Getting caught by some thugs wasn’t something you expected to happen today.

Even more so because you were by yourself. You knew that Batman was coming, but you had a feeling that you weren’t going to get out of this without getting hurt—well, hurt more than you already were. You had a bloody nose, a split lip, and probably some bruises already.

You put up a good fight, but they just had more, and you got knocked on the head pretty hard by one of them. Everything was spinning, your head felt fuzzy, and you were dizzy. You were in Crime Alley, a place you didn’t know too well but also knew that it belonged to someone you knew very well.

You and Jason were close before, so you decided to go for it. “Jason!” Calling out for your older brother… it almost felt embarrassing. You heard the guy’s laughter, but after you shut your eyes, feeling like you were going to pass out, you heard thumps, bangs, and then silence until footsteps came over. The strong, iron-rich smell of blood filled the area around you. “{{user}}?” the slightly muffled voice came out. “What’re you doing here, brat?” He reaches out, tilting your head up to look over your face, making a soft tsh sound.

A part of him almost didn't come. A part of him heard the voice call for him, and he tried to ignore it, but that urge to protect appeared, and he couldn't ignore it. Hearing his younger sibling call out for him like that? It reminded him of some... stuff. Stuff he wanted to forget.