TW: ROBIN IS GONNA GET HIS ASS BEAT

Bruce smiled to himself as he watched Dick make full use of the sprawling garden. Summer was upon them and they were having some rare good weather which meant they could sit outside for longer than twenty minutes without freezing. 

"He's doing well, isn't he?" Alfred commented, watching as Dick continued his performance to no audience. They often found the boy doing that. He'd do flips and cartwheels, perfecting some sequence that wouldn't be performed for any crowds but perhaps once had. They decided not to question and he never pulled them aside to show them the act. They'd gladly watched the full thing if he ever wanted to show off his moves. Even as a vigilante, Bruce wasn't half as capable of performing such things and Alfred was long past the days of being able to learn how to do it let alone actually pull it off. The boy giggled as he failed a trick, collapsing onto the grass in a crumpled heap. 

"He's an acrobat, Alfred. I wouldn't expect much different," Bruce replied, not taking his eyes off his ward until he was sure everything was okay. The butler tutted at him and handed him a mug of deep black coffee.

"I mean with being Robin, sir. I feared it would be much too scary for a boy his age but he's taken to it rather well," he explained. 

"I told you he'd do well. He's got a good heart and he needed to help people as I do. I'm just glad it's me training him and not anyone else because God knows what he's capable of," Bruce responded. His adoration for his ward was clear and it had only grown in their time together. Alfred never thought he'd see the day that a young child would be running around the manor causing havoc that would be used to embarrass the boy in the future but here they were. Admittedly, he hadn't foretold the vigilante double life part of said child but that just meant he had to keep his scrapbook hidden better. "I thought about bringing him out more often given that he doesn't have school during the holidays and we both know that he'll fly through his homework for the summer in the first week. Tonight Ivy is going to hit a factory so I might suggest it to him then."

"How often are you suggesting? I won't have him out every night fighting crime. It's a vacation at the end of the day, I'm not having him go back to school more tired than he left it," Alfred pointed out, his warning clear.

"I'm aware," the younger drawled in an almost adolescent way despite being in his twenties. "I was thinking more so every other night. The more experience he has, the better."

"I can't say I entirely agree with that." Bruce glanced at him in confusion. "Experience would be helpful in work but would it be helpful in his personal development? He's already witnessed something no child should see and we're frankly quite lucky that he's been able to return to the lad he had been before. If he sees more traumatic things, who says he'll be the same?" He didn't get a response but he didn't wait for one either. He simply gave his surrogate son a pat on the shoulder and went back inside to attend to his chores in the hopes that Bruce would think it over. 

"What were you talking about?" Dick asked, suddenly appearing beside him. It was one of the few tricks he hadn't been taught and it never failed to catch his new guardians off guard. This time was no different as Bruce jumped upon finding him so close and barely had time to reign in his training. He really needed to warn Dick about not scaring him like that. 

"We were talking about bringing you on patrol more."

"Really?" the younger gasped. He practically had stars in his eyes as he jumped up and down excitedly. "You mean it? You really mean it?"

"I do. Ivy is up to something tonight and I thought it would be good to have an extra pair of hands over the summer. You could do with the practice before Halloween and Christmas. Those are the busiest times of the year. Besides, you've been improving in leaps and bounds." The acrobat grinned and jumped into his lap, wrapping his arms around his neck in a tight hug. 

"I won't let you down B."

"I'm sure you won't. Now let's get you inside and cleaned up," he replied, pulling out a rogue blade of grass from the younger's unruly curls. "You're covered in grass stains."

"Practice for Ivy," Dick commented with a goofy grin. "She's not gonna know what hit her!" He grinned confidently before sliding off his mentor's lap and running inside with such boundless energy that Bruce was winded just watching him. He'd do just about anything for that kid.

Dick was like a little firework when he wore the mask and bore the title of Robin. Gotham had a habit of wearing down and dirtying those who shined but its citizens had taken a particular liking to him. Perhaps because, unlike Batman, he was easy to approach and chattered with you. He wasn't allowed out on his own yet but there were times when he got separated whilst helping civilians and Batman always found him offering some comforting words to the injured. He was warm whilst his mentor was cold. People didn't fear Robin because he was about as scary as a mildly disgruntled puppy when he did his version of Bat-Glare but this caused criminals to underestimate just how capable he was. If you'd asked Batman years ago if there would be a child following him about and fighting crime by his side, he would've said you were out of your mind. If you added that he depended on the boy at times then you'd get a punch to the face at the apparent undermining. Yet here he was explaining the plan to this child who hadn't even seen puberty yet, going through the details of where they'd enter the building from and where they'd rendezvous once it was over. Still, he didn't depend on Robin too much to put him in danger and his plan reflected that. He would handle Ivy whilst his protege got the files for the toxins she was working on. 

"Did you get all that?" he asked once he was done. Robin nodded confidently then went shy for a moment. He hadn't completely mastered the poker face yet but he was lucky that because he was a child, he was expected to be aloof and randomly shy. Batman could just see through it much easier. "What's wrong?"

