The Sidekicks

Chapter 5

I stood on the rooftop and watched the sunset while I waited for him. The sky was a beautiful orange and the clouds were painted pink around the edges. I thought about why Tim wanted to see me, I actually wasn't quite sure why. Did he know about Two-Face? Was he coming to warn me? I was pulled out of me thoughts when I heard a scream. I stiffened and looked around me? I ran to the edge of the rooftop and looked down into the alleyway. There were three guys chasing a girl towards a dead end. She definitely needed help. I stood up and was about to head down there when something stopped me. I looked over my shoulder at the spot where I had been standing before. I shook my head. No. she needed me more than he did. I pulled out my whip and flicked it to the rail of the fire escape below me. It wrapped around the bar and I jumped down. I swung down to the ground and landed silently behind the three guys.

"You boys having trouble finding a date tonight?"

They all whipped their heads around to look at me. I looked at the terrified woman behind them.

"How about you let her go and you boys can play with me instead." I smirked.

"You got it, kitty cat." The guy in the middle said.

I signalled for the woman to run. She held her bag close to her chest and dashed past us. I looked over my shoulder to make sure she got away safely. I turned to look at the guys again.

The middle guy beckoned me with his finger. "Here kitty, kitty..."

I smirked. "But be gentle. It's my first time."

I sauntered towards them, jerked my whip back and flicked it forward to wrap around the middle guys ankle. I pulled it back and tripped him up. He fell back and hit his head. He'll be out cold for a few minutes. His friends turned to me.

"Who's next?" I grinned.

They both came at me at the same time. The first one threw a punch but I dodged it and grabbed his arm, twisting it and pinning it behind his back. The second one tried to grab me but I swung my leg back and kicked him in the groin. He was occupied for a while. I turned my attention to the guy whose arm I had pinned. I stood on the balls of my feet so that I could whisper in his ear.

"This might hurt."

"No-" His pleading was replaced with screaming as I dislocated his shoulder.

I kicked him in the back and he stumbled forward and fell against a nearby dumpster. I turned to the guy who was still clutching his groin.

"It hurts, doesn't it?... Being cockblocked like that."

I circled him then kneeled in front of him. I used my index finger to lift his chin and get a good look at him.

"You're cute. Too bad your nose is broken." I pouted.

"Huh? My nose isn't bro-"

I punched him in the face, breaking his nose. He fell backwards, holding his bleeding nose.

I crawled over to him and patted his cheek. "Don't worry, poppet. It's easily fixed."

I stood up and kicked his head, knocking him out. I did a series of back flips and landed near the guy that I dropped with my whip. I walked over and straddled him. I placed my hands on either side of his head and lowered my face to his.

"Now wasn't this fun?" I smirked.

He was still dazed and looked at me while he blinked furiously, trying to clear his vision. His eyes eventually focused and he grinned at me. I saw his arms move and felt his hands brush up against my hips.

"Don't." I warned him.

His grin grew and before he could squeeze anything, my fist collided with his throat. I stood up as he coughed and tried to breathe. I bent down and grabbed his collar, pulling him to his feet. I threw him against the wall and held him there.

"Moves like that that will get you castrated." I growled.

He choked out a laugh. "As long as you're the one doing it, babe."

"Quit trying, buddy." I looked to my side to see Robin standing in the alleyway. "She already has a man in her life." He sauntered towards us.

"Oh? And who would that be?" I asked Robin.

"Me." He answered simply.

I turned to the guy I had pinned against the wall. "Look at him being all brave and presumptuous."

"Wait, so you and Robin are..." the guy trailed off.

I opened my mouth to say something but Robin cut me off. "Yes we are." He smirked.

"Excuse me..." I objected.

The guy whistled in awe. "You're one lucky guy." He said as his eyes fell to my chest.

I raised my hand and flicked my wrist to unsheathe my claws. I was about to slash at the guy's face when Robin appeared beside me and grabbed my arm.

"Save the claws for the bedroom, babe." He grinned and winked at me.

