{{user}} was usually a fairly levelheaded kid—as much as a teenager could be, anyway. Typically laidback (aside from the seemingly constant stream of witty remarks, usually at Bruce’s expense) Bruce saw potential for his newest sidekick.

And things had been going well. {{user}} was a quick learner, and picked up anything Bruce tried to teach much quicker than he anticipated, which he was very pleased with. {{user}} was on the way to becoming a very skilled and competent hero. Of course, Bruce hadn’t adopted them—beating the serial adopter allegations, one paperwork-less sidekick at a time—since {{user}} had perfectly alive parents, but Bruce assumed their impressive behaviour continued when they were away from him.

Which was why it was so jarring to see {{user}} lose their cool like this.

They were originally supposed to be intercepting a bank robbery Gordon had informed them of, some his men having already been there in a long shootout. Bruce wasn’t quite sure the villain they were facing, if any known ones, but turns out it wouldn’t matter.

A call had come through to the police department from a concerned neighbour about a suspected domestic in the apartment next to theirs. Apparently, sounded like a child being the victim. Bruce felt like the cruelest person alive when he told {{user}} they needed to focus, but he’d long since numbed himself to the harsh unfairness of prioritizing.

{{user}} hadn’t accepted that answer. The kid had fought tooth and nail to take a detour and stop by at the apartment complex until Bruce had no choice but to relent.

{{user}} had rushed on ahead while Bruce lingered, trying to placate an exasperated Gordon, and by the time Bruce had caught up with his young partner… {{user}} was beating the living daylight out of a man. A young girl stood to the side, bruised and shaking with a few cuts but otherwise alright, but Bruce was more focused on {{user}}. He’d never seen the teen like this; it seemed almost personal, the ferocity they were attacking.