nice anyway.
Bart grinned and grabbed Tim by the wrist, practically dragging him outside where he released him. “I came because I missed you!” he said, rushing forwards into a hug. Since Bart was a few inches shorter than Tim, he leaned forwards and placed his head on the other boy’s shoulder, but of course it was all over within a matter of seconds. “I ran all the way from Central City and if I don’t stay too late I can make it back for tonight too.” He said quickly. Speaking at a normal pace wasn’t an option for Bart unless on a mission which required him to be serious… for once.
Of course Bart liked all the team members, but he especially liked Tim because he was one of the people who could more often than not deal with Bart and his hyperactivity. It probably frustrated Tim, but with such a reserved temperament some of the time, it was hard to tell. But since Tim had been spending a lot of time with Cassie, and rightfully so, Bart hadn’t been seeing a whole lot of him which included having no contact with him of course. So clearly he took matters into his own hands. Besides, it was easier to get himself to Gotham rather than to haul Tim all the way up to Central City. “It took me less than an hour and here I am, ta da!” he said, holding his arms out with a smile. “I was thinking we could go out, kick some butt, just like the good old times Rob?” he asked, practically buzzing.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2015 13:01:32 GMT
When Tim was grabbed by the wrist and seemingly dragged out from the diner, he found himself shooting a glance back to his friends, shaking his head and subtly rolling his shoulders back like he was clueless to what was going on. It was outside that Tim was hit with the fast talking and then the hug, and that actually took him by surprise. Tim sort of just stood there in the hug. He wasn’t good with hugs, never had been really. None of the Bat Family really was either. It was easier to remain stoic. Fortunate for Tim the hug was released nearly as quickly as it had begun.
”I... missed you too”. Tim said with an all-round soft smile as he moved to adjust the bag that draped over his shoulder. It was at the speedy next words that Tim found himself going a little wide eyed with his mouth slightly agape. It always bewildered him how fast Bart could talk, or how fast any of the Flash Family could talk. It took a second or two to fully register and Tim snapped out of the confused state. ”Alfred can always set you up with one of the guest rooms”. He suggested with little thought for poor Alfred. It was an idea should things run late. Of course when the night drew in, then it was the usual time that Tim found himself out in the streets alongside Batman and Batgirl.
There weren’t too many members of the Team that Tim really got on well with. Maybe only a handful at most, and Bart was included in that - along with Cassie, Garfield, Beetle and… oddly enough, Roy. Tim always did his best to surround himself with the others, even if his temperament was gradually moving in line with his mentor. He didn’t particularly want that at all. That route of being closed off was not the one that Tim ideally would like to walk. It was a hard route to avoid, especially with the fact that he couldn’t just run or fly off to another city for an afternoon.
”Well, do you mind dropping this off at the Manor?”. Tim asked, removing the bag from his shoulder and holding it out. ”Not too sure the ‘Bat-School Bag’ will be much help if we’re to run into Gotham’s baddest”.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2015 19:29:21 GMT
It didn’t surprise Bart that Tim hadn’t been in contact recently. His friend was gradually becoming more and more reserved but thankfully not to the extent that the brooding Batman was… yet. But luckily it didn’t bother Bart in the slightest, since he had the ability to make it across states in a matter of minutes, it was a better form of contact than a mobile phone might’ve been, though of course every once in a while it was nice to message a few friends when you couldn’t be everywhere all at once.
“That’s really kind… put you… all… trouble.” He said so quickly that only a few words were distinguishable. Most people became really exasperated with Bart because of the way he behaved, although a handful could deal with it, even if Wally West had proven not to be one of those people. Even though he was intelligent enough to know his hyperactivity was not appropriate on missions, most of the time it took a firm hand to tell him just to calm down when he got too excited. It didn’t help that tonight he was seeing a friend he hadn’t seen in a while which only meant his excitement was doubled more than usual.
