Target Practice

[emit_dark]

 Who: Tim and Alba
Where: The Park
When: January 11th, after class
What: It's all in the reflexes....
Rating: PG 
Status: Closed, Incomplete

Comments

[emit_dark]

The hug was unexpected and Tim went rigid, blushing as much as the cold would allow him. The only other girl who'd treated him like that was Barbara, and only on an especially bad night.

"Nothin' to be sorry about, really." Tim shrugged, keeping his voice as non-pulsed as possible. "Could have been a lot worse. Besides, I'll get old puke-face back for it one of these days. He won't know what hit him." Though he felt a little guilty about that, remembering his first conversation with Zee. "Now come on, show me what you got."

Resuming his position, Tim braced himself for the next attempt, letting a surprised whoop when Alba was able to catch it on the return flight.

"Nice! Do you have a place to practice at home? I think you're gonna have this nailed pretty soon." He couldn't help his excitement at the prospect-- two people keeping an eye on town would be a lot easier than one...

"He worry about you a lot?" Tim had heard Alba mention 'Mr. Baron' quite a few times, but she never said must more about him. "So is he really royalty, or is that just his name?" He asked, discarding the branch and starting up the path out of the park. There was a companionable closeness as they went, maybe a remnant of the hug, or some instinct that cried for warmth against the chill air around them.

[ablealba]

"Still stinks," she said in response to him.

Alba grinned excitedly at her friend as she managed it. "I can set a place out in the back yard." Hopefully Mr. Baron wouldn't mind that she was working with the batarang in addition to her fencing and other lessons.

Alba shrugged and scrunched her nose up a little. "He worries about me way more than he should, but a lot." It was on par with the amount her mother worried about her, so Alba was used to it. If it was more than her mom, she'd have considered it to be a lot. "He's actually a baron. Definitely nobility." She wasn't quite sure about whether royalty was the right word. "But not from like, here. You know," she started, uncharacteristically not looking at Tim as she was speaking. "He said he was interested in meeting you." Alba kept going along, hoping Tim wouldn't totally freak out over it.

[emit_dark]

"Awesome, it's best to have a place to practice. I practice with the stalactites in the cave back home. The bats don't like it much, but I think they're used to it by now." He'd hope so, with how much time he and Batgirl spent training there.

"Bruce can be pretty over-bearing." Tim said bluntly. "I mean, I guess he thinks I need real discipline after being on my own so much but..." He shrugged again. "Kinda hard to argue with the guy that's literally saved your life."

From where they were in the park, it was quickest to tromp through the snow and come out onto Meadowwoods and go from there. Though they were closer to the marina, Tim wanted to walk Alba home--though really it was the definition of 'out of the way.'

"He wanted to meet meet?" Tim repeated, looking confused before laughing. "Um, I guess that's okay... I mean, if he's like you and me and didn't come here willingly, he might know something about how to get back..." While Alba had every right to be embarassed by it, Tim wasn't about to pass up a ready source of information. "Besides, I've only ever met boring rich people, not royalty."

[ablealba]

"What happened when you broke all of the icicles?" Because Alba was certain that Tim was better at it than she was, given what she'd seen.

Alba nodded at him. "My mom's sort of like that with me back home. Discipline and worry going hand in hand." Though there was much more worry than discipline. Alba didn't blame her mom for it, though. She was worried about her dad so it made sense that her mom worried about her.

She grimaced slightly. "Yeah, he's decided he wants to meet my friends." There was more to it, to be honest, but Alba was going to give the more generic, overprotective guardian sort of answer. "I don't know if he'd count as super exciting..." Even though he was a vampire. "He is very big on proper manners, which is actually pretty entertaining."

[emit_dark]

"I left them a few," Tim said a little defensively. He liked the bats, the problem was their favorite hang out spots were his favorite targets, especially when he was lazy about training. "They mostly retreat further into the cave." He said with a shrug.

Tim chuckled at the idea of discipline going hand-in-hand. To say that Bruce kept his feels close to his chest was the understatement of the century, but he knew the old man cared. It showed in the countless times he pushed Tim out of the way of danger--from guns to grenades to freeze rays. That had been terrifying. "Yeah, I know what you mean...Bruce is only like that because he cares. He can just be...awful about showing it sometimes." It was the price of, well...being Bruce Wayne, he supposed.

