Oh what a shame...I play the game...he wants the fame...
The boy stormed into the room, intending to slam the door shut behind him, only to be halted by a foot. Another man walked in behind him, a seemingly calm expression on his face. He wasn't as young as the boy, give or take older than him by a few years. His physical appearance gave him a much older look however; his hair was dyed silver, he had a few wrinkles and scars on his face, and he wore an eyepatch around his left eye. Not only this, but the man had an almost demeaning look in his eyes; hollow and unfeeling. He held himself on a pedestal, overlooking all those who were inferior to him. And at this very moment, he had his eyes locked on the fuming teen.
"I can't do this anymore, Slade. He's going to find out!" The boy growled, throwing his hands onto the dresser. The man, now clarified as Slade, did not seem fazed at the boy's sudden outburst. "I'm gaining too much publicity."
"Is that not what you wanted, Robin?" The boy shot his head towards the man,with an obvious scowl plastered on his face.
"You know damn well Robin is not my name." The boy snarrled. A small smirk curled around Slade's lips, seeing as how the boy reacted so defensively.
"Such language, boy. How will you ever gain more fans with that attitude." Slade joked, though by the tone of his voice it was hard to list it as such.
"Go suck on a-"
"Perhaps I will," Before the boy could get another word out, Slade took a step closer to him, placing his hands on his shoulders. The boy frowned at the touch, but did not pull away. Slade then spun the boy around, so that he was facing the large mirror hanging above the dresser. "Tell me, what do you see right now?"
The boy rolled his eyes, but looked at himself anyways. His jet black hair was spiked back, not at all like what he would usually wear out in public. He had on a tight fitting red shirt and green spandex, and steel toed boots. He never understood why he had to dress like a traffic light, but the fans did seem to adore the look. And finally, what stood out the most to him, was the black and white mask covering the upper portion to his face. It was the one true thing keeping him doing this job, keeping his career alive. Without the mask, he'd just be…
"Robin." The boy said solemnly. The mans smirk grew wider and he patted his shoulders with a little more force than necessary.
"Good boy! Now, if you want to be Richard Grayson, run back to daddy. Be a detective. But as for now, while you're under my leadership, you are Robin." Richard bit back a curse, shrugging the man off his shoulders. He began pacing the other side of the room, all the while Slade watched him with an amused glint in his eyes.
"I just don't understand what's so bad about being me. Why can't I be Richard Grayson at home and on the stage?" Of course, Richard already knew the answer to this, and he did not need Slade to rub the reason in his face. He knew his father wouldn't approve with it; he wanted him to be a detective, just like him. Richard never liked living in the shadows of anyone, especially when it came down to being the son of the most infamous detective in Jump City. On the stage, where he can make up his own rules and sing about the struggles he has in everyday life, he can finally consider himself free.
"Silly child, you and I both know the answer to that." Slade said with a shake of his head. He stepped over to the side, grabbing his trench coat off the coat hanger. He walked towards the door, only pausing to bid the boy a few final words. "And don't make a scene like that again, Robin. We can't have the rest of the band following in your footsteps, now can we?"
Robin crossed his arms looking away. It was pointless to argue back, but had he really acted out of turn? He couldn't stand the way Slade treated him and his bandmates, like they were nothing more than puppets on a string. If he didn't say anything, who would?
"Fine." Richard answered gruffly. Slade nodded, knowing he had won this battle.
"Rehearsals continue in five." With that final statement, the door opened and closed, leaving the boy in the room by himself. Richard dropped his head, clutching his hands together. Why couldn't he just stand up for himself and say what he felt? Aggravated with thinking too much and not getting anywhere, he toppled onto the couch behind him, screaming into the pillow.
I hear my name...above the crowd...he's oh so loud…
"Garfield! How many time do I have to tell you this?" The boy jumped, fumbling and almost dropping the gun in his hands. Even above all the gunshots being fired around him, he could still clearly hear the man's voice above all the noise.