The moment Tim held out his bag, Bart pulled the goggles back down over his eyes and graciously took the bag before darting off towards Wayne Manor once again. Once there, he left the bag on the doorstep along with the clothes that he shed which left him in his Kid Flash uniform. He finally pulled up the mask and knocked on the front door, though not staying around long enough to see who answered. In a blur of yellow and red he was back in front of Tim, a grin on his face. “Ta da!”
“I guess you have the upper hand, you have all sorts of cool gadgets and gizmos right?” he asked, easily impressed as per usual. “This is a lot different to Central City and you know this city a lot better than me so you better know what you’re doing.” He said, considerably slower than before. Bart could barely wait, it had been so long since he had been out with anyone other than his mentor and sometimes it was just nice to hang out with other people his own age, especially when they were in the same sidekick situation thing.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 19, 2015 10:29:02 GMT
Needless to say, Bart had disappeared in a flash and had reappeared almost as quickly as he had went. Tim grinned back at his friend, offering a solemn clap for his efforts before turning away to head off. He assumed Bart would follow, no, he knew Bart would. ”I don’t use them all the time…”. He said with a slight shrug of the shoulders. It was true in that Tim and the other Bats held certain reliance upon their tools. But there was more to it than just that. It was about smarts as well, analysing a situation and ones surroundings and reacting accordingly. Every move needed to be a correct one.
”I know what I’m doing”. Tim said shaking off the comment. ”Just don’t be too surprised to see Dick show up and pull rank”. He added with a slight roll of the eyes as he continued with walking. It still irked him that Dick had done that. He had disappeared for so long and then returned out of the blue, thinking he could take charge of everything. Tim thought himself lucky to have Barbara. He wouldn’t be able to deal with some of the problems Dick throws up if he were on his own.
Tim turned left down an alleyway off the high street and walked down it some several yards. It would be then that he reached into his pocket and from it produced his domino facemask. He slipped that on and then pulled down the zipper of his hoodie to reveal the utility belt that was strapped around him. He unclasped it, and zipped his hoody up again before strapping the belt around him. ”Robin’s a go”. He said with a smile.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 19, 2015 11:24:20 GMT
It didn’t matter anyway, Tim was still the amazing Boy Wonder with or without the tools he possessed. Where Tim was trained in combat and agility, Bart had to rely on his powers and instincts. Where he came from they didn’t exactly offer help to better yourself through learning. It was definitely something Bart envied, but then again he wouldn’t give up being a speedster for anything.
Bart followed at a speed that would allow him to stay in pace with Tim. Having spent a lot of time with the Flash recently, it was strange having to hold himself back when being with Robin. “Oh I haven’t seen Dick in forever! How is he?” he asked with genuine concern. Dick had been best friends with Wally and he doubted Nightwing was fairing too well after his death. But it had been five months so maybe he was feeling more cheery. After all, it was Dick.
“Ah, great thinking. I guess you carry that everywhere then?” he asked, although leaving barely any room for an answer. “Me too! Well the goggles at least, I don’t usually go out in the full Kid Flash get up but hey maybe I should, you never know when…” he trailed off, realising he was rambling on. “Haha right, sorry, I know, I know.” Sometimes Bart realised when he needed to stop talking, thankfully.
The alley was a good cover for the pair but also unsuspecting criminals who were about to get the shock of their lives. Bart pulled the goggles down over his eyes and flashed a smile at Robin before he was gone, having swept up some wind behind him. He took a right turn down another alley, then going down a few more winding routes before returning to Robin within moments. “There’s an armed robbery, something illegal looking everywhere else, and I saved a cat that was stuck in a tree on the way back. You want a ride?” he asked, turning his back to Robin in case he took up the offer.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 21, 2015 10:51:11 GMT
Tim shook his head at the question Bart posed. He didn’t really know how to respond to it with anything positive. Dick had seriously irked him. He did it before with how protective he could be at times. But Tim had grown tired of it. Barbara and Bruce were willing to let him try, and if he were to make mistakes then so be it. It didn’t appear as though Dick shared that understanding. ”How’s Dick? Well… he’s been a bit of one”. Tim said flashing a grin. ”Disappeared for a long time. We heard nothing from him in forever, or… I didn’t at least. Halloween night, Barb & I get called to GCPD to deal with Zsasz and… there Dick was. Ready and willing to pull rank on us without so much as a ‘hello’”. Tim accepted some of the blame from that night though. It was a misplaced dispute to have with a hostage situation going on. He had apologized for that. He was always quick to do that when he messed up around Barbara.
