Coup De Grace | D. Wayne

[17] Close Call

The sound of glass smashing announced the arrival of the Bat vigilantes and the intruders who had tried to attack Ember scrambled in alarm.

There were a few of them positioned outside the building who were taken down immediately by Red Robin and Batgirl. Robin and Nightwing had infiltrated the building, looking for Ember.

First Robin tackled the man who was rushing to the escape. It didn't take him long to tie him up and send a signal to Nightwing to pick him up and send him to the GCPD headquarters. Then he started to look for Ember Sullivan.

He had felt a strange feeling when he had heard Ember's voice through the comm sound so frantic and worried. For some reason, she had started to mean something to him that he couldn't himself understand. She had become someone important enough for him to immediately act when her life was put at stake.

He didn't know why but for the briefest of seconds, he had been anxious that he wasn't going to make it to her on time.

And as he searched for her, his heartbeat quickened, not wanting to find her hurt or injured.

Damian had never felt that way before about anyone. And it stumped him why he would feel that way for someone he didn't even know fully and only seemed to interact with in unconventional situations such as the current one.

There was just something about the redhead that drew him close. Perhaps it was the constant danger that surrounded her, entangling her life in the dark webs of the crime world due to her pursuit of truth. Or perhaps it was exactly what Tim had pointed out earlier; that he found her somewhat similar to himself and wanted to help her get out of the compromising situation she was in due to both of Gotham's influential crime families targeting her.

"Miss Sullivan," he called as he searched for her, the unfamiliar layout of the building clearing up as Oracle provided him with a blueprint marking all the possible spaces she could be taking refuge in.

Barbara was always up to the mark, keeping everything ready for the vigilantes right when they needed help.

He stopped in front of the staff toilets, the only place where he hadn't checked before. The door was bolted and he worked on opening it. It didn't take him long to remove the lock and as the door creaked open, he heard a soft alarmed gasp and the sound of shoes hitting the tiles as someone quickly scrambled in.

"Miss Sullivan?" He called out again, making his presence known, "You don't have to worry. You are safe now."

Recognizing his voice, Ember came out of hiding and he saw that her face was white as a sheet, probably out of the fear of getting caught by the intruders. 

Seeing him there instead of anyone else, a very evident wave of relief washed over her and perhaps overcome by the realization that she was not in danger anymore, she stepped closer and hugged him.

Damian, or rather Robin, froze at the unexpected gesture. He wasn't accustomed to getting hugged by anyone other than Richard who never took his threats seriously and always hugged him much more than the others dared to. 

But right then, the person in front of him was someone he hadn't expected such a gesture from, and as a reason, his arms felt stiff at the sides. It truly was awkward standing there as still as a statue.

Being trained to read people's body language, he could assess that Ember was frightened and that very spontaneous reaction was probably a result of the fight or flight mode her mind had been in earlier. 

So he brought his hands up to gently rest on her elbows, pulling apart but not pushing her away.

"I... I'm sorry," her cheeks turned red upon realizing what she had done instinctively.

Robin had always been very reserved with her so she could assume he would have been caught off guard at the sudden response. The fact that she reacted without thinking also made her awkward standing close to him.

"It's alright... Are you okay, Miss Sullivan?"

"Yes though by now I think I should get used to this," she sighed, stepping back as she held her arms close to her body, in a self-assuring stance.

"You should always be careful," he told her as he led the way out, "staying out late at night isn't very recommended in a city like Gotham."

"I know... I had work."

"Be careful next time, don't stay for overtime. Take your assignments home if they are that urgent," he warned her but his thoughts had gone into a fragmented mess ever since she had hugged him.

It felt different like any of the times he had been hugged before. Richard always tackled him into a giant bear hug despite being shorter than him and leaner in stature. Tim avoided hugging him altogether and Jason opted for squeezing people to death rather than giving them a normal hug.

He was somewhat familiar with those hugs. But what he had experienced just then was a hug out of pure relief, gratitude, and with a certain delicacy to it. He shook himself out of the thoughts that were spiraling down paths that he had never ventured on earlier, much to his alarm.

They had finally stepped out of the building where the other vigilantes and a paramedic van were waiting. Ember wasn't hurt much so it didn't take them long to patch her up. The police had also shown up by then and Officer Grayson was with them as he was handling her case.

To make his presence possible with his squad, Nightwing had left the crime scene earlier and changed out of the suit after alerting the GCPD himself to reach Gotham Daily's office.

"Miss Sullivan I know it is an inconvenient time but we have to record your statement," Officer Grayson approached her and Robin eventually slipped away. "The sooner we get done with it, the easier it will be for us to get to the bottom of this case."

Ember was a bit shaken but nodded, "Okay... What do I have to do?"

"If you would please accompany us to the station, please? I would advise filing a report as well since this is a case of civilian assault," his voice was gentle as he told her, leading her to his car, "and then we might perhaps have to make some accommodation changes for you too."

Her eyes were searching for Robin flickered back to the Officer who had taken the driving seat. "Accommodation changes? But why? I live at a girl's hostel nearby and so far it has been safe for me."

"I don't want to rush you into anything," he replied, blue eyes gazing at her through the rearview mirror, "but perhaps we should discuss it in detail once we reach the station. I'm sorry for springing it up on you so abruptly. Please don't think much about it right now."

Ember found it weird that he would even suggest accommodation changes in the first place. But then perhaps he was right and saying that only to ensure her safety. If those people could try and get her from her workplace, they weren't going to stop her from getting her from the hostel.

She had just had a very close call and wanted to rest but her mind wouldn't be at peace knowing that they could still get to her. She hoped Officer Grayson had a better option in mind. 

But when she would later find out that option, it would be something she didn't expect.

***