I was flabbergasted at how cheeky he was being. I was literally shocked into silence. We were usually this flirty with each other but not this much. I guess he felt that he needed to show off. Males. I shook my head and watched as he knocked the guy out. He walked over to me grinning.

"Save the claws for the bedroom? Really?" I rested my hand on my hip. He just shrugged and grinned even more. "You cheeky little-"

"Shit." He looked up as we both heard sirens in the distance. "That woman must have called the cops."

Wait. How did he know there was a woman?
He hooked an arm around my waist and pulled me close.

"Hold on tight." He smirked.

He fired his grappling hook and whisked me up onto the nearest rooftop. We landed and he held onto me to help me steady myself.

"You were watching me."

He grinned. "The dislocated shoulder looked painful but the broken nose thing was kinda funny."

"Stalker." I smacked his chest.

"I like watching you work." His grin widened. "It's entertaining." He looked at me expectantly.

"What?"

"Aren't you gonna thank me?" He smirked.

"For what?"

"For saving you from a dodgy guy in a dark alleyway." He slipped his other arm around me and linked his fingers together, resting his hands in the small of my back and pulling me closer.

"I had it under control," I placed my hands on his chest to keep my body from being pressed against his. "... That is, until you arrived and started adding your cheeky little comments."

"So... I did save you."

I sighed and rolled my eyes, which he probably didn't see, since I still had my goggles over my eyes.

"Thank you, my dear saviour. How can I ever repay you?" I said dramatically

His mouth softened from a grin to a more genuine smile. "A kiss."

My cheeky smile turned into a shy one.
He was being serious. He really wanted a kiss.
I searched his eyes, trying to figure out his angle. He pulled me closer and leaned down, closing the gap between us. His face was inches from mine. I could feel his chest under my hands, rising and falling with each breath as he waited for me to respond. I took a deep breath as my eyes fluttered closed and my lips ghosted over his, hesitantly. He felt my hesitation and slowly pressed his lips to mine. Butterflies exploded into existence in my stomach and I melted in his arms. My knees went weak and he held me tighter. His right hand slid up my back and stopped in between my shoulder blades while his left hand stayed on my lower back, holding my body against his. My hands moved from their place on his chest and moved up to his shoulders. My right hand held the back of his neck and my left hand stayed on his shoulder. Our lips moved together slowly and gently.
The way he kissed me now was completely different to the way he acted towards me a minute ago. He was being gently and caring, as opposed to his usual cocky and overconfident nature. He kissed me as thought he didn't want to scare me away.
He deepened the kiss by leaning in further, making me bend back a bit. After a while he stopped to pull back for air. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He leaned in again and brushed his bottom lip over mine, then gave me one last tender kiss. He rested his forehead on mine, keeping his eyes closed.

"I need to know who you are." He whispered.

I closed my eyes and sighed. "Why." I whispered back. "What difference would it make?"

"Please." He exhaled. "I don't even know what you look like."

"Why are you doing this to me?" I looked at him as I pleaded.

He opened his eyes and looked at me, frowning. "What do you mean?"

I pushed myself away from him. "That kiss!" I took a few steps forward then turned to face him. "I don't know what it meant but it clearly meant something!" I realised that I was raising my voice. "You don't even know me." I said, softly.

"Because you won't let me!" He took a step towards me. "You won't show me your face, you won't tell me your name... How am I supposed to get to know you?" He closed the gap between us and took my hands. "I want to get to know you." He said in a softer voice.

"Why only now?" I asked.

He sighed. "I need to know that I can find you again... I need to know that I can protect you."

I pulled my hands out of his grasp. "I can protect myself!"

I turned and walked away but he grabbed my wrist and spun me around. He grabbed the back of my neck and pressed his lips to mine, this time making the kiss feel more urgent and needy. I pushed him away, turned around and ran. He didn't follow me and I went home immediately.



---------- ~* 3rd Person *~ ----------

Mia sat on the couch staring into space, thinking about everything that happened on the rooftop. She was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't even notice when Selina slipped in through the open window. Selina saw her sitting there, frozen and walked over to her. She stopped in front of her and kneeled down to her eye level. She placed a hand on Mia's shoulder, making her snap out of her daze. Mia looked around, her eyes wild and confused.