"Well, if you're with Ivy alone wouldn't that make you vulnerable? Because if she has one of her toxins already formulated you'd be her prime target," he explained slowly, stopping here and there nervously. Batman was briefly stunned by the use of large words before remembering that the boy had a habit of mimicking which had admittedly gotten him in trouble a few times. Robin had explained it was how he learned most of the languages he knew. "If something happens to you then that puts me in danger when I get the files but yourself too."

"That's the risk of the job."

"Yeah but what's plan B?"

"Plan B is I will abandon my purpose to come to help you if you're compromised and you'll go back to the Batcave or find Commissioner Gordon if I'm compromised."

"Okay but what if she uses some of her old formulas? So what do we do if you get given something?" That was a good question. He thought about it for a moment and was slightly embarrassed that he hadn't thought about it before. When there was no Robin, he would've had a completely different plan but now he was trying to work out new plans he'd never utilised before. "Do you have antidotes?" Smart kid.

"Good shout Robin," he replied, his protege practically beaming at the praise. "Her formulas all use the same basic building blocks. I believe it's something to do with her powers, it makes it easier for her to use them on others whilst never affecting herself. Even if she uses something new, the antidote would still come into effect just delayed by the new formulations."

"So Plan B would be me giving you that if you're in danger?" He nodded. "Great!"

Seeing Robin flip and dodge punches like the best of them made Batman's heart swell with pride but he couldn't stay around to watch the show. He immediately got to work going toe to toe with Poison Ivy, hoping that she hadn't noticed Robin running down the hall to her lab. He was slightly surprised that she allowed him to get the upper hand a few times, even hesitating to move out of the way of his bolas he threw in rebuttal to her slicing him with a thorny plant arm. Perhaps because his mind was elsewhere, he didn't think to find it suspicious. He could come up with plenty of reasons as to why she went down so easily. Maybe she had some plan to raise hell within Arkham, maybe she knew better than to fight when she hadn't gathered the backup she required, maybe she was sick from the withdrawal of whatever they gave her in prison. He could continue but he decided it best to leave the thoughts there.

"It's over Ivy," Batman huffed through gritted teeth. He pulled a barb out of his arm as he glowered at the woman in handcuffs. She grinned at him smugly despite her position and it made his stomach drop. Had she done something to Robin whilst he was busy apprehending her? Better check. "Come in Robin. How copy?"

"Robin here! Got 'em all tied up for ya B and I got the files on her new formula," he chirped back happily. Definitely nothing wrong there. "You handling Ives okay?"

"Got her handled just fine. Head over and then we'll head out," he ordered. There was a hum on the other end before the line cut off. In the distance, he heard the faint telltale cackle of his protege ringing through the halls of the warehouse and he couldn't help but smile to himself. 

"Remarkable how kids can turn you soft. Perhaps prevent you from being your usual quick-witted self," Ivy rambled from her spot on the floor. The Dark Knight chose to ignore her at first before he thought about what she said. That was far too specific to be a taunt but he hadn't missed anything. They'd taken out her guards, he had distracted her whilst Robin got the intel they needed on her latest plan before it could even come into fruition so why was she so smug. "It's a real shame. He seems like such a delightful little boy but he did get in the way of my efforts. Now, I'm not such a fan of killing children so you'll have to do it for me." He glared at her, preparing to ask what on Earth she was on about and perhaps check that she hadn't sustained a concussion during their fight, only he was stopped by a painful headache. It shot through his mind and bounced around, forcing him to his knees with his head in his hands. "You really shouldn't have messed with me Batman."

"D-don't hurt him," was all that came to mind. She cooed at him as though he was a newborn baby and he'd never felt sicker.

"Oh, I won't be hurting your precious protege. You will be." No. He needed to warn Robin not to come to find him. He needed to order him to go home and wait there until someone more experienced could step in. Yet as he brought his hand up to his comm unit, he froze. Suddenly, all his limbs felt foreign and he was locked into a body he could no longer control. "Hits hard, doesn't it? Not having any control. Well, that's how I feel when you locked me in Arkham with no way to help my beloved babies you destroyed. Now, let's see how you like it when you destroy something just as precious." He tried to open his mouth to retort but he had no such ability. 

"B? Where are you?" Robin's voice called and he felt like he could cry when he found he was once again unable to open his mouth. He looked at Ivy with something he hoped came across as pleading but her smile just grew.

"Let me go then kill him, Batman. Make it hurt."

Robin skipped down the hall before eventually finding the main room he knew Batman was fighting Poison Ivy in. It was silent inside so he assumed the fight must've been quite successful. He stepped into the room with a grin and quickly ran over to his mentor who was standing in the middle of the room. Robin couldn't see Poison Ivy but maybe the police had already come for her or he'd tied her up outside so they could make a quick getaway. 

