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Victor Friese, or more infamously known as Mr. Freeze, was highly displeased for a myriad of reasons. For one, he was forced to work with henchmen for the first time because he wasn’t going to be able to steal all the materials he needed alone in the short time span Batman was missing. No one knew if he was on a mission with the Justice League or recovering from yet another devastating injury, so they had to make the most of this time.
The problem was that these henchmen were absolute thugs. Penguin offered to lend him a few of his goons, who were actual professionals, but he had declined because he knew his sort-of-friend had his own plans to enact. Now, he deeply regretted it because the guys he found didn’t take orders well and were missing a few brain cells. Or maybe they didn’t have any at all because good heavens they were incompetent morons!
To make things worse, reports of Robin were filtering in. Which was strange, because Freeze was certain that Robin had become Nightwing and moved away. If the brat had decided to return to his old gig after well over a year, the Bat must be truly desperate. And there was one very important thing to know about Mr. Freeze when it came to Robin.
He hated him. So, so much.
The brat was so annoying! He flipped all over the place, swung on Freeze’s delicate machinery (which was almost worse than just smashing it), and spouted all kinds of quips and nonsense the entire time. Freeze didn’t hurt kids, but man if it wasn’t satisfying to watch Robin slip on a stray patch of ice and slam face-first into his research papers. It was well worth the time it took to reorganize all of his research!
So when Robin became Nightwing and moved to Bludhaven, Victor was beyond relieved. He didn’t care if he had a fight with his parents or was moving away for college. Penguin, who felt similarly about both kids and Robin, actually threw a going away party when he was sure the obnoxious kid wasn’t coming back anytime soon and invited several of the other relatively chill villains. It had everything from roast chicken (robins were too small for an entire dinner party) to a Robin-shaped pinata that had to be specially commissioned because most people didn’t want to get on Batman’s worse side. It was the singular party Freeze had enjoyed since his wife got sick.
But to hear that the horrifying hero was back in town was really ruining his whole day. Maybe even his whole week.
And then Penguin sent word that Robin was heading his way. Coldly, he told the thugs to keep an eye out for Robin before turning back to sort through the supplies that were slowly streaming in. There were just three more things he was waiting on, and then he could ship them all off to a secure location until Batman’s inevitable crackdown upon his return passed over. He had a good feeling about the next concoction. If he could just make sure there weren’t any issues or interruptions, he might be able to hold his dear Nora in his arms again. Maybe then they could finally start their family.
Suddenly, there was a loud “Boss!” from behind him as a goon raced in with a gleam in his eye. “We caught Robin!”
Oh great. He was really hoping the little twerp would go bother someone else. Hopefully, he could knock the menace out and leave him on a safe little rooftop somewhere. Maybe a hospital’s roof? Or Wayne Tower was pretty safe, so that could work.
Rubbing an exasperated hand down his face, he says, “Bring the flippy brat in. Let’s see what nonsense he’s going to spout this time.”
What Victor expected was a full-grown brat who, despite being chained and outnumbered, bragged and antagonized evildoers before contorting himself like something out of a horror movie and escaping. What he got instead was a scrawny little kid half as tall as himself who stayed dead silent as he was dragged into the room.
Freeze was so surprised that it took him a minute to get over his shock and actually notice the real details of the itty bitty birdy. The boy was injured and limping heavily which was why the goons were dragging him. Blood caked the side of his head and there were bruises peeking out along the edges of his suit. For heaven’s sake, there were bruises ringing the kid’s neck. And while the kid was glaring defiantly at Freeze, there was pure terror hidden behind the brave face.
“What,” Victor said menacingly, “Did you do to him?” The kid minutely flinched in his captors’ hold, but the crooks flinched too so they didn’t notice.
One of them cleared their throat before stating, “We grabbed the kid, just like ya ordered.”
“I didn’t tell you to beat up a child!” Freeze roared before realizing that Robin had started to tremble. Okay, he needed to stay calm-ish so the baby didn’t faint on him.
Another guy protested, “Robin isn’t a child! He’s the enemy! Who cares if he’s roughed up a little?”
Victor’s vision went red, which was rather interesting since he almost exclusively saw blue these days, and stalked forward, ripped the monsters away from the kid, and threw them into the far wall before freezing them on the spot. Next time, he was borrowing Penguin’s guys. They at least knew not to hurt children.
