“Save Me, Robin!”
ɞ While trying to get home at night, a few thieves harass you, but luckily, Robin is there to save you. After such an eventful night, you simply have to tell your friends Damian and Jon about what happened.
ɞ Warnings: This is the first time I've ever made a request. I hope you like it, anon!
The streets of Gotham were never particularly kind after midnight. You knew that.
You had grown up hearing stories about muggings, robberies, and the occasional appearance of one of the city's masked vigilantes. You had learned which streets to avoid and which train stations were safer after dark.
Usually, you were careful. Tonight, however, you had made one mistake. Your phone had died. Completely. The black screen reflected your own worried face as you pressed the power button one more time. Nothing.
“Great,” You whispered. Your breath appeared faintly in the cold air. You had been stupid enough not to charge it before leaving campus. You had even forgotten your power bank, despite usually carrying it everywhere. And the last train you could have taken had departed nearly twenty minutes ago.
You slipped the useless phone into your coat pocket. "Brilliant, Y/N."
You pulled your coat tighter around yourself and continued walking. Your apartment wasn't terribly far away. Fifteen minutes, perhaps twenty if you walked slowly. You could manage that. This wasn't the first time this had happened to you. You knew the route, you knew the streets. And, most importantly, you were going to be fine. What could possibly happen? That question would haunt you later.
The night air was cold, and the streets were quieter than you liked. The lights in almost all the apartments were off. It was as if the street had grown pitch black specifically to make you afraid. Streetlights illuminated patches of pavement while leaving the spaces between them in uneasy darkness. It was another wonderful night in Gotham.
You kept your eyes forward. You were trying to soothe yourself by humming one of the pop songs that have been trending lately. You glanced over your shoulder.
Nothing, just a deserted street. You exhaled slowly.
"It's fine," You whispered to yourself. You weren’t usually frightened easily. But Gotham at one in the morning was different and you weren’t Batman.
You were halfway through a narrow street when you heard footsteps behind you. You glanced behind you without being noticed. Two men. They weren't walking particularly quickly, but they were following the same direction.
Your heart began to beat faster. Don't panic.
You crossed the street in a rush. The footsteps crossed too. Your breathing became shallow. As you walked faster and turned the corner, a man blocked your path. You could feel the two men behind you right on your heels.
He smiled, revealing the chipped front teeth that had blocked his path. “Well, look what we have here.” He was broad shouldered, unshaven, and wearing a dark jacket that looked several sizes too large.
You instinctively stepped backward. “Please,” You said quietly. “I don't have anything.”
“Didn't ask what you had sweetheart.” Said the one in the back. Apparently, they were operating as a gang, cornering defenseless, solitary people in the streets.
Your hands trembled. You hated this, hated how helpless you suddenly felt. There was no power inside you waiting to awaken. No secret ability. No miraculous strength. You thought for a moment: if these three men attacked you, what could you really do? Could you handle all three of them at once? You were simply you. An ordinary university student standing alone in a Gotham alley at nearly midnight.
You tightened you grip around it. “Please, just take it.”
“Smart girl.” The man reached toward you. You flinched for a moment, and then something dropped from above. It was something quite hard. It struck the man's shoulder with enough force to send him crashing sideways. He hit the pavement with a groan, before he could touch you.
A figure clad in black stepped between you and the other men. The unmistakable silhouette of Robin. The remaining thieves froze. Robin slowly straightened.
“Three against one?” His voice was young, much younger than you had expected. Cold, controlled, and edged with unmistakable arrogance.
He stepped forward. “You're either incredibly stupid or remarkably confident.
One of the men pulled a knife. Your breath caught, but Robin didn't even hesitate. The faintest hint of annoyance crossed his face. "You chose the stupid option."
The attacker lunged and Robin moved. You barely saw what happened. He caught the man's wrist and twisted. The knife clattered onto the pavement. A sharp strike to the ribs. Your eyes were darting about, trying to follow his quick movements. You had seen Robin on television before. Everyone in Gotham had. But seeing him in person was completely different. He was terrifying, efficient and almost frighteningly calm.