"Um-" He didn't even have time to defend himself before a swarm of curse words were thrown at him.
"How many times do I have to explain that's not how you fire a gun? In fact, that's not even how you hold a freaking gun!" Garfield flinched as the gun was ripped out of his grip. He watched as the man took the gun into his own hands, aimed it, and fired it at the dummy in less than two seconds. "Was that so hard?" He fumed.
"I-" The boy stammered, only to be interrupted by another voice.
"Oh give him a break, Steve, he's still learning." A woman cooed, walking behind the still very angry man. She was very beautiful, with her bright blue eyes and brown bob cut. It was almost too hard to imagine that she was one of the top police officers in the Jump City Police Department. She could easily pass for a model.
In seeing her walk up, Steve's gaze instantly softened. He set the gun down and propped it into his hoister.
"The boy has been here for months, Rita, and still doesn't know how to fire a gun correctly." Steve pouted, though he still had a rough expression on his face. Rita placed her hands on her hips, shaking her head.
"You know, you weren't all that good when it came to stakeouts; It just takes some time." She tried to reason.
"Stakeouts are different! He wouldn't be able to go on stakeouts even if he wanted to! You have to at least be able to fire a gun to do so!"
Throughout their bickering, Garfield tried to put in his own input, but it was always overheard by more yelling. After about three minutes went by and neither of them had heard him nor acknowledged that they were talking about him right in front of him, Garfield couldn't take it any long.
"Hello!" He screamed, drawing the attentions from the two adults in front of him. He wanted to shrink back, but resisted the urge. Instead, he planted his feet on the ground with a stern and serious expression on his face, something that was not at all common. "Is anyone going to ask my opinion on this?"
"Oh sorry, honey," She said, immediately looking ashamed. "What were you saying?"
"I...I-" He swallowed back any fear he had left in him, or at least hid them until he could get the words out. He knew it was now or never, and there was no turning back now. "I applied for a job at the Rescue and Rehabilitation Animal Wildlife Center...and got the job."
For a few seconds there was complete silence. It felt as if the whole arena had gone quiet just to hear their conversation. Garfield shifted on his heels uneasily, waiting for the two adults answers. FInally, Rita spoke up, clearing her throat.
"That's great honey, I never knew you were into animals." Garfield could have rolled his eyes. He has gone on and on about animals since he was adopted by the two. It wasn't his fault they only cared about him being the top policeman in the tristate area.
"Yeah, I really love animals." The boy looked over to Steve, who had yet to say anything. In fact, he wasn't even looking at him anymore. Garfield began feeling uneasy again, shifting on his toes. "It...pays really well. And it counts as voluntary work for college app-"
"Unbelievable." The man grunted. Without even looking at the two, he marched away in the other direction. Garfield watched dejectedly as his adoptive father walked away.
"It's ok, Gar," Rita said, placing a hand on his shoulder and giving it a slight squeeze. "He just doesn't know how to react right now." Somehow, those words did not comfort him. "As long as you're doing something you love, he supports you, no matter what he says. Ok?" She said, giving him a quick hug.
Garfield sighed, trying to hold back tears. He already felt like a failure, and confessing this just put the icing on the cake. Still, he knew that this was the best decision, even if it was just for him.
"Ok."
Oh what a shame...I lost the game...he lost the fame...and now we're down
It was one of those rare occasions when he was allowed to go out with his friends for the night. Normally, he would be working with his parents for most of the day, and with homework during the night, left him no time to do things a normal teenager would do.
Now that he "quit" working at the police station, this left him with more things to do what he enjoyed. Steve would still be mad at his decision, but he was never cut out to work in that field of work. Steve just wanted him to follow in his footsteps. The truth was, Garfield could never see himself taking a life if it came down to it. Especially when his own life was in such a critical condition already.
"This is going to be so cool guys!" Garfield cheered. "How did you even manage to score these tickets, Vic? I thought they were sold out?" The largely build black man beside him grinned, proud of himself for surprising his best friend with these tickets.