A whimper came from behind him, and when he turned he saw Robin dragging himself backward to the closest, darkest corner. The kid was shaking and visibly holding back tears. When he reached the corner, he pulled his knees up protectively and buried his head in his hands. It stabbed Freeze straight in his cold, dead heart. Despite being known as a villain, Victor hated hurting innocents and had gone out of his way to make sure he’d never hurt a kid. But here was Robin, beaten and bruised from his thoughtless orders.
Internally cursing himself, he slowly walked toward the child and stopped a good ways away before sitting on the ground. Honestly, he knew nothing about kids. He had no idea how to comfort them. Especially not after they were beaten to a pulp and dragged before a notorious villain. After awkwardly clearing his throat, he gently says, “I’m so sorry they hurt you. They shouldn’t have done that.”
When he spoke, Victor’s voice seemed to reverberate off the cold concrete walls, and the kid flinched violently at the sound. From this close, he can clearly see that this kid had not grown up in ideal conditions. He was far smaller than the last Robin ever was, and he flinched whenever Freeze moved too quickly. And while you could chalk that up to the beating the kid just endured, he knew better. Despite not being around kids often, he knew a trauma response when he saw one.
It made fury burn bright in his chest. Why the hell did Batman turn a child into a living, breathing punching bag when they obviously needed love and attention rather than bruises and a death wish? Maybe he should keep the kid…
No, no, he may be a villain who eventually wanted kids, but that didn’t mean he could steal someone else’s kid. Besides, Brat Robin seemed relatively well adjusted for a child hero, and the Bat seemed to truly care about his first sidekick so why would it be different for the second?
“Where’s Batman? How big of a building do I need to blow up for him to come get you?” The tiny bird shook his head, and he assumed that meant Batman wasn’t available for a pickup. That made things a tad bit difficult, but that didn’t mean he was completely out of options and forced to adopt the small, admittedly adorable child.
“Why are you out alone?!” he exclaimed, absolutely horrified. Everyone already knew that Batman was away, but Victor figured he must’ve been back if Robin was out and about.
Shifting a little, Robin says miserably, “I wanted to show them that I could be a good Robin. That I wasn’t just some useless streetrat.”
Oh, that hurt his nonexistent heart again. After he recovered from the pangs in his chest, Freeze asked, “What about Nightwing? Could he take you home?”
That was apparently the wrong thing to say because Robin’s shoulder started to shake before he whimpered out, “He hates me.”
“I’m sorry,” Freeze softly responded. “Was he the one who said those mean things to you?” With a dejected look on his face, Robin confirmed it and unknowingly made Freeze even more hostile to the living yo-yo. “That’s difficult, and he shouldn’t have said those things to you. But he’s still a hero. He wouldn’t leave an innocent little kid alone with an evil villain.”
Sniffing, Robin says, “You think so?”
“Sure. I had to suffer through the brat’s stint as Robin for many, many, extremely long years. And I like to think I at least know the people I’m battling on the semi-regular decently well. So, how about it? Should we try calling him?”
Nodding, Robin scrubbed at his eyes, an action that did absolutely nothing with the mask in the way, and quietly said, “Okay. But what if he doesn’t come?”
Taking a second to think, Victor finally says, “I know Batman trusts Commissioner Gordan, although I don’t know to what extent. We could try going to him for help. Otherwise, I can drive you wherever you want and drop you off. The Bat has to have some safehouses. I could even give you some money and a jacket so you can take a taxi. No matter what, we’ll figure something out. But first, let’s see whether or not Nightwing is the hero he claims to be.”
Robin took several calming breaths before gingerly pulling a phone from his utility belt and dialing Nightwing’s number. His hands were shaking so badly he gave up on holding the phone to his ear and simply put it on speakerphone before setting it on the floor.
The phone rang.
And rang.
And rang.
Victor could see the precious little hope Robin had ebbing away as the phone continued to ring, but he himself was getting more and more frustrated with the brat of a former Robin. But then, there was a click followed by a curt voice. “I’m busy so make it quick, Robin.” The last word was said with bitterness, and it said a whole lot about the family (because of course they were) dynamic at home. It reignited the urge to adopt Robin and shower him with love.
At the words, another whimper escaped Robin. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing would come out as he started shaking again. And Freeze was picking up that the trembling meant the precious child was crying.