At manners though, Tim winced. "Should I dress nice or something?" He did actually have nice clothes-- he never knew when he'd need to blend in at some big to-do...not that Aternaville looked like the sort of place where 'to-do's' happened, but one could never be certain.

[ablealba]

"No, silly," she giggled. "I mean, what'd you use for practice after you used them all up." Alba didn't think that the bats would have a huge problem, and if they did, they probably would just avoid the people coming into their caves.

Alba raised her eyebrows. "Awful as in closed off or awful as in overly huggy, touchy-feely, mushy?" Alba knew some people thought the latter was embarrassing. And she was sure she'd get embarrassed eventually, but she didn't when her parents had been that way.

"Oh, ummmm, I don't know. I just mean, he's very proper. If you ever wanted to know what you're supposed to do in a situation, he'd be the one to ask."

[emit_dark]

"Oh, um..." Alba's giggle was cute and rather distracting, but that wasn't what had thrown him. "I set up a little practice area deeper in the caves." He replied, hoping she wouldn't ask for details--he didn't like coming close to admitting he had a whole training ground at his disposal at his secret cave in his super awesome mansion.

"And, um, definitely closed off. I don't think I've ever seen Bruce smile." His second understatement of the night, and only slightly smaller than his first. As they came off of Meadowwoods Street, Tim decided to lead them past main and down to Tweleth, if only because he never came that way and wasn't all that familiar with the shops yet. "I saw him genuinely happy once and it was...weird."

Cocking his head as he listened Tim nodded. So 'Mr. Baron' was one of those types. "I'll...make sure to brush up on my ettiqute then-- Oh, wow, a pet shop!" At first Tim thought by the fascade it was another Chinese restaurant, but no, the sign betrayed the building as a pet shop. "Weird."

[ablealba]

"And you never had the problem where you just broke all the icicles and needed something else to hit?" It just seemed almost impossible. Unless he didn't practice as much as she'd figured.

Alba's eyes widened. "How in the world can you never smile?!" she asked as if it were akin to raining cats and dogs or pigs flying. Sure, there were tons of reasons in the world to frown or be upset, but to never smile was too unthinkable. "Why was it weird to see him happy?? Was he just like. Constantly doom and gloom?"

She nodded back. "Probably a good idea. I know mostly about it if you need help. Sometimes it's fun to do the opposite just to see how he reacts," Alba couldn't help a mischievous smile. "Oh yeah, very cool pet shop." She couldn't help but want to get a pet every time she'd entered but it was irresponsible.

[emit_dark]

"Well I found other targets, the caves are huge!"

'Dodged a bullet on that one. Jeez she's good.'

Before the thought could even finish, Tim was already taking in her indignance at the idea that Bruce never smiled and burst out laughing right there. He almost wished Nightwing were there to hear that. It had surprised Tim once too, but he'd gotten used to it pretty quick. "He...doesn't have a lot to smile about? And yeah, gloom, doom, glowering, the whole nine yards." The day that glare didn't haunt Tim's dreams was the day he gave up his mask and mantle.

"Yeah I never really paid attention when Bruce tried to teach me stuff." He knew how bad that sounded but it was true. Tim absorbed enough of the behavior to mimic it convincingly if he needed to, and that was that. It was a tool to him, like anything else he'd learned under Bruce's tutelage.

"Bruce would never let me have a pet, though I think most of the pressure came from Alfred--he's the butler. I think having a dog or something would drive him nuts." The thought of Alfred running around after a puppy was amusing though.

As they neared Brandenburg, about to take the turn back up to the main road, voices caught Tim's attention. A figure, swaying and loud, stumbled out of the hotel doors ahead of them, cursing loudly. All of Tim's instincts went on high alert and he put a hand on Alba's shoulder, stepping in front of her at the same time.

"Hey, punk." A gruff voice barked out over the night air and Tim groan, leaning in to whisper against Alba's ear.

"Just keep going."

[ablealba]

Alba gave him a look, but didn't push it farther. It was still curious.

