Chapter Text
He had been watching, enraptured.
Holding her own valiantly with sheer will and determination before he and his brothers arrived. Already, five criminals littered the ground in their own unconscious piles. The showroom had been her personal armoury. A chair from the guards station? Back of the head. A barrier pole keeping people from the displays? Back of the knees followed by legs wrapped around the mans neck. A spoon from a stray coffee mug? Right between the eyes as a distraction followed by a punch to the throat.
Lethal. Effective. Brilliant.
Everything was a weapon to her. Her surroundings used to creatively protect herself. Eyes sharp and focused. Another one down, this one by a left behind boot and a stray bracelet.
Robin internally winced as a few stray teeth flew in the air. He would require a trip to the prison dentist it would seem. Once he woke up of course.
This little dove, was formidable in a way he had never seen before. Not trained conventionally but instinctually.
There were some moves he recognised that his father had taught him. Some bits of Kung Fu and Krav Maga. The rest was a mishmash. An odd feeling the he and his brothers might struggle to keep up with whatever train of thought she went with. Training and professionalism typically had a certain…understanding and predictability about it. A single line of thought.
This? This was a co-ordinated mess of efficiency.
With an air of caution, he lingers, watching.
So fluid in her movements, absorbed and focused. A risk lay in intervention. If he came in at the wrong moment, either of them could be hurt. Not to mention the stray objects that dotted around the place. One could come flying at any moment. Intervention could get them both hurt. So, he waits.
In the end, it’s her spying him above that causes it. The wrong moment.
Spotting him on the rafters above and hesitates. Eyes wide and lips ever so slightly agape. Enough of a moment to distract her and get bowled over by an incoming fool. Barreling them both to the marbled floor.
Robin unglues from his spot and plunges into action. The air charged around him.
One goon.
Two goon’s.
Three goon’s in the way of him getting to her that went tumbling down with a blunted swing of his blade. The last one sent flying when his fist connected with the larger man’s face.
Four left in the room. Mr Freeze elsewhere in the building. His brothers and father likely hot on the man’s trail. One civilian behind him. His civilian who had knocked the lights out of the one that had tackled her.
“Stay guarded, and stay low” Were his only advice and his gaze caught her steely blues for just a moment, her eyes determined and fierce. Attention now returned to the remaining foes.
“Chapeau (stupid) moche uh…dumb hat, has a bad leg” The slightest smirk graced his lips at the indignant look on the furthest lackey’s face. Dumb hat.
“Noted, I’ll leave him for last”
Without further ado, he charged at the ones that remained with fervour.
It went smoothly. Three of the four taken down without issue, the last one quivering in his boots at the brutality. Of course, he should’ve predicted that something would go wrong. Like another henchman appearing out of his periphery with a ridiculous weapon outweighing the strength of his arms.
“Oiseau!” The ‘dumb hat’ man had just fallen when her voice cried out to him. His body still mid-motion and not fast enough to turn. It was one of those odd moments. Where he could see everything about to happen like one of Grayson’s movies in slow motion. The sounds muted around him.
A clink and click, and a fwoom vibrated the room. A pitched cry out.
Force collided with him and threw him to the side, sending him falling until another gust rolled him back again. Knee’s giving way and elbows bashed. Boots loose from the floor.
Robin slammed and slid into the tile beneath him, skidding back into the wall. Another solid blow hitting him in the head. Whole being battered and bruised. His stomach rolled in protest.
“Ugh…” Shakily, his hand hit his communicator, throat protesting. “Freeze…new weapon. Cafeteria”
“-kkzzk… Hood…incoming-“ A crackle of Oracle’s voice managed to break through before cutting out. Whatever they had been hit with had just knocked out his comms.
They…the girl! Robin’s eyes snapped open to look around, only for a sharp pain to lance through his brain and throbbing echoing. His stomach rolled with nausea and foggily his mind supplied that he had a concussion. Or was in shock. Maybe shock.
Once his vision settled again, he could just about see his dove. She hadn’t awoken like he had and her body laid limp just a foot away from him. Her body crumpled against the wall. If he squinted enough, he could see droplets of blood.