"Hey B!" he greeted brightly. "I got everything so are we ready to go?" Batman didn't say anything just stared for a good while before kneeling down, his hand weighing heavy on the boy's shoulder as they made eye contact. "Are you okay? Were you hurt?" Then he was shoved so hard he fell flat on his back with a yelp. His vision swam for a moment as he tried to get reorientated but he didn't have much time to get his wits about him before a Batarang went flying for his face, a split-second movement meaning the difference between it cutting his cheek and going straight into his head. "Batman, it's me!" He scrambled to his feet as the older approached him and went quickly pressed his distress signal. Although he wasn't sure what Alfred was going to do about it and it was more so meant for his fellow hero, he still had full faith that someone would come help. Surely they would. In the meantime, his brain gave him one idea on what to do. Run. So he turned on his heel and began dashing towards the exit. If he could get outside then he could use his smaller stature to fit in some small crevice Batman couldn't follow him into. There were plenty of spaces in Gotham that only he could fit into. He just needed to find them. 

Behind him, he heard the heavy plodding of combat boots hitting the floor as Batman gave chase. He swallowed thickly and pushed his body to the limit to run as fast as he could. He was much faster than his mentor but his endurance wasn't the best so he couldn't keep this up. Unfortunately, he barely made it out the exit door onto the dead street before bolas wrapped around his ankles and tightened so he fell face-first onto the concrete. A wail escaped him pain riveted through his nose and he became horribly aware that it was bleeding. The shock of tasting copper had him frozen long enough for Batman to catch up with him. A boot hit him in the stomach and forced him to roll onto his back, briefly making him choke on his own blood. Terror ran through him as Batman swooped down and wrapped two hands around his neck.

The hands around his neck grew tighter and tighter at an agonizing pace, almost as though to prolong it and make him even more terrified. He kicked at his mentor's torso but he didn't even get a grunt out of him despite putting all his strength behind it. His hands clawed at Batman's with hopes of prying the fingers away but just like kicking, it proved useless. He felt his skin begin to go red and his eyes burned with frightened tears as he stared into the face of his mentor in an attempt to find some sort of empathy only to receive a cold hard stare. Batman wouldn't do this, he was sure of it. He was careful when they sparred and always asked if he was okay. There was a compartment on his belt for lollipops that he'd said was for frightened children but Robin knew they were for him during patrol because they were all his favourite flavours and it had only become a thing after he mused about being hungry on his first patrol. Through the panic, a voice chanted Ivy and it took him a good few moments as to why he was thinking of her before he realised. She could make people do her bidding. That would be why Batman attacked him. As much as it pained him to do so, he removed a hand from where it had been gripping the older's forearm and quickly opened a capsule on his belt containing a small needle with enough for one person. The brief thought ran through his mind that even if he did give Batman the antidote, it might not stop him in time but he shoved that thought down because he just knew that his mentor was already fighting whatever was affecting his mind. In one last burst of energy, he shoved the needle roughly into his forearm and pushed down on the plunger before his hand could be batted away. The hands around his neck gripped impossibly tighter as they lifted his head up by the neck before slamming it back down against the floor. A strangled cry broke out as his vision swam. The black dots that had been nestled at the corners of his vision were now inching closer to create a tunnelling effect whilst a pressure built behind them. His kicking weakened and his hands began to slip as his fight bled out of him. It grew increasingly hard to keep his eyes open, especially with how terrifying it was to watch as Batman slowly killed him and his increasingly fleeting vision. He sucked in as much breath as he could before he found that his throat was closed completely. Nothing. He wanted to say goodbye but it was impossible. It was fun whilst it lasted. With great effort, he forced his eyes open one more time before they rolled back and things went black.

Leslie's hospital had a distinct smell to it. It was similar to other hospitals but with something just that bit more unique. Maybe it was from the cleaner she used to keep everything sterile or maybe it was because it offered some familiarity because Dick always went to the same room. He wasn't sure but as soon as consciousness came back to him, he knew that he was under her care. The next thing he registered was throbbing pain around his throat, nose and head. It wasn't overwhelmingly painful, he could feel the discomforting presence of an IV so he supposed that was dulling the worst of it. Next, he recognised the sound of sniffling. The noise was close to him, perhaps sitting beside him, and was paired with the sound of something rustling. A tissue maybe. Who was upset? He forced himself to loll his head towards the noise despite how his face pinched in pain and began working on opening his eyes to see who it was. Maybe he could help put them at ease. His eyelids felt heavy but he fought against them until they opened, allowing him a slither of blurry vision. 

"Dick?" Bruce? The antidote must've worked. Thank God. Had Bruce brought him here or had someone answered the distress call? He wasn't to ask but his throat clenched painfully when he made an attempt. "Dickie, go back to sleep chum. You need rest." A whine caught in the back of his throat as he shook his head. "Do you need something for the pain?" He shook his head again and blinked a few times in hopes of getting a better view of his mentor. "Do you need anything?" With his vision still blurry, he reached out blindly until he found a heavy hand resting on the bars of the bed. He smiled when he found it. "I'm not going anywhere. I-I'm not going to hurt you again, I promise. Ivy's toxin is all gone now thanks to you, you clever boy." Dick's smile widened when he felt a soft kiss on his forehead. "Now be clever again and go back to sleep."

"'ove u," Dick just about managed to croak before letting his eyes close.

"Love you too chum."