"I never reveal my secrets." He joked. Garfield rolled his eyes.
"Oh, I can't wait to see The Titans in live action!" A girl with fiery red hair named Kori explained. She was once a foreign exchange student who came from an unnamed island. Although her English was fairly good, she still had trouble understanding a lot of the phrases.
"This is not an action movie, we're just going to see them perform." A girl with purple dyed hair and a dead expression on her face, drawled. Garfield rolled his eyes in the passenger seat, turning around to meet the girl.
"Oh, don't pretend you don't love the band either, Rae." Garfield cooed, wiggling his finger in front of her. Raven growled, shoving his hand away and crossing her arms.
"One, my name is Raven. And two, I never said they were a bad band." She growled. "In fact, they actually have some decent music." Garfield rolled his eyes, turning back around in his seat. He should count that as a victory though, since she usually only listened to her weird emo music.
"Would you two love birds stop bickering, we're here!" Victor cheered as he pulled into the parking lot. Garfield would've argued about the "lovebirds" comment, but he was too excited to do so. As soon as the car parked, he jumped out of the car with a huge smile plastered on his face.
The group of the teens soon made their way to the front entrance, after many complaints from Garfield about taking too long, and payed for their tickets. Since it was an outdoor concert on an open field, the group made sure they got there early enough so that they could get a good spot in the front of th stage.
As time rolled by, more and more people began filling in the empty spaces, and Garfield was finding it harder and harder to conceal his excited. About an hour passed before the sun was completely hidden behind the horizon. The stage lights flashed on, ceasing the mutters from within the crowd. Garfield had a hard time containing a scream.
A man in a black suit walked up stage. He had slicked back grey hair, and eyepatch, and a cool smile on his face. He walked over to the microphone, tapping on it lightly to make sure it was on. Afte confirming that it was working, his smile grew larger, and he directed his attention to the crowd in front of him.
"Good evening, ladies and gentleman. How are you all doing tonight?" The man calmly stated, raising his hands up. Immediately, the crowed cheered. The man waited a few seconds before signalling for the crowd to settle down again. "Yes, yes, I understand your excitement. In Fact, The Titans have promised to make this a show you will never forget!" Again, the crowd erupted with whoops and cheers. Garfield even allowed himself to yell, letting his excitement get the better of him.
"Well, I certainly don't want to keep all of you waiting any longer. So, without further ado, here are the Titans!" The man began walking off the stage as the curtains behind him started opening up.
As soon as the stage opened up, Garfield let out a loud yell, seeing how his favorite artists were right in front of his face. On the drums was a black girl who went by the name Bumblebee. She was notorious for always yelling black and yellow clothes, with her hair in two puffs on the top of her head. On the piano was Garth. He had sleek black hair which was always combed back. He wore a tight fitting blue and black jumpsuit and was already winking at the many girls in the crowd.
Roy Harper played the bass. He had bright red hair which was styled in a buzz cut. He was known as the bad boy in the group, being the cause to so many problems the band has had in the few years of being together. On the guitar were two twins named mas y menos. They didn't speak english very well, and were practically inseparable, which would explain why whenever they played they always harmonized.
Finally, in the front of the group, was Robin, the leader of the band. He was the one filled with mystery, for no one knew anything about him. He had obviously gelled back raven hair and his signature red and green suit on. But the thing that stood out the most was the black and white mask on his face, shielding his true identity. He immediately took over the spot where the man had left off, smiling charmingly at the crowd.
"How's everyone doing, tonight?" He said, causing everyone to cheer. Garfield smiled, never seeing his favorite artist this close to him before. He may or may not find his secretness slightly attractive. "I dedicate this song to everyone who is going through a struggle right now. Just know that you'll get through it and everything will work out in the end. You all will be the first to hear it, so I hope you like it." As the crowd cheered and clap, Robin turned around, counting off for the band to know when to start.