Rage surged through him and his wonky vision locked on the one holding the odd gun. Shakily, he rose, and positioned himself in front of the noirette.
“Shit..! Birdy is still standing. Little bitch got in the way” Robin’s blood boiled and the blade in his hand slipped from blunt to deadly.
“Prepare… to lose… your limbs” He readied himself to lunge, only for the goon to crumple at a sharp bang along with two others. Maybe there were three shots?
Damian clutched his head at the piercing sound, his blade slipping from his grip.
Hands held over his own and he tried throwing them off, only to blurrily see the red helmet of his older brother. Concern bled through the man’s robotic tone, yet he could not hear what. His focus solely on the woman behind him.
“‘M fine! Check her” Kneeling, he waited for his vision to settle once more.
Red Hood watched him for a moment, before nodding and crouched next to the young girl. He was careful in his movements, gentle when lifting her head and checking her pulse. From the corner of his eye, he could see her stirring.
“Mm…” She muttered a few words in french, not coherent enough to understand. Her head lolled and Hood caught her before she hit the ground again. Skin pale and there was a slither of blood trickling from her lips.
“Hang on there, Sweetheart. We’ll get you to a doctor and get you checked out” Red Hood slipped his arm under her legs and lifted her carefully. She lurched initially like she was about to be sick, but didn’t. Her eyes clenched shut in pain.
Damian felt awful. Not just physically.
Dove had gotten hurt trying to protect him. He’d gotten distracted. Not paid enough attention to his surroundings.
He trudged slowly after his brother, his eyes never leaving her as she slumped against the antihero. Pallor ghostly and her gaze distant. Like her mind was trying to restart and understand what was happening around her. He would insist that a doctor saw her first.
“Oiseau…?” Robin blinked, her gaze on him now, looking a bit more focused. With some effort, he catches up to them. Pain shooting through every step.
“Yes?” She watched him vacantly for a moment, processing her words.
“You’re…hurt?” He swallowed thickly and his heart twisted and pulled.
“Not badly, thanks to you. I didn’t see him…I’ll be okay” He knew that his older brother was giving him an odd look. Could feel it like the burning in his cheeks. Although that was probably because his Dove was smiling so kindly at him.
“Sui’ soulagé (‘m relieved)” As soon as the slurred words escaped her lips, her consciousness dropped, alerting him in a panic.
“Hood! Speed up!” His brother blinked in surprise, spotted the cause for his alarm and darted ahead. Leaving him behind slowly.
By the time he got outside his vision had improved, not by much, but enough; even if his head still throbbed. Ambulances flickered against the murk of the city and cop cars lined the sidewalk. The noise around him muted as his gaze found his Dove being examined by paramedics. Her eyes still shut closed as the medics tried to rouse her.
Robin frowned.
Who was she with?
He scanned around for anyone looking frantic. Every solemn looking face and glance of irritation was useless to him. A couple lingering in each others arms. One body brought out on a stretcher but her partner was already crying next to her covered body. The last was a pair of officers looking angry and exasperated in tandem…but that was it.
His ears strained to hear any french over the wails of sirens and people chatting. Only Gotham accents.
Who was missing her?
“Robin” Mask covered eyes looked up at his father, looming with concern.
“Get checked out with Agent A back at base. Red Hood said you hit your head” It was as close to ‘Are you alright? Please be careful’ he would get from the Dark Knight.
“Batman…The girl. No one is looking for her” Batman’s face remained impassive, but his gaze moved over the crowd’s like his own did. With the barest of nods, he stalked over to the Commissioner. Leaving Robin to watch as his Dove was lifted into an ambulance and driven away. His sole focus until it disappeared around the corner.
The rest of the afternoon was a blur as he made his way back to the Cave. Alfred patching him up, he barely noticed. All that lingered was the dark haired girl who was alone.
“..-bin. Robin…Damian” Without flinching, Damian blinked slowly. His whole family was watching him. Most with worry but he could see Todd looking suspicious with his arms folded.
