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KATIE'S POV
I move around my bed to the window once again. The third night in a row.
I don't know why, but ever since I saw Nightwing and Red Robin in that little convenient store, I've been hoping to see them. Just a glimpse, a shadow or even them swinging around Gotham.
But nothing. Nothing is all I've gotten.
It's dark out now, but thankfully not raining. It's more often than not, having rain here. I once told Hazel that people in Gotham take their coffee a certain way. That they like their coffee to resemble where they live... and Gotham is pitch black and bitter most days.
Don't get me wrong, I love Gotham. I think there is a certain beauty to it. The alleys, the streets, the buildings that tower over the city and light them up at night. It all has a weird charm to it from how I view it.
Maybe it's because I get lost in the reflections in the windows of the street shops or the lights that brighten up the dark alleys at night. Or maybe it's because I've lived here long enough to know that Gotham, at its core, isn't what everyone thinks it is.
Gotham is known for producing villains, and bad ones at that, but it also produced Batman and his prodigies. People who became so tough they could take on nightmares that have come to life so everyone else in Gotham wouldn't have to.
Maybe that's why it interests me so much. The vigilantes that swing from roof to roof every night. Because I wonder how they do it. How do you become so tough that you can endure and face all that Gotham produces?
I shake head to clear my thoughts. Maybe I'm just overthinking it all.
I grab my pencil and sketch pad. I'm thinking too much. I just want to relax and something that always relaxes me is sketching.
Without making a sound, I slip my window open and crawl out onto the stair way. The old metal creaks a bit, but it holds like it always does as I shut my window. I tuck my sketch pad and put my pencil behind my ear as I start climbing the stairs to the roof.
My hair whips from the wind as I climb the last bit of stairs and untuck my sketch book from under my arm.
I sit by the ledge, using it as a sort of desk as I open the book.
I have one for school and one I use for myself.
I flip through the pages, smiling a bit. I pass by pictures of flowers, the skyline, Hazel, my grandparents, a field of nothing but trees and hills. Countless doodles and drawings. I even have some of people I've seen in the coffee shop.
Opening to a new page, I grab my pencil and look up at the night sky.
I focus in on details. People walking under me, the way the moon light shines down on them.
My eyes turn to the sky, the clouds rolling in while something shines on them. The Bat symbol that shines almost every night.
My lips turn up in a smile; it's perfect. The shading will be a little hard, but it will be worth it.
I stretch out my legs in front of me and turn my torso to draw, looking up at the sky every so often to make sure I'm on the right track.
Circle a few times, curves, and lines; it all flows before I even have to think. I run my thumb over the lines, blurring them a bit to add in the shading before I go back and add more details.
I do it a few more times before I decide I'm happy with the drawing.
Turning my nose up to the air, I close my eyes, my curls tickling my face as a breeze picks up. My chest rises and falls as I take a few deep breathes, enjoying the calm of the night.
I open my eyes a few moments later, feeling relaxed as my eyes meet the sky.
A few stars twinkle against the black. I wish Gotham wasn't always lit up so I could see more stars than I did right now.
I sigh and look back down at my work before I hold up up to the sky, next to the real thing to make sure it's accurate.
"What are you drawing?" I voice says behind me.
I jump, dropping my sketch book over the ledge. I lean over before even thinking to look back at who it is, watching as my book falls.
A blur of red and black runs past me and jumps after my book, his cape flapping in the window. He somehow manages to grab it before turning buck to me and shooting a grappling hook.
It buries itself in the brick beside me and pulls him up, him flipping o we the ledge and next to me.
"You dropped this," He says handing me my book back.
I take it, looking down at it before looking back to him.
Red Robin is standing in front of me, a cocky smile on his face, his cowled eyes watching me.
I hit him with my sketch book.
He frowns and ducks when I try to hit him again, rubbing his head. "Ow!" I try to hit him again, causing him grab the book.
I hold onto it even now as he glares at me and holds it away from his head.
"Hey!" He scolds, "A thank you would be nice!"
"You made me drop it in the first place!" I defend, snatching it away. He lets it go and I clutch it to my chest.
He straightens up, crossing his arms over his chest. "Sorry, it's a little unusual for a girl to be on a roof this late. Just wanted to make sure you were okay." He sounds annoyed.
"I'm fine," I say, before I frown, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have umm... hit you with my book." I rub the back of my neck, suddenly self conscious. "You just caught me off guard."
"Sorry I scared you," He grins again, and something in how he says it makes me want to deny it. That and the fact my face is turning red.
"You didn't," I say and sit down in my spot again.
He raises and eyebrow at this but sits down next to me. I look at him in confusion, causing him to say, "Sorry, can I sit here?"