The music started off slow, with the band swaying in the background. Robin picked up the microphone, moving to the center of the stage. His head was hang low as he prepared himself to sing.
"You're going to be great one day, is what the always say," as he began singing, his head slowly raised up to meet the eyes of the crowd, who have now grown deathly quiet as they listened to him. "But I'm not really seeing change, though I'm trying every day. Maybe I'm not trying hard, or going the right way. So I gotta keep pushing on, even though I'm not ok."
As he began slowly walking to the edge of the stage, the crowd began clapping along to the beat. The music began to slowly grow more upbeat as he was reaching the chorus.
"Listen hear, and listen well. Do this or go to Hell. I do things when I'm asked and always say I'm doing well." He smiled at a few screaming girls on the opposite side of the stage from Garfield, and reached out to grab one of their hands, only to pull away at the last second to continue screaming. "When in reality it's not me. I'm just an asset to society. I can't l live in the shadows of someone I'm not."
Suddenly the music became more upbeat, and Robin ran to the other side of the stage, bobbing his head to the music. The crowd hysterically cheered, bobbing their heads in his footsteps. Garfield's heart began to speed up as Robin got closer and closer to him. Robin stopped on the side of the stage, gripping his hair in a mock angry rage as he continued singing the chorus.
"They told me that I'm just like my dad! The best one that they ever had!" Immediately, the words spoke to him as the memories of Steve stomping away flooded his memories. "I don't wanna feel this way, I'm just looking for a change. They told me that I'm just like my dad!" This was the chance for the band to take over, as Bumblebee began banging on the drums and the two twins slid onto their knees for their solo.
The crowd was now hyped, jumping up and down with the music. Victor and Kori followed the jumping, bobbing their heads to the music. Even Raven couldn't help herself from shaking her head and stomping to the sound of the bass. Garfield, however had his eyes fixed on the leader as he danced carefree to the music on stage. He was almost mesmerized by the sight of it.
Soon enough, the background music tuned down, leaving it with the soft melody from the beginning. Robin began clapping his hands above his head, signalling for the others to do the same. After everyone was clapping on their own, he began singing again, squatting down so that he could touch everyones hands on the side of the stage.
"They told me that I'm just like my dad…" He sang quietly. Seeing how Robin was coming his way, he got closer to the stage, holding his hand out in hopes that it would be touched by the infamous singer. "The best one that they ever had…" As Robin finally approached Garfield on the stage, Garfield felt as if his heart might explode.
"I don't wanna feel this way, I'm just looking for a change…" Finally Robin made eye contact with Garfield. His heart stopped entirely when Robin gently grabbed his hand, place a gentle kiss on his knuckles, wink, and then continue walking towards the other end of the stage. Garfield's face instantly heated up, and he turned to see if any of his friends have noticed. They hadn't, for their eyes were glued to the performance.
"They told me that I'm just like my dad."
Down in here...where no one can hear me scream...look at me…
"What kind of act was that!" Slade yelled, following closely behind to the now very aggravated teen.
"It was a song, that's what it was!" Richard retorted, stepping inside his dressing room with Slade hot on his heels. As the two entered the room, Slade slammed the door shut behind them. Richard almost allowed himself to jump, but he held back, and spun around to his manager's angry expression.
"It was not on the schedule to sing that song! Where did you even get it?" Slade barked.
"I wrote it! Is that wrong? And I still got through all of the songs on time so what's the big deal?" Richard snapped, falling back onto the couch with his arms crossed.
"The big deal is that you're breaking conduct." Slade said, pinching his nose. Richard rolled his eyes, looking away, even though he knew he was right. "What example are you making for the band? What if everyone wanted to rebel, hm? Then we wouldn't have a band in the first place."
"It was just one song, Slade!" Richard growled,snapping his head towards him. "And all of the songs you force us to play is crap anyways!" He knew he probably crossed the line with that statement, but it was true. All of the songs they were forced to sing were meaningless.
