Gotham is not a safe space for kids.

Dick's familiar with that. He's seen countless of kids roaming the streets, helped a couple dozen more. But they never stop appearing. There's always a child out there, alone, scared, tossed out onto the streets. And that thought kills him. It always kills him to see a kid there, hence why he always tries to help them. Offer them food, give them money, locate the nearest GCPD station or shelter for them.

Yet, this kid felt different.

It was an oddly silent night, not much crime was seen on the streets. Babs had left for a couple of minutes, just to help Steph with... something..? (He wasn't listening). So that left Dick alone with his thoughts, swinging through Gotham aimlessly with his graple gun.

That, until he heard a startled, scared yelp. A yelp of a child.

It only took a few seconds for Dick to locate the situation, and he found himself on a rooftop beside a not-so-empty alleyway. His eyes narrowed, and he could barely stop himself from jumping down and ripping the thugs apart.

A kid, definitely not older than 18, was cornered in the alleyway, by a gang of thugs. One held a detached pipe, another held a gun, and the others had knives. Not good. The kid seemed terrified, holding a small switchblade out like it'd do something against them.

Dick seen this too many times, just... never with a kid.