Shadow Creatures || TIM DRAKE

⥈ chapter twelve: ONE-ON-ONE ⥈

"The people you'll be up against won't be like that."

"How do you know that?"

"Most villains in Gotham don't do well in hand to hand combat. Those that do, you will be able to outsmart easily."

"That's a lot of pressure for a girl that dropped out of middle school and never went to high school." Dabria said with a shake of her head, dark hair flying.

"You're smart in different ways Dabria and that's also something I've been meaning to talk to you about. I want you to get your GE." Dabria laughed.

"Bruce, as far as Gotham knows or cares, I'm dead." Dabria said, throwing her arms out a little. "And I want to keep it that way. What do I need a GE for anyways?"

"I don't want you running around and stealing food and clothes for the rest of your life. You can do so much more. You're capable of..." Tim could feel the air around Dabria get warmer. He stepped back a couple feet.

"Okay, enough." Dabria said, throwing up her hand. A blast of hot air came out of her palm. Tim could feel the heat coming off of her even though he was standing behind her. "I don't need a pep talk for every aspect of my life." Dabria's hands caught fire and she shook them out before running her hands through her sweaty hair. "I said I would train with you guys, become a caped crusader, but as for a secret identity, a normal life... That's not something that's in the books for me. I'm better off just living and dying as a hero. I'm not good for anything else."

"Dabria..." Tim said. She glared at him, fire in her eyes. Tim swallowed down the sentence.

"You guys can have your alter egos. I don't need that now that Adelaide is gone. I don't have to pretend to be normal anymore and I don't want to."

"You are normal Dabria." Bruce said.

"I'm sorry, how many other kids do you know that can create portals? Disappear on a whim? Catch fire?" Dabria demanded, her clothes beginning to singe a little.

"Several." Bruce said. Dabria rolled her eyes. "People with powers, mutations, beings from other planets, that's part of our everyday lives." Bruce said. "You are as normal as any of us."

"Well I've never felt normal. Nothing about my life has been normal." Dabria said with a frown.

"You cant blame yourself for what happened to your parents." Tim wished Bruce would shut up.

"Oh now we're in therapy are we!" Dabria shouted, throwing her hands up, the rubber soles of her shoes began to leave burned imprints on the concrete. "I can do whatever I want Bruce. It's like you keep saying. I'm eighteen. I'm not a prisoner. I can leave whenever I want." Dabria turned on her heel and began to head for the elevator.

"Ria." Tim said, as she walked past her. He almost reached out to touch her arm but she pulled back out of his reach.

"I'll burn you Drake. Leave me alone." She muttered. With that, she stepped into the elevator and was whisked away.

⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰

Dabria had only been in Tim's room once, when she was snooping around, now she was standing outside his door, fist raised to knock. It was the middle of the night, he should be awake. Grinding her teeth, Dabria knocked on his door. "Tim, you in there?" There was a shuffle of movement and then the door opened. Tim was wearing a white shirt and flannel fleece pants. Dabria's pajamas were similar (or at least Barbra's pajamas were similar). Plain shirt and fleece bottoms. 

"Dabria? What's up?" Dabria wasted no time.

"Fight me. One-on-one." Tim arched an eyebrow at her. "If I fall down, I'll get back up and we don't stop until I pin you or I die. Okay?"