Robin's Shadow (Batman OC)

Chapter 27: Tired Tim

I almost got caught by Robin not long after that while I was out as Nightingale. I had just finished taking down a human trafficking ring in a warehouse, and I wasn't expecting Robin to be out on his own away from the Dark Knight. My proximity tracker was only set for Batman, so I was caught off guard when a rope wrapped around my legs while I was running along roof tops to get away.

"Stop, Nightingale." Robin says to me confidently. His rope had caught off guard enough to knock me on my front, but I saved my face at the last second. I turn slowly to him, not making any move to free myself and just looking at him.

"Woops, you caught me. What are you gonna do with me now, Robin?" I ask coyly, slipping into my Nightingale personality fully. I'm naturally playful when I'm her, but in a flirtatious, dangerous way that's different than my sarcastic, mean playful that I normally am.

"I'm taking you in." Robin says confidently and walks closer to me. I smirk at him when he gets too close, and spin back in a flip, using the rope around my legs to make Robin fall on his face. I cut the rope off my legs with my retractable assassin blade, and toss the end to him as he spins up quickly into a defensive position.

"Better luck next time, cutie." I blow a kiss at him as I start to retreat. 

I throw down a smoke bomb, adding a flash grenade right after it to distort his thermal sights. He tries to run after me blindly as I jump from roof to roof, but he can't catch up. 

When he gets to the fourth building, he miscalculated the distance due to his still blinded eyes and starts to fall down the alley way from eight floors up. I panic for his safety for a moment, then shoot my grappling hook down to wrap around him and catch him, then set him gently onto the alley floor before releasing the ropes tension and pulling it back. 

He's looking up at me with shock for my action of saving him, but I just give a two finger salute and blow another air kiss at him, then run away. 

Tim told me later, as Ana, all about how he almost caught Nightingale and then got saved by her later that night. He also said he thought she was pretty, and I ruffled his hair and teased him for it, telling him not to fall for the big boob and short skirt types. Bruce was mad that once again Nightingale was out causing him problems and being violent when he found the apartment full of maimed human traffickers I left behind, and that she also once again got away from being caught. I added an extra alert onto my phone to now alert me if Batman or Robin get too close to me, and threw in one for Nightwing as well, just in case.

Dick invited me to spend the whole summer with him in Blüdhaven as a sibling bonding before I go to college. After my talk with Roy, I applied and got accepted into Gotham University, even getting a hefty scholarship based on the essays I turned in. Jason was always the better writer between the two of us, but I still turned in a pretty good piece with my submissions. I applied in November, and got an almost instant acceptance in the next month before Christmas.

"Uh, I got into Gotham U." I announce quietly at the near silent dinner the night I found out. It was a rare night, we were all having dinner together and none of us were in the middle of heavy crime missions for the moment. I look around after my sudden statement, and see Bruce's surprised expression and Alfred's happy one, along with Tim's shocked one.

"I didn't know you applied." Bruce says gruffly, covering his surprise.

"Yeah, didn't want to say until I got in. I also got a big scholarship, so it's covered." I say casually with a shrug.

"I would have paid for it, Ana." Bruce says sincerely, and I smirk at him.

"I'm glad you said that." I grin at him, clearly about to ask for something. "I could use an apartment by campus. Somewhere I could still be Shadow and such." I bat my eyelashes in exaggeration at him. I so rarely ever ask him for anything, and while I could use my illegal funds to get an apartment, that would clue him in that I have those.

"Hmm." Bruce hums out annoyingly, smirking at me because he knows I hate that answer. I take my steak knife and throw it at him, but he catches it while still smirking at me.

"Mistress Anastasia, no knives at the dinner table." Alfred scolds me while Tim's eyes shoot wide open.

"It was already at the dinner table, Al. I just passed it to Bruce." I say innocently to Al.

"No throwing knives then, young lady. You would think you were raised by a pack of wolves." Alfred says in his posh way.

"Nah, just a moody bat." I tease to Bruce who chuckles.

"I'll see about getting you an apartment." He says contemplatively. "Why not the dorms?"

I deadpan at his stupid suggestion, and he huffs in defeat while Tim snickers at him. "I hate crowds and people and being surrounded. I like privacy. And I can't exactly suit up during Greek Week and make it out unseen. Unless you want Shadow running around after doing keg stands?" I counter out sarcastically to him and he rolls his eyes and admits I'm right.

"What are you going to study?" Bruce asks me curiously, changing the topic.

"Psychology." I say with a shit eating grin. Tim bursts into laughter at that, and Bruce gives me a surprised look. "Cuz you know, we're all crazy, and it would be hilarious to learn our psychosis."

"Did you actually pick your major as a joke?" Bruce asks me with a sigh.

"Oh, completely." I confirm sincerely. "But don't worry, I'll still actually study it. Maybe I'll become the family shrink. I do already know everyone's secrets anyway, so confidentiality is easy." I say thoughtfully.

"Nu-uh, you don't know mine." Tim says confidently.

"Oh really?" I say challengingly to him and he nods stubbornly. "So if I was to look in the back-log in the computer and access the records for your report card, I wouldn't find a deleted file that has notes from your teachers about you falling asleep in class?" I ask threateningly to him, and his eyes grow wide again.

"I never should have taught you how to hack that good." He grumbles out unhappily. He's been teaching me even more advanced hacking skills lately, more than even Bruce knows.

"No, you really shouldn't have. You created a monster. I now lurk in the physical shadows, and the internet shadows." I say smugly while I laugh evilly. 

Bruce goes on to scold Tim about sleeping in class, and threatens to limit his patrols if he does it again. I know I threw him under the bus slightly, but his lack of sleeping is still concerning for me.