I draw my knees close to my body as I shrug, "You already did."
He stretches his legs out next to me, my eyes following the movement before I turn back to him.
"So, what were you drawing that had you so focused you didn't notice me?" He asks again.
I frown at the question because it's going to lead to him wanting to see.
"I wasn't drawing," I lie lamely.
"Yeah, you were."
"No I wasn't."I defend, my voice getting more sure than before.
"I saw you." He deadpans.
"That sounds stalker-ish." I point out, looking at him with a raised eyebrow. "I didn't know you stalked people."
His eyes narrow behind his mask, "I-I don't stalk people."
"You just stalk me?" I question, my head cocking to the side.
His face is priceless, even with the cowl. Maybe the cowl makes it funnier.
I laugh and bump my shoulder to his, "I'm just kidding."
He smiles at this, his face relaxing a bit. "So you aren't going to tell me what you are drawing?"
My smile falters a little and I study his face for a moment. I don't know him. He can't tell anyone. I may not even see him again after this.
Despite a part of me still not wanting to, I sigh and flip open the book, letting it rest in my lap when I find the page.
He leans closer studying the paper.
I watch him before I turn to the book myself and realize why I've been so scared to show everyone else my art.
I say it's my thing, but that's only half the truth. I don't want the judgement that comes with it. The judgement that comes with sharing something you are passionate about because just because you are passionate about it doesn't necessarily mean people will think you are good at it.
I look at the picture and see the imperfections. Things I could work on, and suddenly feel even more self conscious than I did before under his gaze.
"This is... this is amazing," He says, causing my eyes to snap to his.
"Really?" I ask, and it's his turn to be surprised.
"Yeah, really. You don't think so?" He questions, looking confused.
I blink at him a few times before I give him my book, and nod to it, silently telling him to look through it.
He does, his mask fingers lightly tracing over some of my work.
"You are really talented," He says at last, and I smile a bit, "Do... do you not show many people this?" He questions, looking back to me for answers.
I bite my lip to hide my smile, shaking my head. "You are the first other than my best friend."
His eyes widen, "Why?"
I shrug, looking down at my converse, "I don't know. I guess I just... I just like it being something I do that no one knows about. No one has any expectations so I can't fail at it. It's just mine and if I'm good, great and if I'm not..."
"But you are," He cuts in when I don't say anything else.
I look back up to him, smiling slightly. "So, was tonight just slow, or were you dying to see me?"
He takes in my words, seeming to weigh what he should respond with before he says, "A bit of both. I did promise to have a conversation with you the other night."
I fight back a smile as I lean my head against the ledge, "I meant with Nightwing," I joke, causing him to scowl. "Kidding, Red bird."
"It's Red Robin," He corrects me.
"I like mine better. I'm good with nicknames, don't worry, I will come up with more." I assure him.
"So this is going to be a reacquiring thing?" He asks, his mouth curving into a smirk, "So it was you dying to see me, then."
I feel my face heat up at the accusation, "Whatever you want to believe, but you were the one stalking me."
"You were on a roof in the middle of the night, staring up at the sky. It was a warranted concern so I checked on you." He points out, and when she says it like that, maybe I shouldn't judge much.
"Yeah, but you also sat down next to me to talk to me," I quip back.
"It was a slow night," He defends, though there is a smile on his face.
"So I guess you can come here on slow nights, but I can't promise I will be out here. I'm not the type to just wait around, you know?" I say, as I push myself to my feet.
He watches me before doing the same, him standing a good few inches taller than me.
I study his suit for a moment, trying to remember a few details for my sketch for my class, before I notice how built he is. I guess fighting bad guys every night will do that to someone.
I brush some of my hair out of my face and look to his eyes, him watching me already.
"Maybe you can show me more drawings next time," He says, almost hesitantly, like he doesn't know if he has over stepped.
I smile to let him know he didn't before I say, "Maybe. Only if you bring the coffee." I pause before I add, "I mean good coffee, not the poison you were trying to drink the other night."
He doesn't say anything else, but the corner of his mouth quirks up at my comment. Without another word, he runs and dives down over the roof before using his grappling hook to swing to another, then another, before he is out of sight.
I wait for a few more moments before I look down at my sketch book, and can't help but smile as I remember his comments about it.
I look back up one last time before heading inside to go to bed.
Sebastian would pee his pants if I ever told him about this.
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A/N:
soooo red robin does make an appearance. i think it's interesting how tim is almost a completely different person as red robin like he gained confidence and is cocky like it's literally canon and it's insane
extra update bc i love y'all and want to share more bc i go back to school
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do you think katie will tell tim?
how do you hope she figures it out?
favorite part of this chapter?
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thanks for reading, don't forget to vote & comment !!
xoxo, author