[Third Person's PoV]
Danny stood outside by a bench, watching as people cast him concerned and curious glances. He sat alone, observing the passing cars and pedestrians, a dull, throbbing ache radiating from his arm.
He had learned that his bones weren't shattered, but the bruising and injuries he sustained were far from minor. He sighed, glancing down at his blood-soaked jacket. 'Where's my DC durability upgrade?' he thought bitterly. 'Dick literally survived a rocket explosion to the face and went to school the next day. I get hit with a crowbar, and I can barely lift my arm?'
Danny was blissfully unaware of how ridiculous his expectations were. Any normal person would've had their bones shattered, their skin torn apart by the sheer force of the blow. Dick Grayson could walk away from an explosion because of years of intense training. Danny, on the other hand, had only been under Batman's tutelage for a month. Yet, despite starting from barely being able to do six push-ups, he had taken a crowbar hit and still managed to take down a group of Joker's fanatics—without using his powers. That, in itself, was impressive.
His musings were cut short when he spotted Tucker and Sam approaching. Sam carried a bag with a pharmacy logo, while Tucker held a shopping bag. They both sat down beside him with a sigh.
"We got everything we need. Now, let's get you patched up," Sam said, giving him a concerned look.
Danny barely had time to respond before she added, "Are you sure you don't need a hospital?"
"I'm sure," Danny answered firmly. We've already wasted enough time as it is, he thought, worry gnawing at him.
Sam exhaled through her nose, clearly displeased. "I don't know why you're so against it, but I guess this will have to do for now." She pulled out alcohol, cotton swabs, and bandages.
As she removed Danny's bloody jacket, she winced at the sight of his wound. His skin was torn and raw, bright red and oozing blood.
"Danny…" Sam's voice came out weak.
"If you ask me to go to the hospital again, I swear I'll have Tucker do the first aid instead, and he doesn't even know how to tie his own shoelaces," Danny said dryly.
"Hey! Why am I getting attacked all of a sudden?" Tucker protested before muttering under his breath, "...It's hard for some people, alright?"
Danny patted his friend's shoulder with his good hand. "Sorry, buddy. No hard feelings."
Sam rolled her eyes. "Fine. If you want to die from a sudden infection and have your arm amputated, be my guest." She grabbed a cotton swab, doused it in alcohol, and pressed it against his wound.
"OW!!" Danny yelped, instinctively jerking his arm, but Sam held him firmly in place.
"Sit still," she ordered, focused on her task.
"Warn me next time! That burns!" Danny hissed, eyes watering from the sting. It didn't even hurt this much when he got injured.
"Good. That means you're still feeling pain," Sam said flatly. "Maybe this will remind you not to do anything stupid in the future."
Tucker shot Danny a sympathetic look, knowing Sam was royally pissed at him for putting himself in danger. She didn't say anything else as she continued cleaning the wound, but her lips were pressed into a tight line, and she bit her bottom lip slightly, her frustration evident.
She switched to a fresh cotton swab, lingering slightly as she applied pressure. Her voice hardened.
"Danny, I want you to promise me something."
"No." Danny's response was immediate, his face twisting in pain from the alcohol's sting.
Sam and Tucker blinked in surprise.
"Why not?" Sam pressed, accidentally pushing harder.
"Argh! Because I already know what you're going to ask," Danny grumbled. "You want me to promise that I won't put myself in danger or do something like this again."
"Well, yeah—" Sam started emotionally but cut herself off when Danny turned to her, his expression more serious than they had ever seen.
"I'm not going to promise something I know I won't keep." His voice was steady, unwavering. "If something like this happens again right in front of me, I'm not just going to sit back and watch—especially if it involves you two."
His gaze shifted between them, his tone firm. "You two are the most important people in my life. You're literally the only reason I haven't lost my mind after everything that's happened to my family. So if either of you ever ends up in a situation like tonight, you'd better believe I'm stepping in."
'Not to mention, I don't need another lie weighing on my conscience,' he thought somberly.
Both Sam and Tucker were stunned into silence, their expressions touched. Tucker looked down at the bag he was holding, his fingers tightening around it as a melancholy look flickered across his face.
Danny sighed. He knew they worried about him. But he also knew himself—there was no way he could stand by and do nothing when the people he cared about were in danger.
Sam sighed reluctantly. She knew Danny all too well—he was too darn stubborn once he set his mind on something. It was a trait that annoyed her to no end, yet she couldn't help but admire it as well.
"Fine," she conceded. "I won't ask you not to put yourself in danger—God knows I can't stop you. But at least promise me this: if you ever find yourself in a similar situation, whether with us or someone else you decide to play hero for, promise me that you'll do everything in your power to stay alive."
Danny gave her a small smile. "Now that's a promise I can keep—gah! Be gentle, please!"
Sam scoffed at his reaction. "Come on, Hero, it's just alcohol. Calm down. I'm sure someone as stubborn as you can handle it~."
"Stubbornness doesn't equal pain tolerance!" Danny cried out in anguish, making Tucker chuckle. Sam smirked, while Tucker's smile was a little more subdued, his expression still distant.
Once she finished cleaning his wound, Sam started wrapping the bandages neatly and methodically around his arm, even securing them over his fingers.
"Here, I got you a change of clothes. Figured you wouldn't want to spend the rest of the day in bloody rags," Tucker said, handing him a shopping bag.
Danny gave him an awkward look. "Uh… thanks, buddy, but…"
Tucker tilted his head. "What?"
"Where exactly am I supposed to change?"
Tucker blinked. "Huh. That's… a fantastic question."
Sam rolled her eyes. "Central City Park isn't far from here. It's close to the arena where the concert is. You can use the public restroom there."
Danny and Tucker both turned to look at her strangely.
"What?" she asked, noticing their expressions.
"How do you even know where the park is?" Danny asked.
"Because I studied and memorized our route in advance," Sam answered matter-of-factly. "I wanted to estimate how long it would take to get here and get a general sense of the surroundings in case anything useful popped up."
Tucker stared at her. "You… memorized a map?"
Sam frowned. "You don't?"
"Why would we? Memorizing it takes the fun out of exploring. Plus, we have this little thing called technology," Tucker said, pulling out his device and tapping the GPS app. "It tells us exactly where to go."
"You mean to tell me you don't even glance at a map before heading somewhere?" Sam asked, shaking her head in disbelief. "That's just irresponsible."
Danny gave her a weird look. "Sam, we're not in a war zone. We don't need to memorize an entire map just to get to a concert." He stretched his uninjured arm. "Anyway, let's get moving before we miss it."
He stood up, and the others quickly followed. As they approached the street, Danny awkwardly asked, "Sooo… where exactly is this park?"
"Allow me!" Tucker declared proudly, stepping forward and tapping his device.
The screen went black.
A low battery warning flashed.
"..."
"..."
Danny stared at Tucker, who awkwardly shoved his phone back into his pocket. "Okay, so, uh… maybe I got a little too excited last night and forgot to charge it…"
Sam groaned and marched ahead. "Follow me, you two doofuses."
"Yes, ma'am," they muttered, shamefully trailing behind her.
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