"Everyone has to have something to smile about at some point in their lives. As much sadness as people deal with, there's got to be some happiness in everything." Alba was a firm believer in that, thanks to her mother more than anyone else. Alba's mom had lost so much of her life to waiting for her dad to be around due to his chromo-impairment. And then it happened again with her own daughter. But that didn't mean that Clare never smiled. Her mom smiled as much as she cried and that was saying something.

"It would be irresponsible of me to get one here." Alba hadn't had one at home, though when she got home next, she'd see if her mom wanted one. It'd be nice to be with someone when she was gone. "But back home I didn't either."

As they turned the corner, Alba noted the man as well, without looking at him. She was an excellent observer if nothing else. But she was certain the two of them wouldn't have a problem with the guy if they both kept going together. And worst case, she was sure Tim was almost as good a runner as she was. But when Tim put his hand on her shoulder, Alba looked over at him sharply. His whisper was met with a stubborn frown. "Not if you're not coming, too. You're not much older than I am, Tim. And besides. I'm not leaving you behind for who knows what to happen. That's just mean." It was bad form was what it was. She wouldn't even leave her older and very capable friends behind. Not that she didn't think Tim was capable, but Alba was just as able of defending herself. Between what she'd learned from her dad and Mr. Baron and the classes that her mom made her take, she didn't have much to worry about.

[emit_dark]

Dark brows knit. This wasn't the time to argue if things were about to get rough.

"Okay, then stay as close as you can." Slowly, Tim reached into his pocket and took out his batarang, holding it concealed, ready for a swift under-hand throw.

"You kiddies think somethin's funny?"

So it was their laughter that had gotten his attention, Tim thought quickly, glancing up and down each potential route of escape. 'Not like I need it, I can take jerks like him down in my sleep.'

"Maybe, whatcha gonna do about it?" Tim taunted, meeting the surprised look Alba gave him with a calm one. He knew what he was doing--pissing guys like this off was the best way to gain the upper hand.

Moments later the drunken man let out an angry growl and lunged at them, but the batarang was already flying--there was a cry and the sound of breaking glass as the bottle the man was holding broke, the smell of alcohol and blood mixing in the heavy evening air.

"Why you little piece of--" Something glinted as the man passed under a flickering streetlamp and Tim's eyes widened--a broken bottle head.

"Dodge!" He called to Alba, grabbing her wrist and pulling her into a hard frontwards roll on the snowy sidewalk. Thankfully it took their assailant longer to recover, and the lighting was better where they landed.

"Alba, your batarang, use it." Tim urged, "While he's still down he's a stationary target, aim for the bottle. Don't worry, I got you covered." Slipping his backpack off his shoulders, Tim unzipped and plunged a hand into the pocket, pulling out his grapple gun.

[ablealba]

Tim didn't know Alba well enough to know that she'd argue with him even if it were the exact wrong time. She was not leaving him. When Tim started taunting the guy, Alba did not approve. Yes, sometimes it was fine, but most of the time it was completely unnecessary and you could get away without managing to do that at all.

When the man growled and lunged at them, Alba was ready to dodge him entirely, even weighed down with the winter coat and school bag. When the man did head toward them, Alba didn't need a second word to dodge. She was already heading to when Tim grabbed her wrist and pulled her into a roll on the sidewalk. Mr. Baron was definitely going to notice that. But Alba pushed that to the back of her mind, survival instincts taking over.

When Tim urged her to use her batarang, Alba hardly hesitated for a second. It would be very simple for the two of them to just get away from it all. But soon enough she aimed at the bottle as easily as she'd aimed at Tim's branch before. She'd channeled all the nerves into adrenaline the way that she'd done so readily when traveling through time. The bottle was hit squarely and she looked over at Tim to see what he'd planned on doing next.

[emit_dark]

Maybe Tim didn't have to hold Alba's hand through the whole process, but it was too much of an instinct. Until he could really trust that she could handle herself, he would always move to protect her, the same as Bruce or Batgirl did for him.

