Chapter Text
Tala can feel her heart trying to escape her chest as she clutches her purse to herself.
She knows she shouldn’t have taken a shortcut through crime ally, but she didn’t think this through! Well, she did but she decided to do it anyways, but it wasn’t her fault! She was new to Gotham, okay? You don’t get to judge her.
“Hey dollface, hand us your pearls and we might just let you go,” a man that looked oddly old and baby like at the same time spoke.
“After we have some fun with you,” replied the grinch, his smile stretching upwards as he took his gun out, safety off.
“She don’t got much going on in the front but her face is enough,” old baby face spoke again, pointing his gun to her head.
“If this is what your dick looks hard then i pity what it’d look like normally Tinky-Winky,” Tala was as shocked as the men at what she just said, never in her 18 years on this earth has she ever-
“YOU BITCH!” Tinky-Winky surged forwards, his hands aiming to grasp her neck as his gun pointing at her.
Before he could cross the short distance he was tripped, causing him to grab the closest thing for balance, which was unfortunately Tala’s very expensive pearl necklace that she wore to her interview this morning.
The pearls snap and roll the floor, scattering across the filthy alleyway.
The grinch ceases the moment to stab the man that caused Tinky-Winky to face plant, as he was preoccupied with looking beautiful, pale and horrified at the pearls scattered around.
Tala freezes in shock, looking the admittedly very hot man in the eyes, which were the bluest she’s ever seen, as he gasps. This appears to snap him back to reality. He fluidly moves to disarm the grinch, knocking him out in one motion. Tinky-Winky decides to throw a punch at the cute stranger, but tall pale and handsome takes knocks him out fast.
Tala would never consider herself easy, but try to put yourself in her situation. She was a damsel in distress and a knight without any armor saves her, a very pretty knight. Who wouldn’t fall in love right then and there?
He turns around to look at her while he unloads the guns, and just as she’s about to objectify him she notices the blood soaking his shirt.
“Bleeding,” she points at his abdomen.
“I’m fine,” he says as the blood dripped to his pants. His voice makes her knees weak, someone catch her she’s about to faint.
She really wants to say ‘yes you are’ but she feels like now isn’t the time, so she intelligently replies,”uhha”
She pulls at her dress as she notices his gaze on her. She’d love to say he was checking her out but he looks like he’s looking for injuries.
“You’re okay.” He states.
She nods her head and steps forwards when she notices her back was touching the very dirty walls of the alleyway.
“I am, but you’re about to flood the alleyway with your blood.” She speaks with a sure tone, which she didn’t mean to do but she isn’t going to complain.
He rolls his eyes, and if you ask her she’s going to say he’s trying to look nonchalant and cool, and he’s about to bleed out.
He opens his mouth to respond when the adrenaline seems to run out of his body, he lets out a whimper instead as his hand grips the wound.
She approaches him slowly, ready to catch him if he falls. Delusion is her automatic setting, she knows that logically she couldn’t possibly catch this tank of a man if he decides it’s the time to go unconscious.
“You need a hospital,” she speaks as she collects the pearls into her purse. She’s not about to lose them.
“No hospitals,” he states gruffly.
“My apartment is just a few minutes away, I have a first aid kid that might be of help.” She looks up to see his pained face trying to hide.
“There is no need,” he replies, ripping the bottom of his shirt and tying it to put pressure on the wound.
His body disagrees. His knees buckle. Tala holds her arms out to steady him, but he does most of the work, using the ally wall to stop himself from collapsing onto her.
She raises her eyebrows at him and he lets out a sigh in defeat. That’s when she notices how close his face is to her. She feels her ears warm up, and she’s never been more thankful for her long curly hair.
She moves to allow him to use her as a crutch, noticing that he barely lets her carry any of his weight.
They walk slowly and quietly, Tala uttering a few instructions wherever they need to turn.
They enter the apartment building and slowly ascend the stairs. He leans on the wall as she fishes for her keys, unlocking the door the. Locking it behind them.
Guiding him to the bathroom of her studio apartment, she bends down to fetch the first aid kit from under the sink.
The handsome stranger scanned the space as he perched himself on the small counter by the sink.
Tala opens the kit before she realizes she has no idea what to do. She glances up to look him in the eyes. He raises an eyebrow, smirking a little.
“You don’t know what to do.” He’s amused.
“I never claimed I did!” She crosses her arms.
He takes off his bloody shirt, grunting in pain, dropping it on the sink. If she thought he was hot before, she doesn’t know what she thinks now. This man looks like a Greek god.
“We need to clean the wound first,” he states.
She follows his instructions and cleans the area without probing the wound too much.
He says he might need stitches later but for now he’s just going to put some pressure on it. The wrap him up like a present and yes Santa, this is what she wants for Christmas this year. She’ll be good she promises.
The whole scene is oddly intimate. Her hands grazing his skin, his breath steady as he looks down at her. She pretends not to notice.
As she cleans up she speaks, “I’m Tala, what’s your name?”
When she doesn’t hear an answer she glances up to look for him but she finds no one there.
She leaves the bathroom to look around but the room is empty and seemingly untouched.