”A lot of the time”. Tim said as he began opening and closing various compartments of the utility belt to make sure it was stocked. He listened to Bart at the same time as he rambled. He did that a lot.
It was a tough call. On one hand Tim found the superspeed to leave a feeling of unease with him, disorienting him to some degree. But… it was an armed robbery and they needed to act fast. Sighing slightly, he replied. ”Okay, but. We’re not running in head first, we take the stealth approach”. He said adding a nod. ”I want a little more to say than we beat up some thugs when Bats asks me, okay?”. Bruce would ask him about it, of course. He would also expect a little more; motive, who they’re working for – stuff like that. An arm robbery didn’t take place in Gotham without their being a little more to it.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 21, 2015 13:39:30 GMT
So maybe Dick and Tim weren’t exactly on the best of terms and Bart didn’t want to go prying into it too much so he just nodded understandingly. They were technically brothers after all so he doubted it was anything serious. “Well maybe he’s just taking time to himself, but I don’t know...” He said, his voice fading out at the last part because he didn’t want to get into an argument with Robin. “Is this because of Wally, or…?” he asked cautiously. It seemed a bit extreme for Dick to be doing such things and heck Bart didn’t even think Barry was affected that badly.
“Not running in head first, got it. Stealth approach got it.” He said in agreement, although they both knew that would be hard for Bart. He wasn’t exactly Batman and stealth was definitely something he would have to work on. Robin worked a lot differently to Kid Flash, whose main priority was running into things head on and taking the consequences later, much to the dismay of many of his teammates. But this was Gotham and it certainly was different here, definitely more eerie to say the least. Central City was a lot brighter and louder, at least at night anyway.
“I hope you don’t get travel sick, Boy Wonder.” He said with a laugh before sweeping Tim up onto his back and darting off in a blur of yellow and red. Bart wasn’t particularly strong enough to carry people for long periods of time but luckily with his power he didn’t have to do it for much more than a minute, any longer and it was too tiring. He skidded to a halt at the end of the alley where it met the street, opposite the bank, and he gently put Robin down.
Since Bart was aware of how travelling at such speeds could affect people who weren’t used to it, he gave Robin a moment to gather his bearings while he switched his goggles to thermal imaging and looked inside the window of the bank. “Five men but only two guns. About thirteen civilians, no one injured… yet.” He said before turning back to Robin. “So what’s the plan?” he asked, more than ready to jump straight onto the scene and take everyone out, though he knew Robin wouldn’t approve.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 22, 2015 14:38:03 GMT
”Only reason that would make sense”. Tim said with a small shrug of the shoulders. Wally’s passing was the reason that Tim chose to believe had Dick acting like such a hard ass. It was the only reason that Tim could be okay with.
It was then with little notice that Tim found himself swept from his feet and transported across town. Initially he was a little dazed, stumbling for a moment of two before composing himself. He set his sights upon the bank opposite, and awaited Bart’s analysis of the situation; five men, two armed, thirteen civilians. Planning mode then took over. ”We prioritize”. Tim said with a further nod of the head. He saw three goals that needed to be met here; 1) Secure the civilians to safety 2) Learn who is behind the bank attack and 3) takedown the thugs. Priorities.
”We need to get the civilians out safely. You can do that, bring them out here, to safety – maybe even inform the GCPD”. Tim noted. Bart was the answer to securing the safety of the innocents inside. It wasn’t the role that promised the most action but it was the most important one. Bart could do that. ”Meanwhile, I will head in, stick to the shadows. I want to get a look at the thugs first before engaging, see if I can figure out who’s payroll they are on”. He said, then pausing momentarily. ”Once you have the civilians clear, and I am done with the recon; I will signal with a flash – you remove the firearms, and we takedown the group just in time for the GCPD’s arrival”. He finished with a smile. He actually thought this would go down relatively smoothly. It was a solid plan – much like the one he formed for Zsasz.
