Chapter Text
The bell chimed and a group of familiar students rushed into the cafe, snagging the booth tucked into the corner of the shop. Maddy raised a hand in greeting and a moment later one of the girls approached the counter.
"Hey, Mads, can we get three mochas and a... Cherry red double shot?"
"Sure thing- the usual pastries?" She called over the sound of the coffee machine, and the girls shot her a quick thumbs up.
The day had been slow up until around midday, when the lunch crowd shuffled in, and Maddy had plastered on a smile bright enough to earn her more than a handful of tips. She didn't hate that part of the job - she rather enjoyed talking to her regulars who were often other college students looking for something to keep them up all night.
The bell chimed again and Dick Grayson floated into the cafe. She hadn't seen him for a few weeks now considering he was based in Bludhaven. Maddy pulled a cup and scribbled his name on it prematurely before she grabbed the previous groups order and rushed it to them. They chorused half distracted 'thank yous,' eyes glued to their laptops.
"Haven't seen you in a while," Maddy said when Dick was in front of her. "Back for good this time?"
He chuckled, "no, just a few weeks."
"Well, I'm glad we get you back, even if it is only a few weeks. What can I get you, Dick, the usual?" She asked, cleaning the steamer while Dick drummed his fingers against the countertop.
"Nope," Dick squinted at the menu, "I think I'm trying something different today."
He was 'trying something different today' every day, and always seemed to pick the same drink with an added shot or caramel drizzle.
"Take your time, it's not like she has other customers, Dickiebird."
Maddy blinked at the taller man standing behind Dick. She hadn't noticed him when he came in despite his six-foot-something stature. His eyebrows creased in concern and he glanced consciously at the queue behind them. "Seriously Dickhead, hurry up."
Finally, Dick turned to Maddy and said, "I'll have the Unicorn Frappaccino with extra whipped cream, rainbow sprinkles, a wafer cookie and extra shot."
"You serious?"
Dick turned to the man expectantly. "Yep. Tastes great. Your turn."
"No thanks."
"Yes thanks, Jason, order something." Dick raised his eyebrows patiently. "Or else you'll hurt Maddy's feelings."
Dick turned to Maddy and she grinned. "Oh, right, yes. I'll be very, very hurt. Feelings are crumbling with every passing second."
"Fine," Jason grumbled, "Coffee. Black."
Dick clapped his hands and moved them towards the end of the counter to wait for their drinks, asking whether that was so hard.
Eventually the crowd died down enough for Maddy to pull out her textbook. Between the sluggish flow of customers, she managed to get through three chapters before the cafe had fully cleared out and night descended on Gotham.
~
Gotham at night may have been frightening to most what with the sheer amount of crime haunting the streets, but to its residents, the streets were home. Most knew the ins and outs of avoiding the larger criminals; it was the anomalous mugger you had to watch out for, or the stray bullet from across the street where two criminals settled their dues. In any case, Maddy thought it was far better than Metropolis; at least in Gotham repairs were cheap and efficient.
Madeline was always careful too. She carried a full can of pepper spray, made sure her wallet was never too empty so as to frustrate a mugger and warrant a bullet, but never too full to hurt her savings. Her credit cards, if stolen, were always immediately deactivated, and her phone was always tucked into a pocket in her coat or jeans, hidden from view.
As with any great heroine, her luck was bound to run out - and one day it did.
It was sudden. One moment she was ducking through an alleyway, a minute from getting back to her apartment, already imagining the warmth of her bed and the smell of her herbal tea, and the next she was being shoved hard against the bring wall.
"No-" She managed to get out before the man cut her off, waving the gun around.
"Wallet. Now," he snapped when she hesitated a moment too long.
Maddy pressed her lips together and slid the wallet from her purse, throwing it into his eager hands. "There's not much in there, I'm sorry."
The robber paused at the apology, amusement colouring the snarl in his lip. "You're sorry?"
"I figure you probably need the money." She was proud of the way she managed to keep her voice level when she spoke, only a slight waver when he stepped forward.
"What, you think I'm some-" A shadow dropped behind him, and the man twisted around, a cry of pain leaving his lips as the vigilante twisted his arm.
"It's not nice to harass random women," the shadow snarled harshly, driving a fist into the criminal's side. Batman? Nightwing? It was too dark to tell. The criminal cried out in pain and kicked backwards into the vigilante.
Maddy flinched back into the wall at the movement. In the scuffle, she caught sight of the gun glinting in the hazy lamplight. She managed to let out a warning shout just before a shot rang out. Then another. Her gasp came out high pitched and strangled as one figure hit the ground with a thump and the other the wall across from her.
"Oh my god." She moved before she could think twice. The man on the ground was the robber, a hole clean through the middle of his forehead, and the one clutching his bleeding side was-
"Red Hood," she breathed, freezing where she was.
He lifted his head - helmet? - to look at her. "That's my name. You alright, sweetheart?"
"Am I-? I'm not the one who's been shot!" She reached forward to catch him as his head thunked back on the brick. Moving his brown leather jacket, she peered at the bullet wound. "No exit wound. You need a hospital."
He made a sound which could have ranged anywhere from a grunt of pain to an amused scoff. It was hard to tell through the helmet's distortion. "Yeah, not likely."
"No, you need a hospital," she stressed, "that bullet can't stay in there."
He touched the dyed strands of hair falling in front of her face. "Yeah? What are you gonna do about it, Red?"
And that was how she ended up with a vigilante sprawled across her baby pink three seater couch, four towels beneath him to save her poor couch from any permanent bloodstains.