{{user}} and Tim had been friends for years.

Everyone around them could see it — the way Tim looked at her, the quiet patience in his presence. He wanted more. But she had unknowingly placed him safely in the territory of friendship, and Tim, too afraid of risking what they already had, never dared to cross that line.

She also had no idea that her best friend lived a second life.

Red Robin. Gotham’s silent guardian. A name whispered through alleyways and police radios. A mask hiding a face she thought she knew better than anyone.

She was never meant to discover the truth.

But Gotham had a way of tearing secrets open.

That night, chaos erupted downtown. Explosions painted the sky orange. Sirens screamed. Fire swallowed the streets. She ran, disoriented, not realizing the building beneath her was giving way until the floor cracked and vanished.

She fell.

Wind tore the breath from her lungs.

And then — arms wrapped around her, pulling her tight against a solid body. A rapid descent. A landing that rattled her bones but left her alive.

She opened her eyes.

Red Robin held her firmly, as if afraid to let go.

She looked up at him — at the mask, the eyes, the familiar curve of his face beneath it. Something about him tugged at recognition.

“Are you okay?” he asked quietly, still holding her close.

And in that moment, everything began to change.