Written for mizzmarvel. G.
Tim crouched on the rooftop, trying hard to look as much like a stray air conditioning vent as possible. Unfortunately, Star City architecture was not known for its surfeit of gargoyles and cornices. Maybe if anyone saw him, they'd just assume it was a homeless guy staying clear of the cops rousting bums in the alley. Maybe no one would see him. Only one out of every fifty people ever bothered to look up anyway.
There was a whoosh. Just enough time for him to move in from the ledge and get his staff up. Boots landed, and then, Connor.
"Robin," Connor said.
Tim compressed the staff and reattached it to his belt. "Green Arrow, hi," he said.
"Hi," Connor answered with a patient look.
Tim looked from Connor to the apartment building across the street he'd been surveilling and back. "We got a tip that Penguin's largest Pacific Rim heroin supplier was making a deal this week."
Connor's eyes went bright and he turned to face the street. "Here?"
"Third floor, fifth from the right hand alley."
"So, this is surveillance? Not a raid?" Connor asked, looking at the small black bag at Tim's feet.
"I wouldn't go in without informing you guys first."
Connor shot him a look. It had been a long time since Tim had seen Connor, much less tried to read his facial expressions.
"Okay, cool," Connor said and sat down.
They sat there for five and a half hours, listening to dinner, dessert, negotiations, and arguments through the mikes Tim had planted on the apartment's window frames. It was big. It was huge. Penguin was going to flood the entire East Coast market and bring Black Mask to his knees.
"I wonder what he's hedging his bets with?" Connor asked.
"Diamonds," Tim said. "He's got a stake in a South African diamond mine. Uncut stones that never even make it onto company inventory. He's been doing it for years, but we can't nail him on it."
"Huh. That's a lot of money."
"He's as greedy as they come."
Connor nodded.
Another meeting was set for the next night. Tim groaned. He'd wanted to get back to Gotham and get *on* this.
"Come on," Connor said.
"Huh?"
"Home with me. Borrow the wireless, report in, watch Ollie throw a fit, stay the night. It'll be better than a hotel and more secure, too."
"Thanks," Tim said uncertainly.
"No problem."
Ollie threw the expected fit over Robin operating in Star City without letting him know first, even if it was only surveillance on a Gotham-related crime in the making. Then he called Bruce and gave it to him long distance for being a bat-eared menace to society. Then he demanded to know when Connor was going to hurry up and show Tim the guestroom and where the towels were. That's when Mia leaned down the stairwell and yelled for Ollie to can it unless it was an emergency, since some people had pre-Calculus exams in the morning. She slammed her bedroom door and Connor looked from Tim to Ollie and back again before heading for the stairs.
*
Ollie had chili on the stove when they woke up for lunch. Ollie looked at the amount of rice Tim spooned into it and snorted.
Just after dusk, they left to watch the second meet-up. The microphones on the windows were still intact and apparently undetected. They did a thorough inward spiraling patrol of the perimeter, though, just to be sure. It was clean. All they had to do was wait for the bad guys to show.
They didn't bother with dinner this time. Only handshakes and assurances that the fund transfers were received and the dope was Grade A stuff. Penguin's goons loaded the duffles into their SUV. Brick shook the leader's hand without breaking any bones. It was done. Robin notified Oracle, and that was it. She could get him a commercial flight home tonight or he could wait another day for either Alfred or Batman to come get him.
He looked at Connor and looked at Connor scoping out Brick's thugs in the street below. He said, "I'll get back to you on that." To Connor, he said, "You want to?" and pointed downward.
Connor grinned. "Absolutely."
Robin counted down from three, and they flew.