Writer's Month 2023, Day 20: "Different First Meeting" and Bruce Wayne Week, Day 1: "Saving the Savior"
Fandom: Batman
Status/Word count: I think this is just a little vignette. 426 words.
Summary: Bruce gets some help during a brawl.
An iron pipe was swinging at Bruce's head.
He ducked and elbowed his attacker in one fluid move. Still, he was a second too slow, and the blow collided with his helmet, sending a muffled explosion into his skull. He was pretty sure a previous blow had broken one of his fingers.
He just wasn't having great luck tonight. Three random gangsters should have been easy.
He spun around, just in time for another attacker to come at him with a knife. Unfortunately he was smart enough to aim for the exposed part of Bruce's face, and Bruce, still shaken from the last blow, wound up with a gash right next to his mouth.
He raised a fist, but before he could punch, a beer bottle shattered against his attacker's head.
There was an "AGH!" followed by the tinkling of glass, and the gangster fell.
"The hell?!" one of the other screamed, spinning around. It was the one with an actual gun, though he had yet to fire into the cramped scuffle.
Something moved on the fire escape, ducking out of sight.
Three bullets pinged off the brickwork before the man collapsed onto the ground. Bruce had recovered the first gangster's pipe.
The remaining combatant didn't have time to decide on a course of action before another beer bottle sailed over the side of the fire escape and hit him on the head. He didn't faint, but he staggered, dropped his weapon and stumbled out of the alley, cursing as he held his bleeding head.
Bruce let him go. Partly because he was small-time, partly because of his own injury, but mostly because his rescuer presented a more pressing matter to attend to.
The boy jumped up with a high-pitched squeak. Bruce thought he might run up the rickety stairs, but instead his spine straightened, and he turned to Bruce with a fierce, almost haughty look.
Bruce took a step forward and was surprised to find that he was limping. Apparently tonight's battle had aggravated yesterday's leg injury.
"You could have gotten hurt back there."
"I saved your life," the boy said defiantly.
"You almost lost your own. I can handle myself."
The boy's scowl deepened. Bruce hesitated before his next comment.
"Good aim, though. Two for two."
The boy continued to glower, though Bruce caught a subtle shifting of his shoulders, which made his stiff posture seem less defensive and more confident.
Bruce gave a grim smile as he wondered what to say next.