The man slammed against the wall. The second attacker charged from behind. Robin bent down and kicked the man in the knees so hard that you winced. He couldn't even make a sound as he crashed face first onto the ground.
The third man was smarter than the others, so he started running. Robin sighed. "Really?"
He disappeared after him. You stared, what the fuck had happened? Three seconds later, the man was dragged back by the collar. Robin dropped him beside the others. "Running makes this embarrassing for both of us."
Within seconds, all three men were on the ground. Robin turned toward you. You immediately took a step backward. It was completely instinctive, and Robin seemed to know it too. Even though the self assurance in his voice remained the same, there was no trace of that harshness. “Are you hurt?”
You swallowed. “No.” Your voice came out barely above a whisper.
Robin studied you carefully. “Are you certain?”
Robin’s gaze drifted to your hands, and he noticed how they were trembling. It was infuriating. You, being alone in a back alley in the middle of the night, terrified like that... Damian tried to compose himself, but you were the one standing right there, how could he not be furious? What if he hadn't made it in time? What if he had arrived too late? He didn't even want to think about those possibilities.
“You shouldn't be walking alone this late.”
You lowered your gaze. “My phone died.”
You pulled it from your pocket and held it up as evidence. Robin stared at the black screen. "And you decided the logical response was to walk through Gotham alone."
You frowned slightly. "When you say it like that, it sounds like a bad idea."
You looked at him. "You're not very reassuring."
"I'm not attempting to reassure you." Well, Robin really had a sharp tongue. The absurdity of the situation almost made you laugh.
And of course, Damian noticed the small smile forming on her lips. It was one of his favorite things, how could he not notice? His expression shifted for half a second.
Then he asked, “Where do you live?” It was hilarious of him to ask that, as if he didn't know. He had spent countless nights at your place during midterm weeks.
You hesitated, and he noticed that too. “I am not going to hurt you.”
“I know.” The answer came immediately.
You looked up at him. “You're Robin.” You said as you were pointing out something very obvious.
Something strangely warm moved through Damian's chest. You trusted him. Even without knowing who he was. Even without knowing the person underneath the mask.
“I wasn't asking.” There was the familiar Robin arrogance in his voice.
“Okay.” You smiled at him while saying thank you.
Damian looked away before you could notice how much that smile affected him.
He didn't understand why it did. It was simply a smile. People smiled at him all the time. Usually because they were nervous. Sometimes because they wanted something or because they were afraid. Yours had been different. It had been genuine. Damian felt that your smiles were meant for him.
You gave him the address he already knew by heart. Even though you tried not to let it show, it was as if a weight had been lifted off your shoulders. The fact that you wouldn't be walking home alone brought you great relief.
The way home was quite quiet. He walked beside you. It was far enough not to cross the line, yet close enough to feel you. You thought life was pretty strange. You were heading home with Robin in the middle of the night, after he had saved you.
You glanced at him occasionally. His muscular arms, revealed whenever his cape shifted, looked truly impressive. Not to mention his confident stride and his shoulders. “You really do this every night?”
You looked surprised. "You admit it?" You hadn't thought he would accept it so easily.
"I am not incapable of experiencing fatigue." You laughed softly.
Damian stared at you. "What?"
"Because you sound like a ninety year old man."
His eyebrows drew together. "I do not."
"I assure you, I do not."
You smiled again. "Okay, Robin."
He looked forward again. A faint warmth had begun spreading through his chest. He didn't understand that either.
After another few steps, you asked, "Doesn't it scare you?"
"This." You gestured vaguely at the city. "The fighting. The criminals. Going out every night knowing someone might be waiting for you."
Damian was quiet. It took only a few seconds to think about it, then he answered honestly. "No."
You looked at him. "Never?"
You frowned. "That wasn't my question."
You smiled faintly. "I think I'd be terrified."
"You have no combat experience."
"You would not last five seconds against someone properly trained."
You shot him a look as if you were offended, but both of you knew it was feigned. Damian knew because he had learned long ago how much you enjoyed pretending to be offended by the things he said.
"Was that supposed to make me feel better?"
"You're terrible at comforting people."
"I have never claimed otherwise."
