Robin's Shadow (Batman OC)

Chapter 23: Final Exam

School started and I was now in my junior year. I didn't realize it beforehand, but Tim also started as a Freshman this year at Gotham Academy too. He's been living at the manor all summer, his parents apparently gone overseas on business. I didn't pry too much, he doesn't like to talk around me. I know I made him dislike me, and he sees me as his personal bully by now, but it's better than having him be unprepared. 

I stuck to myself at school, just like I did last year. The students all ignored me, which was a preference over being picked on for being a street rat, or for being talked about because my twin died. I was also feared now, since I obviously buffed up and got taller in the last few months, and I have an imposing aura around me and a near constant cold glare on my impassive face. 

I cut my hair shorter again before the school year, into a softer pixie style that fit my face nicely, and kept the hair out of my way. I had been debating on cutting it for a while, and I wanted the ease and familiarity of the shorter hair again.

I kept up my pop quizzes with Tim for the next few months, watching his improvement each time. He learned to counter my spin I would do after a throw, and then he learned that I already had the next several steps planned out. I made my attack moves the same every single time, so he could learn from them. I changed them after a month, and then again after all the next month's. During those month long internals, I would always attack him with the same set of strikes. 

Tim was smart, he was figuring out why I was attacking him, and he stopped asking me after each of his failures. It still pissed him off to be called Replacement, but he stopped attacking, knowing he would lose. That was good, and exactly what I wanted from him. I wanted him to get mad, to grow a backbone, But I also wanted him to overcome his anger and realize when he was outmatched.

"He's ready." Bruce says to me one day in February. He and I are having dinner together, just the two of us. We had just been at a gala, which he hadn't forced me to go to in over a year, but he was getting questioned on why I hadn't shown up to anything. I reluctantly agreed, but accepted the olive branch to join him when he extended it. It was awful for both of us, and we left soon after our traditional dance together, which was more forced than it used to be in the past. The gossip about me was killing us both, and we had to get out.

"I'll be the judge of that. All I ask is that you don't interfere with my final test unless he asks you to." I tell him casually as I eat the ridiculously expensive steak dinner. We're in some ritzy place where the prices aren't even on the menu. Bruce took me here as an apology for taking me to the gala.

"Hmmm." Bruce hums out, and I shoot him a glare. He smirked at me, and I'm so reminded of Sasuke from my last life right now I almost grab the knife on the table to throw at him. Bruce must notice my hand twitching towards the knife as well. "Why do I have a feeling if we were in private that knife would be in my shoulder right now?" He asks me with an eyebrow cocked in amusement.

"Because you're a smart man." I smirk at him as he chuckles, and I join in. We've been taking small steps in having some type of relationship again, so little moments like this have been happening again for us.

The next day, I get changed into some simple workout gear, which for me usually means a sports bra and some shorts. I haven't trained in front of Tim yet on purpose. He hasn't seen my physique, he hasn't seen my strength and skills, and he also hasn't seen my scars.