“You good, Dami? You out of it” Grayson was closer than he remembered being but was determined not to let his lack of awareness through him off.
“Fine, just a light concussion. Hit the wall hard” His family, bar two, relaxed and continued the review of the day’s events. Todd was still watching him but not overtly. Just lingering gazes. As was Alfred, but his gaze was softer, likely his grandfather already knew what was going on with him.
Once the briefing was over and everyone went their separate ways, both Todd and Alfred approached him.
“So… ‘Oiseau’, you doing alright? You seemed pretty concerned about that girl that was with you” Typically, his older brother pulled no punches. Damian glared at him.
“I have her medical documents if you would like them” Damian did not bother to hide his shock at Alfred’s words and zeroed in on the folder in the older gentleman’s wrinkled hands. His own reached out and took them from him, not hesitating to open it and check the papers inside.
Jason watched as his youngest brother tore through the file with determined eyes. Taking in every detail and word on the page. Re-reading information over and over. His focused scowl more intent than his usual absorption of facts.
Now, he wasn’t the best detective in the family, but he was the most emotionally inclined. Damian was a lot like him. Had picked up a lot of his habits when the two had been in the league. His little brother was emotionally charged, even if he took cues from his father to not be externally. Every decision, reaction and action stemmed from how he felt. Which is why it was easy for him to see, even if Damian didn’t.
He cared for the girl that had saved his life. A stranger and he was worried about her. He liked her. Saw value and respected it. Even if there wasn’t an emotional input there. The Demon’s heir repaid his debts in full, perceived or not.
“No one was looking for her outside” Jason tilted his head at Damian’s words, waiting for him to continue.
“Outside, with the ambulance’s. No one was looking for her. She’s in hospital alone” His voice was the softest Jason had ever heard it. Hurting for an unknown.
“She wasn’t with anyone?” Jason asked, only for his brother to shake his head solemnly.
“Lemme look” Jason swiped the file from the youngest, earning him a ‘normal’ irritable squawk, and flopped at the computer. He’d managed to ungracefully knock Timbo’s coffee to the side and glanced sheepishly at an unamused Alfred. The mug had shattered completely.
“Sorry, I’ll uh…clean it up?” Ending it with a question made the man wince as the brow on the butler’s face shifted further upwards.
“I suppose Master Timothy has had his limit for the day…” The grandfatherly butler exhaled his irritation and went to the clean up the mess, leaving Jason to help his brother.
“Right, uh, computer” His fingers clacked against the keyboard with Damian watching like a hawk as the screens changed. The hall had been filled with varying exhibits. A temporary exhibition had been staged to show the history of Gotham so there had been a fair amount of media attention in regards to it.
The halls walls had been lined with various artefacts and paintings. Someone had donated vintage clothes and documents. Even their old man had donated some parts of their families involvement in history. The displays had all be cased in glass and had barriers so people would not touch the displays and admire from afar. Obviously, rogues did not adhere to these rules.
Jason scrolled the time back on the security footage to minutes before the first sign of attack. People leisurely milling about the halls and admiring the displays. A couple of class trips from the local schools, one from abroad, plenty of couples and people of old money to admire their growth of wealth.
The former dead-man spied the foreign class in the hall of antiquities. Most looking bored and uninterested. One or two glaring girls. A suspiciously absent teaching who was seen chatting away with an irritable looking guard. And their girl.
“Here, she’s with a class from France. They were all at the showcase but I didn’t see them outside” His brother leant on the chair behind him and scowled at the screen in front of them.
The footage played mutely before them. She seemed to hold herself separately from the class, the only one holding her interest was the designated tour guide.
Damian’s Dove had been admiring the features on display, sketchbook in hand, with intent fervour. Fingers and pencil gliding against the pages as she took notes and sketched.
The tour guide for the group was Addison Maisley, one of the WE guides for tourist groups. She was placed between the group and the noirette. She was obviously keeping a weary eye on the group but seemed to be standing protectively between them and her.
“Addi’s signature disgusted look right there. Only the worst tourists get that look. Look’s like your girly is the exception of her class” Jason smirked at the younger who seemed to relax marginally.
