-Athena's POV-

"Faster, Nightingale, faster!" Red Hood shouted at me, punching two goons at once. I kept my hands steady, keeping my jaw set and my determination fierce.

My fingers wove through the wires on the bomb carefully. "Nightingale!" Red warned, fighting off the guys who were desperately trying to stop me. I rolled my eyes as a bead of sweat trickled down my forehead.

"Shut up! I'm working as fast as I can!" Despite how nervous we both were, I managed to keep my hands from shaking. I had always been good under pressure.

The timer ticked down. Red Hood kept screaming at me. It was out of his character. Usually, Red was calm under most situations like they didn't even effect him. But, as soon as Black Mask trapped us in the room with an explosive, he turned into a dog on the Fourth of July. His energy was rolling off him in waves. It was effecting me heavily.

As the timer reached one minute, I became desperate. I tugged the bomb off of the wall it was attached to. "What are you doing!?" Red Hood's voice shook. I turned the bomb over in my hands, looking for any way to disarm it.

I stayed silent, ignoring Red. I bit my lip so hard I tasted blood. The casing on the bomb hung open, revealing all the wires and insides of the weapon. I carefully pulled out all the insides of the bomb and cradled it to my chest.

"You're gonna kill us!" Red Hood's voice cracked. I would've laughed, but I was too focused. Although, I did remind myself to bring it up later.

"Chill!" I snapped. I tampered with the bolts, gently pulling them off. The bomb continued to tick down, the sound echoing around the small office. After all the bolts were removed and the wires hung loosely, I decided to make an even bolder move.

I grabbed a wire and slowly pulled it apart from the bomb. I held my breath, but the bomb didn't go off and the timer still continued. I smirked. I grabbed another wire, then two, then three. Finally, there was only a single wire left.

Thirty seconds left. Red Hood finished off the last guy and crouched beside me. Once he saw the time, he started pacing. Red kicked open a section of the glass. He turned back towards me, his hand extended out. "Come on, Nightingale. It's hopeless!" He screeched.

I shook my head. "If I leave this here, it will destroy the entire block! There are civilians here!"

"Just come on! We'll die if we stay!" Red pleaded.

"Go without me," I looked at him, "I'll be fine."

Red took a deep breath. I couldn't see under his mask, but I could tell his eyes were panicked. He stared at me, his hand shaking as he begged me to take it. He stood next to the window, but didn't dive out. I still couldn't understand what was making him so anxious. At that point, I had never seen him so wild and frantic.

Ten seconds.

I stared at the last wire. Relaxing my shoulders and letting my lip go, I pulled out a pair of scissors. I rolled the wire between my fingers, holding it delicately.

Red Hood locked eyes with me. I raised the scissors without looking at the wire. He shook his head. I smiled reassuringly, still staring at him. Not wasting anytime, I lowered the blades to the wire quickly.

The timer ticked to the last second. I felt the power surge through the bomb, but nothing happened.

I sighed in relief and stood up slowly. I tossed the bomb parts aside. Red Hood tore off his helmet as if to see better. Just as I expected, his eyebrows were knitted together and his entire face was tight. He was covered in sweat.

I walked over to him and placed my hand on his shoulder. Both of our masks concealed our irises, leaving nothing but blank whiteness, but I could still see his worry. I pinched his shoulder muscle ever so slightly. "Everything's okay," I reassured him, "we're okay. You're okay."

He tried to calm his breathing, but it just came out shaky. His entire body was also shaking. I stared at him. I breathed in and out slowly and smoothly, trying to coax him to follow. Red stubbornly hyperventilated, refusing to listen to me. I took his hand, squeezing it.

His eyes trailed down to where we were linked. Rolling back his shoulders and neck, he took a deep breath. Our breathing joined together, sounding as if there was only one. His chest rose and fell slowly, making me grin.

"Alright," he dropped my hand, "let's get out of here before Blackie sends another bomb."

He allowed me to go out first. I kept my eyes locked on him, despite his return to his normal behavior. I couldn't be sure what happened in there. But, his panic attack was very familiar. It reminded me of...me.

The heaviness of the situation started to take a toll on me. "So...when did you start puberty?"

"Shut up," Red Hood replied. I laughed.

"No, seriously. Is that why you wear that helmet? To hide your acne?" I joked. The mood started to lighten, I could feel it. "Should start calling you Red face instead of Red Hood."