You laughed again. This time Damian allowed the corner of his mouth to lift almost imperceptibly. Neither of you noticed. You continued walking in silence for a few more minutes. Walking alongside him in the flickering moonlight felt pleasantly strange. It felt safe and comfortable.
For Damian, this silence was everything. He had spent years surrounded by violence, expectations, bloodlines, missions, and people demanding that he become something. But walking beside you beneath the Gotham streetlights felt simple. He didn't need to be anyone. He only needed to make sure you got home safely.
When you reached your building, you both stopped. “This is me.”
Robin nodded. “Go inside.”
You hesitated, but before opening the building's door, you turned around one last time. “Robin?”
Damian looked away. "You don't have to thank me."
"You were in danger. I intervened."
"That's exactly why I'm thanking you." He didn't have an answer for that, so he said nothing. But you were looking at him as though the answer were obvious.
"Goodnight, Robin." And before Damian could respond, you disappeared through the doors. He remained standing on the pavement. For several seconds, he didn't move, then he slowly looked up toward the Gotham skyline. The clouds had begun to thin, allowing a few stars to appear above the city. His expression remained unreadable, but then very faintly a reluctant smile touched his mouth.
The following morning, you walked into the university lecture hall with a coffee in one hand and your books in the other. You were exhausted. Not ordinary, I stayed up too late studying exhausted. It felt as if you had shouldered the entire world during the night. You had barely slept.
Every time you closed your eyes, you remembered the alley, and then Robin. The blur of black armor dropping from the darkness. The calmness in his voice. The impossible speed of his movements. The way he'd looked at your trembling hands. Are you hurt?
You had replayed that moment so many times that you had eventually stopped trying to sleep. You took another sip of coffee. It was already lukewarm.
You grimaced. "Of course." Apparently, even your coffee had decided to betray you.
The lecture hall was already filling. Students were scattered across the rows, some talking quietly, others scrolling through their phones while they waited for the professor. Pale morning sunlight spilled through the tall windows, painting long golden rectangles across the wooden floor.
You looked toward your usual seat. Damian Wayne was already there. Of course he was. He seemed incapable of being late to anything. He sat with his arms crossed over his chest, his dark hair perfectly in place, his expression suggesting that the entire lecture hall had personally offended him by continuing to exist.
Beside him sat Jon Kent. Jon was the complete opposite. Where Damian looked as though he had been personally summoned to judge humanity, Jon was smiling at something on his phone.
The moment he noticed you, his face brightened. "Morning!"
You managed a tired smile. "Morning."
You slipped into the empty seat beside them and let your books fall onto the desk with a heavy thud. Then you sat down, and immediately slumped forward.
Jon stared at you. "Wow."
You lifted your head slightly. "What?"
"You look..." He paused. "Dead."
You gave him a flat look. "Thank you, Jon."
Damian's eyes had already moved toward you. He said nothing, but he noticed. The faint shadows beneath your eyes. The slight messiness of your pretty hair. The way your fingers curled around the coffee cup as though it were the only thing keeping you conscious. And, more importantly, the exhaustion you were trying very hard to hide.
You turned your head toward him. "How did you know?"
"That's incredibly insightful."
"I have many talents." Jon snorted, and Damian ignored him.
You took another sip of coffee and immediately regretted it. "How do you even look this awake at eight in the morning?"
Damian raised an eyebrow. "I went to sleep."
You narrowed your eyes. "You're unbearable before coffee."
"I am unbearable regardless of coffee."
Jon glanced between you. “Did something happen?”
You spoke in a lowered voice, as if sharing a great secret. “Something happened last night.”
Damian's posture changed instantly. His arms unfolded. “What?”
You leaned closer to the two of them. "I was walking home."
Damian's jaw tightened. "Alone?"
Jon immediately looked concerned. "Y/N..."
You continued. "My phone died, and I missed the last train."
Damian stared at you. "You walked home?"
"I didn't have much choice."
"You had several choices."
"Finding a public place."
"It was almost one in the morning."
"Then you should have stayed where you were."
You blinked. "Damian, are you lecturing me?"
Jon looked at him. "You are absolutely lecturing her." Damian ignored him.
You sighed. "Anyway..." You lowered your voice further. "Three men tried to rob me."
