The light was blinding when she opened her eyes, head throbbing as if it had been hit several times. Instinctively, her hands reached up to her face in order to check if the mask was still in place or not.
Coming in contact with the familiar material over her eyes, her tenseness relieved a bit. She was still wearing her mask though its vision settings had been disrupted, disabling her from seeing anything.
She readjusted the settings by pressing the small knob located near her temple gently and soon enough a giant room swam into focus.
Her body was aching but she couldn't fully relax until she had found out where she was. Because in her position, being unaware could prove to be a fatal mistake.
She had switched into an alert mode, as she didn't recall how she could have possibly gotten there. She wasn't bound in chains though which was a temporary relief.
But she wasn't certain whether she was fully safe or not.
"Hey," a familiar voice reached her and her head turned quickly in the direction where it had come from, despite the fact that it was causing extreme pain to her already.
"Relax, it's just me. Tim."
True enough, sitting on a chair beside her bed was Timothy Drake, the last person she could expect to see after waking up from a concussion.
"Where am I?"
"At my home," he replied, "don't worry, you're safe here."
She felt slightly at ease but before she could lay her head back down and rest, an unsettling thought gripped her; what if Tim had discovered her secret?
And in a move faster than lightning, she had pounced on him, catching him completely off guard. A knife that had slid up from her wrist was held threateningly close to his throat.
Tim was rather alarmed as he leaned back, holding his hands away from her, "what the hell?"
"I don't know where you found me or why you've brought me here, but I swear to these pretty blue eyes of yours that if you've dared to peel off my mask and figured out who I am, I will not hesitate for a second before slitting your throat," her voice was hushed yet threatening.
Tim gulped because never before had she seemed so frightening, "woah, hold up. I don't know what you think of me but I'm a pretty decent guy. I respect your secrecy, Ren."
"So you don't know who I am?"
"Absolutely not. I don't know who you are because I did not try to find out."
He had leaned so far back in the seat that it was balanced on a precarious angle and could topple off any moment.
Hearing that from him, she slid the knife back, retreating so that the chair wouldn't fall, "good for you or else I would've had to kill you and that would be a shame."
Tim was awed by her swiftness even though she had been rather injured already. But it seemed as if due to her current condition, the swift attack had caused her pain as she dropped her head on Tim's shoulder, clearly exhausted.
Her breathing was erratic as if trying to suppress the pain churning inside her yet she held onto him. He was feeling slightly awkward and the blush was rising up to his cheeks. So in order to hide his nervousness, he asked, "how many of these knives do you have hidden in your suit?"
"Fifteen," she breathed.
"No shit," he mumbled because the knives were hidden extremely well that it was quite difficult to tell there was something else underneath the leather suit.
"And I'm equally capable of using all of them at once so you better watch yourself," at last she drew back from him. She let her eyes fall shut for a brief moment, the intense pain that had shot through her abdomen subsided a bit.
Flashes of last night's events swam in front of her closed lids as she re-envisioned the fight between her and Two Face's whole gang.
Though the most confusing part of the whole battle was that just before she had hit unconsciousness, she had seen Red Robin carrying her.
She couldn't recall if he really was there or she had just imagined him but the red on his suit was so vivid that she could almost see it dancing in front of her eyes even then.
She was shaken out of her thoughts by Tim's voice, "do you need anything? A painkiller for instance?"
She turned to look at him, "I'm fine."
"Coffee? Breakfast? Please don't be formal, I know you haven't eaten anything since last night."
"Where did you find me?" Ignoring his offer, she asked at last.
Tim grew silent for a bit for he hadn't really thought of any convincing excuse.
"Well, I... I was passing by the Bowery and I hadn't known that a gang fight had been going on in there. I hid in an alley and waited because it would be foolish to step in right then."
"Did you see me fighting with them?"
"Yes."
"Then you should have turned on your heels and left immediately."
"Look here, Ren, I consider you as a friend now," he spoke, "I couldn't do anything to help you but I couldn't leave you alone either."