“Robin, spit it out already,” Nightwing said exasperatedly, and Victor had had enough. Oh boy, was he going to have to plan some nasty things for Nightwing’s future at his next lunch with Penguin and Ivy.
In an icy tone, he said, “I would’ve thought a hero like yourself would be a bit more gentle with a literal child.”
That changed Nightwing’s tune right quick. “Freeze,” the younger man said darkly. “What have you done with Robin?!”
“Calm down, you brat,” he couldn’t help himself from growling out. “Robin needs an evacuation, and apparently you’re the only one who can do so. He’s injured, but not critically. I’d drive him home myself, but I’m assuming the big bad Bat wouldn’t appreciate me knowing where his lair is.”
Nightwing stayed silent for several moments, seeming to consider whether or not this was a trap, before threatening him and demanding his location. Freeze rattled it off and abruptly hung up on the blue hero. An action that was rather pointless but gave him immense satisfaction.
“See, I told you he’d come,” Victor said in a comforting tone. “While we wait for the flippy brat, would it be alright if I take a look at your head? It looks like it might still be bleeding.”
The kid curled up defensively but huffed out a surprised breath before parroting, “Flippy brat?”
“Oh, yeah. Let me tell you, he was the bane of my existence when he was Robin. All his flips and quips gave me a headache faster than Batman’s fists ever could. Say, if you let me patch you up, I’ll tell you about all the embarrassing things I saw him do. How about it?”
Robin perked up and eagerly asked, “Like what?”
Smirking evilly, he says, “Have you ever heard of the dreaded Discowing?”
Shaking his head, Robin gingerly but eagerly scoots forward. “No! What’s Discowing?”
The entire time they were waiting for the annoying big bird, Freeze told the bright little Robin about every silly and embarrassing thing Nightwing had ever done in his presence. He even managed to pull up a random photo he had of Discowing on his phone to show the boy, who obviously crowed in delight at the horrific fashion nightmare that haunted villain’s and civilian’s nightmares alike.
A little while later when the conversation had died down, Robin quietly broke the silence saying, “You’re not evil; you saved my life.”
Victor didn’t do something as undignified as snorting, but he very nearly did. “Kid, the idiots I hired could’ve killed you.”
“No, not today. Several years ago, there was an abandoned building that got set on fire by some random wannabe villain. A bunch of us homeless kids were inside, and we almost died. Would’ve died if you hadn’t come along and decided to waste your time putting the fire out. Batman ended up catching you because you saved us. Thank you.”
Robin’s words short-circuited Freeze’s brain momentarily, but when it finally rebooted he replied, “No worries. Despite what people think, I know the value of life. I may prioritize some over others, but kids deserve to be safe. It was worth getting caught.”
After their little heart-to-heart, they continued trash-talking Nightwing because that seemed to be a safe subject for both of them. Besides, it felt so good to have another person to complain to about all the crap the og Robin put him and some of the other not-totally-evil villains through.
It was actually a very nice time right up until Nightwing came crashing through the door with his escrimas at the ready. “Get away from Robin!” he yelled way too loudly for someone who didn’t care about the kid. Maybe there was hope for the black and blue punching bag yet.
“Yeah, yeah, don’t get your finger stripes in a twist, you menace! I’m almost done wrapping his head and then you can whisk him off to safety,” he snarked right back.
As he finished with Robin’s head wound, Nightwing hovered worriedly at their side, ready to absolutely wreck Victor if he made a wrong move. He very nearly clocked him when Robin flinched at one point. Couldn’t he see that he was helping the kid and not torturing him? Whatever, it was just another reason on the endless list of why he wanted to dump Nightwing in the harbor.
At last, he gingerly slid himself away from the boy before standing up and brushing his hands off. “All done, but I was only able to work on his head. You should check him over when you get home.”
Bratwing nodded and said stiffly, “Thanks,” before gingerly helping Robin to his feet. When Robin was standing next to Nightwing, it made Freeze want to coddle him even more. The kid was so tiny!
On their way out, Robin waved cheerfully and shouted another thanks and a goodbye. It was a far different picture from how he was brought in. As they made their way down the hall and out of sight, Victor heard Robin say cheekily, “So, Discowing, huh?”
It was quickly followed by Nightwing’s horrified gasp and a “Don’t you ever go making friends with villains again!”
A small smile made its way onto Victor’s face before he forced himself to get back to work. He had some henchmen to fire.
…Or more accurately, freeze.