He makes her laugh, the sound high and sweet through the howl of Gotham's wind.

It has been a week since her confrontation with his brothers and their little moment in her apartment, but it seems a distant memory. At least, it does from where they are sitting on the edge of Gotham's radio tower.

Since then he has avoided them and his father nearly all together. Sadly he believes Bruce hasn't noticed. Alfred is likely to have informed him anyway.

But it barely weighs on his mind. Lately all that he is occupied with during the day is whether or not he'll see her on patrol.

The night after he found out her name, Klavdiya, they met again when a building collapsed on Gotham's main street. He arrived on the scene first, only to find those who should have been trapped safe and sound on the road outside.

She had smiled down at him when he looked up to her on the library roof, before she disappeared. Three nights after that she found him on the roof of Wayne enterprises.

Few words were exchanged but he managed to keep it together this time when she asked him if he had made up with his brothers. He had an in-depth answer prepared before Oracle called him away.

"It snows less here," she notes softly, catching his attention. Now, they are perched on their favourite radio tower overlooking a glistening, cold city; together.

"There are statistical reasons for that. Russia is closer to the-" He cuts himself off when he sees the look she gives him; amused and sweet.

"I was right when I said you don't know how to talk to girl," she says with a small smirk, crossing one leg over the other. There is around twelve inches of space between them, but Damian still refuses to move closer in favour of not falling under her 'sorcery'.

"I know how to talk to girls," he complains, folding his arms. She giggles.

"You've failed to show it."

"I'm talking to you right now," he snaps.

"Da, but you're as red as a tomato milashka. And you're rigid," she replies. He sees her shuffling around, before he feels her brush against his uniform.

Gently, Klavdiya pulls his hood away from his ear, leaning down to his face.

"You're shaking," she says softly, straight into his ear. Shivers shoot down Damian's spine from the close proximity, the brush of her lips against his ear and the fact that she knows.

Every time he has seen her so far she has managed to make him look like a fool.

"Yes, and?" He is overcome with some form of boldness, born from the knowledge that she is putting in effort to be close to him.

He turns his head so that they are nose-to-nose.

Thankfully he sees this surprises her, golden eyes blinking a few times to readjust, before she only sharpens her smirk.

"You're cute when you think you are in control, milashka," she says softly.

The hairs on the back of Damian's neck stand up with good reason. He takes a deep breath to try and contain his lower-urges. He wasn't raised to be some hormonal animal.

"What does that mean?" He asks innocently, meaning the word milashka.

She giggles and his heart jumps, "it means, cutie."

Oh. Oh.

He knows he's doomed as he begins to lean in a little further. Where did this sudden and informed braveness come from?

However she seems to be as into it as he is, resting her forehead against his as the two slowly get closer and closer. Those golden iris' flicker up to stare into his own jades, for just a moment. There is a sweet smile of promise there before they close. He follows her lead, eyes sliding shut.

Damian can just barely feel the brush of her lips on his, so soft and warm, when the familiar sound of heavy boots hits the ground behind them.

Immediately they separate and turn to see the source of the noise, finding no other than the Batman staring at the two disapprovingly.

"Robin," he says in a low voice that makes Damian shiver out of fear instead of his previous lust. When he looks back to where Klavdiya was a moment ago, the lilac beauty is gone.

◊

◊

After she was rescued from a dark place alongside her sister and the rest of the Twisted 12, Klavdiya decided that in her new free life there would be lots to smile about.

But the one she has for Damian is something entirely different from her smile for food or good weather or shiny things. It holds a different happiness with new hope.

It's the one she wears as she skips at a normal speed through an empty alleyway, planning to get home and ponder her next attack on the ever nervous Damian Wayne.

"Could'a sworn love was never meant for us."

The feminine voice heavy with an Australian accent sings down from the fire escape above Klavdiya's head. She stops to look up and can just make out the shape of Vermillion, AKA Rowan Harkness, her sister-in-law.

"But we keep trying anyway," Klavdiya replies eventually, hearing the older assassin laugh. Rowan lands on the alley bitumen as Klavdiya remembers where the quotes come from.

Her sister, Valeria, began dating someone, against Rowan and Sailor's advice. Sailor had been the one to say Love was never meant for us.

Valeria replied with the offhand comment we keep trying anyway.

Klavdiya believes it to be something that will stick with her forever.

"Rada tebya videt," Rowan greets in Russian, wrapping an arm around the smaller girl's shoulders. Rapid goes with it, smiling as always.

"Gotham the same as you remember?" She asks as they ascend the fire escape.