Damian admired her ability to keep track of the things around her. Some part of her seemed to have a third eye for things going on in her vicinity. That included her teacher and chaperone not chaperoning. Her motions paused mid-sketch. Her gaze flickering from curious to cautious. Something had pulled her attention.
The attack came on suddenly, smoke filling the room with a flash and people scattering. Dove had pulled her sketchbook close and instinctually went to hold her bag. Eyes darting to possible exits.
Her tense frame and eyes landed on her class.
Damian watched as she did. Their panic evident and teacher froze to the spot. Acknowledgment flittered in her gaze. Book back in bag.
He preened at her assessment of her surroundings. She had switched off her own panic and focused on her classmates. Using the emergency of danger to propel her and convince Maisley to guide her class out; only to get separated by another smoke bomb.
Both brothers watched as her eyes were wide and briefly fearful before narrowing. She switched seamlessly. Spotting more potential victims of danger and shouted at them. Got them moving to exits. The closest happened to be ground floor windows.
Without hesitation, she snapped off a piece of nearby stand, wedged it under the window and pried it open. Guiding the people out. All before herself. Even a little boy that had got separated from his parents.
Her chance to escape foiled when a goon had spotted her, firing a gun at her exit. She back-tracked and started on her takedown spree just as Robin was arriving on scene.
“Look at her go. Regular little hero there. Her fight and flight instinct is good…Oof, she even took one out with a mug. And a spoon?! She’s a scrapper!” Todd grinned at his brother again, only to see a deep set scowl on the boy’s face.
“What’s wrong?” His eyes followed to the screen Damian was looking at, a camera on a back exit. The classmates of his Dove ran out, her teacher not even counting her students before filing them all onto a bus and off the scene. Abandoning the student that had saved them.
All but two seemed unconcerned that someone was missing, but those two got pulled onto the bus by the useless teacher.
Todd exhaled a growl, shoved a hand into his pocket, and dumped as many coins as he could hold into a nearby jar. He stood sharply and listed off a litany of curses and swears, his chair clattering against the ground as he stormed off.
“…I am going to have to empty your brother’s swear jar again I think” Pennyworth commented off-handedly, before also putting a note in another jar and grabbing one of Todd’s guns.
Damian probably would’ve been surprised at the sound of gunshots in the range behind him, if not for the fact he could not peel his eyes away from the screen. The class booked it and left behind a student. His Dove.
Well, not his, but that was something he could work on. Best ask Grayson, he doubted that League courting would be appropriate. It was a bit…bloody. No doubt the eldest and his father would insist on socialising first and building rapport. Not claiming her hand as his first.
Damian frowned. Local courting was beyond him, how anyone made anything work he’ll never know. Grayson was successfully married, he’d be the most useful.
With a nod to himself on how to proceed he clicked keys and changed the screen. Hacking into another camera. The hospital. He could make sure his Dove was alright, surely?
Damian paused. He would need to find out who she was first. Todd had mentioned that she was part of a foreign class. Wayne Enterprises was hosting a french class, Dove was Parisian if her accent was anything to go by.
He dug into WE files and found it. Every class member and their itinerary. The timeline of their routes matched and Damian was confident he was on the right track.
Finding her profile was simple enough. No one looked like her. Dark, short hair. Eye’s vibrantly silver that they almost could be mistaken for being blue. Soft freckles and warm cheeks.
Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Good, now he had a name.
Damian paused over her school file, fingers poised over the keys, hesitant. Normally, an individual such as her would be thoroughly investigated. She was evidentially smart and a fighter. No wasted movement in any of her attacks. She had definitely fought before.
Grayson would undoubtably frown upon him composing a file on her. Even if the eldest had a habit of being as paranoid as his father. But…
The youngest Robin switched screens. The hospital showing again. His Dove’s room on the main screen.
She laid there serenely. Still unconscious and breathing evenly. Vulnerable not just in her features but alone in her room.
Damian frowned and swiped keys from the key safe before booking it upstairs. Changing quickly, he stormed back to the garage and drove from the manor. He could start a file later.