She shook her head, "and what if you had gotten caught too?"
"What matters is that I didn't."
Her face broke into a smile, "of course you didn't, how could I forget... You're quite a stealthy little shit, aren't you?"
"I'm most humbled Ma'am," his eyes sparked in mischief.
"Red Robin was there too," she spoke up, "did you see him?"
Tim hadn't known that she recalled that much so he had to spin the story a little, "yes. He distracted the rest of the people so I grabbed the opportunity and sneaked you out."
She hadn't expected that from him as her smile widened, "you're much braver than I gave you credit for."
"Appreciate the compliment," he replied. Though he was slightly relieved that she hadn't suspected the story.
"But what still bugs me is that why did you save me? You're the damsel in distress, you're the one who's supposed to need rescuing. And I'm I'm supposed to rescue you from all the troubles you fall into. Reversing the role doesn't suit either of us."
"Just because I might look like a spaghetti noodle doesn't mean that I'm not capable of handling a rescue mission, if the need arises."
She laughed at his remark but ended up coughing. Tim got concerned as he stood up immediately, filling a glass of water and handed it to her.
"Now that I think about it, I'm actually grateful that you rescued me instead of Red Robin. Because if it was the other way round, he wouldn't have respected my secrecy. I was this close of getting exposed but thanks to you, I won't have to worry about that. For now at least."
He shrugged, "maybe he would have respected your secrecy too."
"Nope. He would have seized the first opportunity he got to take me to Batman and tell him who I am. Then they would both force me to stay at home, blackmailing to expose my identity to the public if I didn't. That's what he would have done."
"Maybe not, he could be a decent guy too for all you know," he made a feeble attempt at defending his own alter ego.
She frowned, quite adamant on her own deduction, "for all I know, he's an asshole."
Despite himself, Tim couldn't help but laugh at her statement, regardless of the fact that she had indirectly been referring to him actually.
When the laughter died down, she asked, "Tim, tell me the real reason this time. Why did you risk your life to save me?"
His reply was immediate, "because I wanted to thank you for all the times you've saved me. And also because... You've become important to me."
She wasn't expecting such a reply, "how so?"
"I... I think the damsel might have a slight crush on his guardian angel?"
She laughed, "and you're stating that as a question? What is wrong with you?"
"Everything apparently."
"A slight crush?"
"Maybe my choice of words is not adequate enough. I... Um... I..."
He was so flustered that his cheeks were gradually turning crimson and his eyes indicated that he was struggling to say what really was on his mind. She was observing him closely, a meaningful smile on her face as she nodded her head for him to resume.
"Ren, I... God, this is hard to put in words."
As if rather amused, she leaned in towards him, chin resting on her palm and her eyes sparked with an expression clearly indicating that she was enjoying his reaction, "don't worry, I'll put you out of your misery this time. Do you like me?"
The crimson shade on his face darkened and that was all the confirmation she needed as a smile danced on her lips.
He didn't answer but it seemed as if she had deduced the answer already. "Let me rephrase what you had said earlier. I think the damsel might be in love with his guardian angel."
He looked so adorable to her at that moment, with his fluttery blue eyes, racing heartbeat, the slight way he bit his lip to hide the embarrassment and the usually pale skin tainted red.
Since he hadn't contradicted her, she gently placed her hands on his shoulders pulling him close as she captured his lips with hers in a sweet lingering kiss.
Tim was quite in shock for the first few seconds but it didn't take him long to respond back, hands cupping her face as she deepened the kiss. She forgot that she had been in pain moments earlier and all she could feel was the fluttery feeling of butterflies in her stomach.
They pulled apart as they were rather out of breath. Tim's breathing was erratic as well, his heart racing so fast that he feared it would burst out of his chest.
Never before had he felt that way about anyone. And the more he thought about it, the more he realized that she had been right and there was no denying it.
The damsel had indeed fallen in love with his guardian angel.
***