"Mia? Honey, what's wrong?" Selina asked. Mia looked at her as if she had only just noticed her there. "Why are you still in your suit? You're usually showered and everything by the time I get home..." Mia looked at herself and frowned. "Sweetie, tell me what happened." Selina sat down next to her and put an arm around her.

"He kissed me..." Mia whispered.

"Well, I know that you're not supposed to feel like this after your first kiss." Selina tried to make her smile.

Mia let out a sad chuckle. "I was acting like an idiot." She said after a while.

Selina was confused. "What do you mean?"

"He said that he wanted to get to know me; that he wanted to see my face and know my name but I was being an idiot about it." Mia said as she continued to stare into space.

"Wait, was this before or after the kiss?" Selina asked, trying to catch up.

"After." Mia sighed and dropped her head in her hands.

Selina rubbed her back comfortingly. She noticed a small object attached to Mia's catsuit and plucked it from its spot at the base of her neck.

"What's this?" She examined it. She took a closer look at it and her face turned serious. "A tracker." She said simply as she handed it to Mia.

Mia looked at it in confusion. Realisation hit her and her eyes started filling with tears as her face turned sour. She sprang up from the couch, grabbed her coat and put it on to cover her catsuit.

"Where are you going?" Selina called after her.

Mia stepped out of the apartment. "For a walk." She said before slamming the door shut.

Mia made her way down the stairs and out of the building. She walked down the street looking for the perfect candidate. She spotted a middle aged man with a receding hair line and a huge beer belly. She smirked and walked up to him. She deliberately bumped into him, placing the tracker in his pocket before apologising and walking off. She stopped and searched her pockets, pretending to have forgotten something. She turned and strolled back to her apartment building as if nothing happened.

"That should keep him busy for a while." Mia whispered to herself as she headed back home.


--------------------


Robin sat on the rooftop and stared at the tracking device in his hands. He sighed and switched it on. The screen came to life and a small red dot blinked in the top right corner. He looked up from the screen to face where the tracker signal was coming from. The seedy part of Downtown. What would she be doing there? He thought to himself as he ran across the rooftops, following the signal. He stopped on top of a large, rundown apartment block. The signal was coming from directly below him. He brought up a 3D scan of the building and its occupants, showing him that the tracker was on the second last floor. The scan showed him which room it was in and that there was only one person in there. Robin climbed down the fire escape and climbed through the window.
The apartment was a mess and it smelt terrible. This doesn't seem right. He thought as he made his way to the living room. He heard a can being crushed and another being opened. He crept up behind the couch and was relieved to find a middle aged man sitting on the couch surrounded by empty beer cans.

"Don't you think you should clean up once in a while?" Robin announced his presence.

"Hey! How did you get in here?!" The man shot up from the couch.

Robin ignored him and walked over to a chair that had a jacket draped over it. He started scratching in the pockets.

"Hey! I'm gonna call the cops if you don't get out now!" The man said as he brandished the phone in Robin's direction. He was about to dial when Robin threw a batarang at it, pinning it to the wall.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." He went back to searching the pockets and pulled out what he was looking for. "Earlier, about an hour ago, a girl bumped into you."

"How did you know that?" The guy asked as he watched robin pluck his batarang from the phone on the wall.

"What did she look like?" Robin interrogated the man.

"I dunno. It was dark." The man shrugged.

Robin strode up to the man and grabbed the front of his shirt. "Try to remember." He growled.

"Okay! Okay! She, um, she was wearing a black coat and had short black hair and her eyes were yellow. It might have just been the way the streetlights hit it, but they looked yellow to me. That's all I know, I swear."

Robin let go of the man and thought about it. "Was she pretty?" He eventually asked.

"Gorgeous."

Robin sighed. "Did you see which building she came out of?"

"No... But it happened about two or three blocks down from here, in the nice part of Downtown, but she might have been walking for a while already." The man explained.

Robin sighed again. "I'll never find her now."

"Why were you looking for her?" The man asked, but robin was already climbing out of the window.