Feeling The Aster | DC Imagines

too fast, too slow - part two | young justice

warning: a quick allusion to SA

A mugging in Grant Park.

Break in at Arms Hotel.

Armed assault on GSU's campus.

Crimes every city worth its value were riddled with. Merely fodder in Gotham. Crimes that you had set your sights on since that night. Crimes you thought would be the best firsts to get under your belt in your self imposed quest of proving yourself.

And they would have been. Crimes that were a great depth for you to dip your toes into the raging ocean that was vigilantism. Crimes that were not only the right amount of challenge for you, but also doubled as crimes that would get you even the slightest amount of recognition—not necessarily from the news.

They really would have been perfect, if they weren't also crimes in where Robin had gotten there first.

At first you had thought it was purely coincidence. Gotham wasn't a small city, but it also certainly wasn't a large one in comparison to cities such as NYC or Metropolis. Even with the activity that it was famously known for, you knew even Gotham could have slow nights. You had just shrugged it off, just happy that the victim hadn't gotten hurt. Of course they wouldn't have—it was Robin to come to the rescue after all.

The second time, you thought it was a little weird, but still waveable. You had no doubt that the break-in had been reported to the police, and in turn relayed to Batman and Robin. They had to have some kind of police scanner, right? A place like one of the best hotels in the city was bound to have someone looking out for it. You had only been able to take out one of the culprits before you realized the other two were already down. Your confusion had only lasted a few moments before you had turned to find Robin perched at the broken window—seemingly waiting for you to take notice—before disappearing just as fast as you had laid eyes on the colors of his suit. You were in no way as efficient in both the battle and the escape.

It was when it had happened a third time that you had noticed the pattern. Scratch that: patterns. The first one should have tipped you off from the start, but you weren't a detective. You hadn't realized that every time Robin overshadowed your efforts, Batman was nowhere to be found.

You weren't used to searching for anything you wouldn't normally notice. And Batman not being there fell into that category. You were used to the normality of where Robin went, Batman was never far behind, even if unseen. Even before the duo premiered, Batman was infamous for utilizing the dark and shadows to effectively stay hidden until he wanted to make his presence known. And at the speeds and effectiveness in which Robin operated, you didn't pay any attention to the lack of his mentor by his side. After all, overkill wasn't Batman's style. He had to be confident in his ward's abilities. You sure knew you were.

But it wasn't until after the second encounter (third in total) that left you face to face with the boy that you had put the subliminal clues together. That you had never heard a command, let alone a voice—not even the waving of a cape in the black. Robin had always been there alone. And it wasn't until you were left standing in shock right outside GSU's dorms that even though you were trying, you could no longer justify it as coincidence.

The target had been one man—a fellow student it had seemed. You wouldn't have even noticed if you hadn't heard the sound of a scream cut suspiciously short. Your heart had pounded as you put trust in your feet once more to bring you toward the attack. Feet that you had trusted to keep you alive when you were a malnourished street rat. Feet that you had trusted to outrun police and vigilantes when you were a villain. Feet that you were now urging to trust in to run toward the danger; to be the hero.