”That sound good to you?”. He would ask. But Tim didn’t wait for a response. It was in that moment that he snuck away to leave Bart by his lonesome. He needed a little head start on Bart so this was it.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 22, 2015 17:15:00 GMT
“I can do that.” He nodded in agreement and adjusted the goggles on his face. Bart never really got the jobs with the most action, he didn’t have brute force like Superboy, telekinesis like Miss Martian or intense training like Robin. However in situations like this where time was somewhat compromised, he was very handy indeed and although it didn’t exactly get the adrenaline pumping, it was certainly just as rewarding if not more.
Before Bart even had a chance to respond Robin had gone, which left Bart hanging for once instead of vice versa. He soon raced off towards the bank, he could probably get everyone out before the thugs even realised who was doing it, if not it’d probably leave them in a state of confusion or panic… hopefully.
Kid Flash had never been very good at planning, his train of thought was often too fast for everyone else to follow, unless with the Flash, of course. But he had no problem following orders, most of the time. Working with Robin was different though, the relationship Robin and Batman had was a lot different to that of Bart and his mentor. Besides, in his opinion, Batman was one scary dude anyway, he was glad he had someone laid back like the Flash for a mentor, and a grandfather.
One at a time, Bart brought the civilians back out onto the streets while simultaneously alerting the GCPD of their whereabouts and current situation. He didn’t stop as he brought each person outside, staying as a constant blur of yellow and red before finally coming to a sudden halt outside as he took the last civilian out. “You’re safe now but I suggest getting off this street.” He said to the group collectively before glancing back at the building to see how his partner was faring.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 22, 2015 18:48:53 GMT
One of the keys to being successful as a unpowered being within the Bat Family was the ability to remain unseen. It had been a staple of Tim’s training since he first entered training into becoming the Boy Wonder. He had slipped into the bank with little trouble unbeknownst to those that occupied the area within and to Bart as well for a little while too.
Tim dropped from the ceiling onto the floor and kept his height low as he crouched down. He scurried along the floor, keeping his wits about him as steered clear of the men who hurried in their attempt to pile up the stolen cash reserves. Tim moved to behind one of the desks and from there he could he the voices of two of them as they spoke. One was armed, while the other wasn’t, though he appeared to be the one leading this operation.
”We got two minutes left until anyone even knows we’re ‘ere. Be gone before the sirens even sound”
”You better be right, I ain’t going to prison for the cut Two Face’s giving us. We’re way underpaid”
”Long as there’s a pay check, I don’t care”
Two-Face. It made sense, or some sense. It was his usual M.O. and he most likely was in business with someone else too; Penguin, maybe? Still, that was all Tim needed. Two-Face was back again, and had something on the up – it was enough to bring him into the focus of the Bats. It was then that Tim flipped open a compartment in his utility belt and pulled out a small device. He rolled it along the floor, it stopping as it hit the foot of one of the men.
”Huh?”. The thug remarked, stepping back away from the device. ”Somebody drop th-“
Boom, the device detonated and as Tim had promised Bart it came with a flash as a blinding white light was thrust upon the area, disorientating those within. It was time to move.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 22, 2015 19:31:47 GMT
Most of the time Bart was in awe of Robin, his intelligence, his skills. Tim had been in the gig for what, maybe two or three years now whereas Bart was just shy of a year and a half. Stealth wasn’t exactly something Bart was taught, let alone good at. Get things done and get them done quickly, it was hard to be stealthy when you were wearing bright yellow and red and ran at the speed of light.
“Woah.” Bart said in awe, hesitating for a moment before remembering he had a job to do. Right, stick to the plan. He ran back inside, taking the opportunity over the dazed thugs to swipe the guns right from their grasp. “Yoink!” he said after taking the second gun. Bart quickly unloaded the ammunition and kept it on himself so the guns were useless.
