Robin's Shadow (Batman OC)

Chapter 43: Part of the Family

Jason and I spend the next several weeks attached to the hip, joking, laughing, falling right back into being twins together. We even went on patrol together, though as Red Hood and Nightingale. 

I was curious to see how he handled patrols. He liked to be in Crime Alley, the place too lost and messed up for even Batman to patrol. We took down drug dealers and pimps easily, and I could see the hesitation start to form in Jason. I could see him re-aiming his gun to make less fatal shots, Bruce's words must be resonating in his head. He just needs time, and he'll realize his own way of both not killing, and not being a push over. It's a fine line that I learned to walk, and I know he'll find it. He observed how the criminals reacted to me, all having more fear of me than of him. He watched how I taunted and intimidated my prey, and how I managed to hurt, but not kill them.

"Wow, you two are impressive together." Robin says in awe after he seemingly watched us take down a drug gang together a month after Jason moved into my home. We had just wrapped up and had gone to a roof and found Robin there, watching us.

"Hey, Robin." I say cheerily, ruffling his hair as he deadpans at me. "Taking a walk on the wild side tonight?"

"No, just missed you." He admits, looking cautiously at Hood who is staring him down threateningly behind his mask. "You haven't been to the cave or out on patrols in a few of weeks. Not since..." He pointed towards Jason.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I've been giving Daddy Bats time to cool off. I figured you would have been crashing at my place, or at least dropping in for coffee during your patrols. Been hiding from me?" I ask jokingly, but a hint of sadness is in my tone. I've missed him and Dick coming over, but neither have in weeks, and it's made me sad.

"I wanted to give you time, to you know, be with your brother." He says softly, looking away awkwardly.

"She has more than one." Hood interjects stubbornly. Robin looks at him in surprise at his words, and I do the same. "Don't make me be the reason she stops seeing you. She told me about you, Replacement." He says meanly but without much heat. "I know you helped her, and I know she loves you. Hell, you haven't seen her, but she's been watching you on patrol the past few weeks like a freaking stalker." He points at me and outs me.

"Hey!" I yell stubbornly, "It's my job, Robin needs his Shadow, even if I'm not in that uniform. I still watch his back."

"You miss it." Hood says to me, turning away and having an internal debate with himself. "You don't have to be Nightingale to be out here with me. I know you like being Shadow more. Besides," He turns and points at me again, "I don't want my sister always out here dressed like that!" 

I giggle, and turn around slowly while slightly dancing to be obnoxious. "What? Little old me dressed like this?" I tease him innocently. "Worked on you, didn't it?" I ask him smugly and he turns away again.

Robin starts to laugh at that, holding his stomach. I walk over to the boy, lifting his face up with my finger under his chin. "Why the laughs, cutie? I seem to recall a certain crush you had on Nightingale after she saved your life. Your little cheeks would always blush red whenever Bats mentioned me in the cave." I grin smugly at him, pinching his narrow cheeks annoyingly as he blushes in embarrassment. That shut his laughter up quickly, and started Hood's laughter as Jason pointed and laughed at Tim.

"Nightwing has a crush on you too!" Robin tries to counter in defense of himself, pointing at Nightwing as he just dropped onto the roof next to us. Dick was probably looking for Tim and just happened to show up to be thrown under the bus.

"Had!" Nightwing immediately counters, shaking his head and crossing his arms in an X shape. "Had, past tense. Not for a long time. Especially not anymore now I know it's you."