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I’ll take care of you
Andy was ten the first time he was asked to spend time with Helena Wayne. She was five, small, impetuous and impulsive. She’d also stolen his watch in the first five minutes of coming into contact with him, and Andy found her, amazingly, adorable. Annoying, but adorable. Selina had gone on an extended heist, and so Andy had been stuck with the tiny little girl because Andy had been grounded from thievery for bad grades by his brother, but still expected to help with rent. So he’d sent a note out for baby-sitting, mainly to other criminals since they’d need babysitting the most.
Selina Kyle, AKA Catwoman, was not a real villain, per say, but she was a criminal, and a jewel-thief, so William and Andy both liked her a lot. She’d been there for them when their parents had died and it was the least they could do to take care of her daughter. And it wasn’t like Andy really minded taking care of Helena. Her eyes sparkled as she picked his pockets and played childish pranks while he worked on his homework and kept a watchful eye on her and the door. It wasn’t unheard of for other villains to attempt to make off with another’s child, especially if the child was the daughter of Selina Kyle, the only villain to pretty much literally have Batman’s balls in a stranglehold. Their exploits were legendary.
It was quick work to get Helena to bed at the proper time, tucked into a little trundle bed in the spacious flat of Selina. She had a blue silk teddy bear, held up for a goodnight kiss. It was silly to the nine year old, but he obliged. Until Selina and Will came back, He guarded her bedside and watched the tiny black-haired little girl sleep
Shush my darling, life is sweeter than it seems
He was fourteen when he became Scorn for real. Helena was just learning free-running and acrobatics and fighting, the little scamp. Long black hair tied in a pony, she’d sometimes sit with him on the rooftops and they’d watch the sun rise together. It was Andy’s favorite part of the day, and Helena seemed to enjoy it most too. They made an odd pair, the blond-mohawked boy and the little girl, not so tiny as she once was, sitting together. The dark girl belonging so completely to the light she herself seemed to shine, and the pale boy so wrapped up in darkness, light and cheer seemed sucked away by his mere presence. But the two were thick as thieves and happy as songbirds when near each other.
Andy continued babysitting the nine year old, though she sometimes complained that she was too old, but two kidnap attempts and one murder attempt later and Selina was only comfortable when Nightwing or Scorn were there to babysit her daughter, as they were the only ones who could turn fighting apprehending and/or killing people who came to hurt her baby girl into a game. Though she’d expressly forbidden Andy to show her how to puncture the jugular without creating a large spurt of blood, or any fatal ways of taking care of the idiots who came into the apartment. Andy only listened to her rules on that matter because Helena didn’t like watching people die very much.
Life was hard, it wasn’t fair. His grades were good but Will barely noticed him anymore. He couldn’t tell anyone his nighttime activities or why he was the only one in school who didn’t like Batman and Robin. His best friend was nine years old and he didn’t know his parents apart from a little picture by his bedside. It was always better when he watched the sun rise; it reminded him there was a little good in his life. One of the little pieces of good laid her head on his shoulder and sighed happily. He smiled and looked back towards the sun. Her blue bear was clutched in her hands, for all she was nine, and he leaned down and kissed the bear goodnight. Helena never stirred from her sleep. It made Andy smile.
No matter what, I love you
He was twenty-five years old and had given up the Scorn costume in favor of just, for now, being a jewel thief. Being driven almost completely insane by the Joker Gas when he was sixteen had curbed his desire to be a vigilante, and his brother was dead anyway, so why should he even bother? However, he was interested to note that there were copycats of himself and Will, though he had been annoyed at first, especially when nearly every member of the Batfamily had climbed through his window and threatened him with his life if they ever caught even the slightest hint he’d taken up Wrath’s mantle.
It had hurt when Helena herself had said it, but then again she was Huntress now and was no longer Helena Kyle but Helena Wayne. They might have been friends since she was little more than a toddler, but friends had betrayed her and it didn’t do her any good to be trusting. Still, she’d warmed up considerably when it was confirmed that it wasn’t him but another who was parading around as Wrath, (oh the blessings of technology) and she let him do his thing as long as he gave her information she needed, which Andy was only too happy to oblige. He’d really do anything for little Helena, for all that she was a woman now and not the little girl who followed him like a puppy and picked his pockets or practiced sparring with him while her mother was out.
The confession of loving her was an accident, him in black and her in her suit and he could see those eyes widen behind that mask. A confrontation on the roof, to make sure yet again that he was just going to steal jewels and would not reveal her father’s identity to anybody. And really, why should he? It wasn’t his problem anymore. Besides, if he did, she’d be hurt too. More shouting as his frustration built up and it came out in a rush.
“Dammit ‘Lena! Why would I betray you when I love you?!”
She’d stopped and stared at him as he stood helplessly before her. Yes, he loved her. He loved that she had come every day when he was in Arkham to talk to him, he loved that she was such a good person despite the life she lived and the people she lost. He loved that she still had that teddy bear, more patches than silk now, and still held it up for him to kiss when he had to take a hurt and mostly unconscious Huntress to her flat to tuck her in. He loved the way he loved her.
Helena hadn’t said anything, and this was okay. Apparently Bane was on the loose again and the Bats and Robins needed her help. He didn’t need her to say anything, not now and maybe not ever.
The way she looked at him, Andrew Mallory knew that Helena Kyle Wayne loved him too.