Finally, he cracked a chuckle. "It's not my fault that you're psycho," Red Hood replied. I nodded, accepting the insult.

"Where are we going, Blue Balls-Red Hood?"

"Star City," Red dropped down, "do you still have your identification to use the zeta tubes?"

I laughed. "I left for more than a year, most of the Team hates me, and I haven't even once visited the Watchtower. What do you think? And how do you know about those in the first place?"

Red Hood smirked and knocked on the Gotham phone booth where a tube was hidden. He held the door open for me, motioning with his head at me like a puppy. I crossed my arms over my chest. Sighing, he began to whistle and make kissy faces.

"I will punch that stupid expression off of your face," I threatened, stepping inside the booth. The scanner immediately went off.

"Unrecognizable personnel," The computer said, shutting down. I stepped out.

"Didn't work," I groaned. Red Hood shrugged and pulled out his computer. Instead of on his wrist, it was like a little sphere that popped up with a holographic screen. I was impressed. Without a care in the world, Red hacked into the tube and stepped in.

He held the door again. "Are you coming or not?"

I let my jaw hang open. "Why did you waste all that time?"

With another shrug, I joined Red Hood in the booth. We were chest to chest and nose to nose. Even though Red was cocky, he didn't bother flirting. In fact, I could feel he was uncomfortable. He was stiff as a board while we waited.

After an agonizing long few seconds, we were both transported to yet another familiar city.

Our grapples shot up into the sky at the same time, allowing us to fly side by side. However, Red landed on top of a club. He leaned over the edge and removed his helmet.

"What're you doing?" I asked, kneeling down.

"Stakeout of this club. Someone very important owns it," Red Hood said, "you wanna go in?"

I laughed. "Are you joking? I'm in full costume and I don't even know why we're here. Why don't you go in?"

Red Hood faced towards me, running his fingers through his hair. "What do you not understand about me wanting to keep my mask on?" He scooped his finger and hooked it underneath his mask, but still refused to take it off.

"Well, I'm not going in and neither are you," I said, "so, looks like we are waiting."

We both watched. I laid down and looked up into the night sky. Red Hood didn't complain about my lack of help and I enjoyed it. I tapped my foot, trying to curve my boredom.

Finally, Red Hood stood up. "There he is," He pointed. I recognized the owner of the club. The blond goatee gave it away.

Oliver Queen strutted out, Dinah Lance on his arm. They both were wearing subtle clues of their superhero identities. Oliver was dressed in a stupid green three piece suit and Dinah was wearing fishnet leggings with a black skirt. They looked like a power couple. A very powerful power couple.

Before Red could dive down after them, two shadows appeared behind us. We both whipped around, ready to fight. However, the two shadows were too close for comfort.

"Artemis!" I smiled, "Arsenal!"

Artemis grinned back. "Nightingale, what are you doing in Star City?" Artemis asked, lowering her bow.

Roy watched Red Hood with a cold expression. He didn't even smile at me. He was focused on Red Hood. It put Artemis back onto alert. "Whose your friend?" She was talking to me, but her eyes were just as fierce as Roy's.

Or, wait. Roy wasn't on alert. He was shocked. There was some kind of surprise and a hint of pain.

"This is Red Hood," I explained, "he's my new...accomplice."

"Oh yeah?" Artemis cocked her head to the side. She was doing her usual protective-best-friend act. I could see the judgement in her eyes. I almost laughed at the thought. She thought we were dating!

"We're here on a mission," Red Hood established. He was ignoring Roy's look of dismay just as much as I wish I could.

His look was so concerned and disturbing. He hadn't even spoken. "Are you okay?" I stepped towards my old friend. Artemis also noticed the change.

Roy snapped out of it. He pulled his gaze from Red and smiled softly at me. "Yeah, just...spooked I guess. So, what's your mission?"

The rest of the night was average. We managed to convince Artemis and Roy to show us around Star City and help us find any leads about Black Mask. I could tell that Red was there for a different reason, but I was too focused on what was happening with Roy.

What did he see?

Did he know Red Hood?

~~~~~~Another chapter. It might be a little crap, so sorry you guys. I promise the next few chapters will be wayyyy more...interesting to say the least. I guess you'll just have to wait and see ;)~~~~~~~