When she nailed the bottle though, it hit him that maybe she could, and an apology was in order once the creep was taken care of; so, taking the grapple gun, Tim attached a batarang to the end and fired, tying their assailant securely about the middle. He grunted and cursed, but couldn't break free.

"Maybe a night out here will let you sober up a little, huh buddy?" Tim sneered, turning to Alba a beat later.

"Are you alright?"

"Let me outta here you little ba--!!

"Let's get going. There's no reason to be here when the hotel reports a public disturbance." They slipped up the street, all the way back up to North Main without Tim saying much. The fact of the matter was he was incredibly impressed and realized in hindsight that his hand-holding had been a bit out of place.

"Look, sorry if I babied you back there." Tim started at last, "you obviously know what you're doing and I know what it's like when people do that it's just so ingrained with me I couldn't help it. But seriously, that was awesome. You nailed that thing; just like in a comic book--we really make awesome team."

Then he paused, because the next thought he had went against everything he had been told and trained to do but...

'Don't do it Tim, don't do it, just take her home and make something up about a sledding accident when Mr. Baron asks.'

"Alba, if I told you something about me, something that would explain how I can do what I can, and why I have a secret cave back home, you wouldn't tell another living soul, would you?" Though he was scared, he was smiling, because as soon as the words were out he knew this was right.

[ablealba]

Alba might've appreciated the hand holding but she would absolutely never admit it. She was entirely too proud and independent to do that.

She nodded that she was fine as they walked up the street in silence. Part of Alba was angry, but she knew how bad of an idea it was to be around when police came. She had nothing if not an excellent sense of self-preservation.

She was about to tell him so but he apologized before she had the chance. "It's fine, but future reference, I can take care of myself, you know." She'd been doing it for as long as she could remember.

As Tim paused, Alba was trying to figure out a plausible lie to tell to Mr. Baron. If he was told that there was a drunken man coming after them while walking home from school she was sure he'd do something extreme like make sure she took the carriage or order her an escort. She did not need that.

She frowned as he smiled. "Of course I'd keep it a secret." Why on earth wouldn't she?

[emit_dark]

"Yeah, I gathered that. You're picking up on this stuff quicker than I did." At least, she was so far--she didn't have Bruce's gauntlet in the Batcave to run through for an hour and half every night.

When she gave her word Tim nodded, realizing that explaining was something he wanted to do where it was warm and not so exposed. "Might want to sit down for this, I think." Though there was a part of him that was still screaming in vain for him not to do what he was about to do, he also knew that would be easier to ignore if he was warm and out of earshot of any impending police sirens. "Hot chocolate work for you?" The Lovecraft Diner was in the middle of the dinner rush--no better time than for two kids to go unnoticed.

A pretty, young waitress found them a booth near the back, so close to the kitchens anything they were saying could be easily disguised by the mad dinn coming from beyond the two wide, swinging doors.

"Now under any other circumstances I wouldn't be doing this but I figure, we're not even from the same universe so it doesn't matter much in the end anyway." Tim took a deep breath and looked Alba directly in her observant blue eyes. "When Bruce took me in, I learned something about him, something big. For as long as I could remember, as bad as Gotham City always was there were good guys out there fighting to keep the real crazies at bay. Batman and Robin. They were my idols. Even though my dad worked for one of the slimiest, ugliest, most evil goons in Gotham, I collected all of the info on Batman and Robin I could... I mean, they were legends! Well due to...why Bruce ended up taking me in, I learned that he was Batman! Ever since I moved in, he's been training me, just like he did the first Robin. So what I'm saying is...in my neck of the woods, I'm sort of a super hero."

[ablealba]

Alba shrugged. "I'm a fast learner." She had to be. Alba was going to protest about the fact that she should go straight home, it was getting late. But she needed some more time to think up a proper cover story to tell Mr. Baron. One that would be convincing. So she nodded to the question about hot chocolate.

She listened to Tim as he explained that he was a superhero, and she slowly took a sip of her hot chocolate as she listened. "That is just...so cool. And dangerous! You're not much older than I am. Is it really fair for a thirteen year old to be a superhero?" It was insanely cool, but she couldn't believe that someone actually let someone so young do something like this. It was nice that there were people fighting the evil in town, but did it have to be a kid?