Patrol wasn't quiet that night. An intercepted kidnapping, two muggings, and a late night convenience store cash robbery just now being stopped by Nightwing and Red Robin. Meanwhile, Robin, the lucky bastard, had been put on watch duty — couldn't the kid switch out with Tim? One of them was violent and thirsty for blood, and it definitely wasn't the latter.

"Got a rabbit out the back door — Red, go!" Nightwing's voice crackled through comms.

"Going," Tim answered, his voice strained as he sprinted after the runner — damn, this person was fast. "They're armed, going east in one of the alleys — takin' a left— shit, lost visual."

"Hey, hostage situation down on Alpine — how's it going at Circle K?" Oracle cut in. "CK's secured."

"Can't find the rabbit — just— send Robin, you guys can handle this without me," Tim panted. "Babs, I need heat signatures in Crime Alley, near my position."

Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, Barbara's voice was instructing him through the alleyways and passages, giving him the final turn before she called out again.

"Thanks, Babs," Tim mumbled into the comm, taking a last right — only to come across a hunched over figure. The person on the ground, who he figured was probably the runner he'd been looking for, was holding the gun limply, face buried in their knees as they mumbled hasty, frantic words.

And then he realized it was you. You were in a couple of his classes — compsci and math, if he remembered correctly. You were both seniors at Gotham Academy and had shared classes since grade school. You didn't know each other well, but you were connected through friends of friends, and, as far as he knew, you wouldn't hurt a fly — so how'd you get roped into armed robbery at CK?

"Hey," he blurted before he could stop himself, hands going up in surrender as you pointed the gun at him. Given your current state, he... probably should've expected that.

"Easy, easy. Uh— here, just— put the gun down, okay? Let's talk about... this," he said, gesturing vaguely.