"Cleaner, although I haven't been here in years. And last time I was here Robin was a dorky little nerd, not some blade wielding, horny little-"

"He's cute," Klavdiya interrupts with a defiant grin.

"If you calling him milashka was any implication of that," she replies as they reach the roof. They begin to walk in the direction of the apartment. "Anyway; got any idea where Red Hood hangs his helmet these days? Haven't seen Jay in a year or two."

Klavdiya laughs, re-adjusting her goggles.

"No. He helps Batman and moi milashka sometimes if you must know. Create a little havoc and you'll have him in no time."

Klavdiya hears Rowan's footfalls stop immediately. She looks over her shoulder to see Vermillion giving her a strange look.

"He's one of your boyfriend's allies. You don't care if I blow his head of his body?" The Australian asks, confused.

Rapid frowns back at her, "Not like it will make a difference if I care or not. Besides, you can't talk; you're Jason's friend and you're going to kill him."

"Yeah, but everyone takes contracts out on their friends when it's your job. My friends try to kill me all the time."

◊

◊

The hum of the Batmobile does nothing to comfort Damian as it usually does. His father sits in the driver's seat, the machine on, but not moving.

"This isn't a stake out, since the car is on. What is this about?" He asks.

"You should never ask questions you know the answer to."

"Father-"

"It was wrong of Dick, Tim and Jason to approach her," the Batman interrupts his son and sidekick. Damian is taken back by the statement. "Klavdiya has had a...tough time, in life. The last thing she deserves is to be threatened."

Damian's fists clench without him realising it. A deep sadness and anger burns within him as he wonders what kind of horrors she has faced.

"Why is the information unavailable to me? To anyone?"

"It is solely a Justice League file. All I will say it that she was one of a mad scientist's many victims in a plot to create super-powered soldiers through experimentation and torture. Not only were most of them minors, but many had been taken from the Ukraine. In order to prevent it igniting any further turmoil between them and Russia, the case was kept mostly private."

Having it explained does not put him at ease. Does this mean she was tortured to get those powers? How on Earth does she manage to remain so cheery and upbeat?

A memory surfaces in Damian's mind when he considers the ways a scientist may draw speedster abilities out of someone. His mother had mentioned something to his grandfather about it once.

"You are speaking of Rodion the Crow, correct?" Damian asks, staring at his father intensely.

It takes Bruce a while to answer, mostly because he had not expected Damian to know anything.

"It is not my place to say."

"When I was five, or six, mother and grandfather spoke of him. Grandfather wanted to send me to his facility to become a patient. My mother objected strenuously because she heard that he had subjected even his own children to torture in order to further their abilities, including speed."

"You must pose these questions to Klavdiya the next time you see her," he interjects before Damian's thoughts become to investigative.

"You do not disapprove of me seeing her?"

"Of course not. What exactly would I be disapproving of?" Bruce responds, trying to sound light. Damian misunderstands the question. "Are the two of you-"

"No! I mean, we're just...she annoys me," Batman doesn't say anything, prompting Damian to continue, "Affects me."

"You're a boy. She's a girl." It's obvious to Damian his father is as uncomfortable about this topic as he is. Perhaps, when he gets home, he'll call his mother. "You didn't seem annoyed when she was about to kiss you."

Damian feels like the Batmobile is suddenly much smaller, the air heavy, as though he can't get enough in his lungs.

"You're a growing boy."

"Father-"

"Hormones are-"

"I know. Please stop. Please. I've been taught this," he says, noticing both of them are in equal pain. Damian presses his boots down hard into the car floor in an attempt to suppress his body's desire to squirm. Batman gives a quiet sigh and a near-silent thank God.

"My point is, I'm happy for you. If I had known the little girl I met all those years ago would come back in such a way..." He trails off. "I offered to take her in after we rescued her, but she wanted to stay with her sister."

Damian wonders how his younger self would have reacted if Klavdiya had been Bruce's latest ward upon his arrival. Would he have hated her as he hated Drake? Would she have shifted his attitude instead of Grayson?

Would their dynamic be the same?

"You seem to be happier on the nights you return from seeing her. At first I thought this was for other reasons-"

"Father!"

Bruce gulps, "-But, now I realise the two of you contrast. I hope you continue to see her."

Damian feels stupid as the Batmobile pulls out of its place. Such a fuss over nothing. All they do is talk- not even talk; she teases him, kisses him and leaves him a blushing pile of hormones.

Yet, when he pictures the moment their lips brushed for just a second, imagines that sugary aroma and the softness of presence, it certainly doesn't feel like nothing.