Jon's expression immediately changed. "What?"
You nodded. "They cornered me in an alley."
His smile disappeared completely. "Are you okay?"
Damian's voice was quieter. "Did they touch you?"
"No," You said gently. "They didn't."
Damian's hand curled into a fist beneath the desk. Even though he knew perfectly well that you were fine, he couldn't help but check again. He had to force himself not to ask too many questions. Three men. He remembered every face. Every movement and every word.
Jon was still looking at you. "How did you get away?"
Jon's eyebrows shot upward. "Robin?"
"Yeah." Damian stared straight ahead. His face became perfectly expressionless. Jon slowly turned toward him. There was a spark of unmistakable amusement in his blue eyes. Damian caught it, and he turned his head slightly. The warning in his eyes was unmistakable. Don't. Jon's lips pressed together. God, he knew that what you went through last night was terrible, but the situation was so absurd that it was very hard not to laugh.
He looked away for approximately three seconds. Then his curiosity won. "What was he like?"
You thought about it. "He was..." Your smile softened. "Kind."
Damian's eyes flickered toward you. You continued. "Very serious. He walked me home."
Jon couldn't help but laugh. "Who could have known Robin was a gentlemen?" Damian looked as if he were literally going to kill him with his glare.
"I think Jon is right. The media portrays him incorrectly. He was really nice."
Damian's eyes immediately moved toward you. "Nice?"
"He is a masked vigilante."
"That doesn't mean he can't be nice."
"That doesn't mean you know who he is."
You tilted your head. "You sound strangely invested in this."
After Damian's absurd words, you looked at him for a few seconds. Then a mischievous smile slowly appeared on your face. "Damian, are you jealous?"
Damian nearly choked. Jon immediately covered his mouth. You still stared at Damian. For perhaps the first time in your life, you saw the great Damian Wayne genuinely lose his composure. His eyes widened, and his lips parted.
He looked almost offended by the very concept. "I-" He stopped. It was as if he had suddenly forgotten how to speak.
You touched Damian's hand, laughing. "I'm joking."
Damian looked back at you. "Obviously." But there was a faint flush at the tips of his ears. You noticed that.
Jon nodded. "That's true."
You leaned back in your chair. "Besides, Robin was just helping me."
"Exactly." Damian answered too quickly.
You raised an eyebrow. "Exactly?"
He paused for a second. "Yes."
"Then why were you so defensive?"
"I was merely pointing out the dangers of trusting strangers."
You smiled. "You're strange, Damian Wayne."
He looked at you. "And yet you continue to sit beside me."
"Because Jon saves me a seat."
Jon raised a hand. "Finally. Recognition." Damian rolled his eyes.
You laughed softly. The sound caught him off guard. He looked at you for a moment longer than he should have. There was something almost unbearably gentle about you. Even exhausted, even after what had happened, you were still smiling. Still laughing, still trying to make everyone else comfortable. And Damian wondered how someone could remain so kind after the world had given them every reason not to be. His gaze dropped to the desk.
The realization wasn't new. It had been growing quietly for longer than he cared to admit. But sitting there beside you, listening to you talk about Robin without knowing that Robin was sitting less than two feet away from you...
You thought Damian Wayne was merely your arrogant, difficult, strangely protective classmate. You didn't know that every night, beneath Gotham's rooftops, Robin watched over your neighborhood. You didn't know that the boy who had walked you home through the darkness was the same boy sitting beside you now.
You didn't know that Damian had memorized your address long before last night. You didn't know that, when he patrolled Gotham, he noticed whether the lights in your apartment building were on. You didn't know that he had quietly added your street to the list of places he checked more frequently.
And Damian intended to keep it that way. For now, you didn't know. For now, you didn't have to. He could keep the secret. He could remain Robin beneath Gotham's moonlit skies and Damian Wayne beneath the fluorescent lights of the university.
Two identities, two lives. And one girl who had somehow become the most important person in both.
ɞ English is not my first language! So please do not hesitate to politely point out if I make a mistake. Thank you for reading! 🤍
ɞ Anon, after reading this, send me a dm so I can find out what you thought of it!