“Nice job Rob, you really know how to er… sneak around. I’m assuming you have a little intel on them, so you gotta call the big bad Batman now or what?” he asked while running, not taking the time to stop and have a leisurely conversation with his friend. Instead he got straight to work trying to take out the guys while the GCPD got there.
Bart used his speed to gather momentum when he leapt through the air, his feet connecting with the chest of the guy furthest from them. The impact forced the man to fall backwards, though it would probably do little more than give them a little extra time. He highly doubted Robin would be having a problem, with his plan, nothing could go wrong. But with Bart’s luck, that seemed unlikely.
As he ran towards a second thug, he felt something damp beneath his feet and by the time he realised, it was too late. He glanced to the side with wide eyes… the water cooler. Bart tried to obtain traction on the ground but it just didn’t work and he slipped backwards onto his side before slamming into the thug, sending him flying before finally coming to a halt with a groan. Well that was certainly a new tactic.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 23, 2015 18:28:52 GMT
Tim remained where he was hidden initially. He knew that once the flash had gone off that he should leave a little time between that and making a move so Bart could enter and remove the firearms from the situation. He remained there, counting to himself in a low whisper. ”…seven …eight …nine …ten”.
Ten seconds seemed enough, so once done he stood up and ran out from the cover towards the two thugs. As he closed the distance and neared, Tim leapt into the air with an aerial kick that knocked one of them back but not to the floor. He returned to meet Tim in combat, and the Boy Wonder found himself ducking and weaving to avoid being struck by the attacking efforts of the two. He grabbed the arm of one and swivelled round to twist the arm behind the thug who he promptly shoved into the nearest table before he fell to the ground, collapsing.
Other was a little more tricky, striking wildly and quickly forcing Tim to dart back more than weave from the strikes course of motion. He saw an opportunity and dropped his body down low, swinging his leg to kick at the back of the thugs legs to cause him to fall onto his back. He hit the ground with a thud, and was promptly struck with a forearm strike from Robin that caused his nose to bleed.
He could hear in the distance and then see the fifth and last remaining guard that stood trying to escape as he ran through the bank. Tim popped open his belt and retrieved a batarang that he threw through the air. It caught up with the thug and let out a thin piece of wire as it circled the thug’s feet, tying him up and causing him to fall to the ground. Five for five, not bad. ”Job done”.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 24, 2015 22:24:43 GMT
With an opportunity arising, Bart quickly got back on his feet to make sure the thug he had taken down stayed down. He grabbed one of the cords from a nearby blind and ran around the guy in circles a couple of times, securely binding his arms to his sides. “Hah!” he shouted proudly, hands on hips. It was always useful to show a little initiative on missions.
By the time he had finished with his two thugs he was about to proceed in helping Robin secure his own three but apparently the other boy didn’t need it, all five men were down and there was the familiar wail of sirens quickly approaching. It was quite humorous to think that five adult males had been taken down by two teenagers, granted they weren’t ordinary teenagers but they were still young.
“Let’s book it.” He said glancing at Tim to give him a knowing look before racing out of the bank and waiting at the corner, leaning against the wall with his arms folded while he waited for Tim to get out. “What time do you call this?” he asked, pointing at the non-existent watch on his wrist. “I hope I wasn’t interrupting anything with you and your… friends earlier.” He said, glancing at Tim from behind his mask. It was great being able to share his own life with Tim, as a civilian and a hero, though it didn’t seem like Tim felt the same way sometimes.
He quickly moved on from the subject and leapt back into his old spirit. “Hey hey Robin what do you usually do when the big bad Bat isn’t around? Do you lurk in the shadows and wait for crimes to find you? Is that what we’re gonna do? That’s kinda hard when you’re wearing bright yellow, but you wouldn’t know, looks like yours was actually thought out! The cape is cool but that totally wouldn’t work with aerodynamics and…” he trailed off barely realising his rambling.
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