"It doesn't matter about the meaning! It matters if the fans like it, no one cares about some...sappy song talking problems you have with your father!" If it were possible, Richard's frown grew deeper. He stood up, resisting the urge to punch the man in the face.
"I'm going out," He grunted, pushing past the obviously confused man and pissed off man.
"And where do you think you're going?" He asked, baffled. Richard continued walking, opening the door that was once closed. Just before he closed the door behind him, he gave the man inside the room the finger, before slamming the door shut.
Outside, it had began raining. Still, Richard didn't care that he was going to get all wet, he just wanted to get as far away from Slade as possible. It took him a few blocks for his anger to finally steam over, and he was left feeling utterly alone. He sat down on the curb below a street light, running his hand through his now soaking hair. He sighed, dropping his head and allowing the rain to pummel his back. Below him was a puddle, to which showed his reflection clearly. All he saw was Robin.
In an angry fit, he grabbed the mask that was still on his face, and ripped it off. He then threw it a couple feet beside him. Now, looking at his reflection, he could see the dark blue eyes of Richard Grayson. The boy he wished the rest of the world knew. The boy no one will ever know.
"Dammit." He cursed, rubbing his eyes as he felt tears threatening to spill. To top it all off, the rain began to pour harder, and he knew he would have to find shelter soon before he got sick. Still, he didn't want to go back. He didn't want to go back to the trailers, where Slade would give him a lecture about respect and following conduct. And he couldn't go home to his father, who would pry him about where he was and why he wasn't at the station today. So where could he go?
Suddenly the rain stopped. Wierd, he still heard rain hitting the ground and buildings around him. He looked up to see a boy about his age standing above him holding an umbrella. He had fairly tan skin, although he was obviously once pale before. Richard guessed he had spent a lot of time in the sun. He had blonde hair, with the tips of it dyed green. Light freckles framed his face and he had shining green eyes which seemed almost unnatural. Richard immediately recognized him as being part of the audience members during the concert.
"I...uh...I think you dropped this." He said sheepishly, holding out his other hand to reveal a white and black mask. Richard eyes widen, quickly taking the mask away from the boy. The boy didn't seem too upset at Richard's rash behavior and smiled softly. "So you're Robin." He wasn't even asking a question at this point. There was no point in lying if he had saw him reveal himself.
"Yeah…" He said slowly. The boy's eyes lightened up at hearing this.
"I'm Garfield, but I prefer Gar." Garfield said excitedly, sticking his hands out for Richard to shake. Hesitantly, Richard accepted the handshake. "Can I ask why you're sitting out here in the rain all by yourself?" Richard turned away.
"I should be asking you the same thing." Richard said, obviously avoiding the question. Garfield grinned, nudging his head in the other direction.
"My friends decided to go eat after the concert. Only problem is is that it's a meat buffet and I'm a vegetarian," With this statement, Garfield visibly shivered. "I saw you walking and thought I should say hi. Great concert by the way." Richard snorted.
"At least somebody liked it. I can't say anyone else did." Garfield cocked his head to the side, obviously confused.
"Why, did something happen?" Richard just shrugged. He watched as Garfield looked around for a bit before sitting down beside him on the curb, making sure the umbrella was covering them both. "You know...I'm a pretty good listener."
Richard gave him an incredulous look, wondering if the boy was actually serious. It was already bad enough that he had already seen him without his mask, now he wanted to know all his secrets? Still, no one never offered to listen to him vent before, and sharing the words with a total stranger meant that he wouldn't have any connections to the important people, aka, his father. Richard sighed.
"If I tell you, you have to promise you won't utter a word to anyone, ok? In fact, don't even tell anyone you saw me here." Richard stated seriously.
"My lips are sealed," Garfield smiled, pretending to lock his lips with an imaginary key and throwing it away. Richard didn't know why he was putting his trust in a total stranger, but he felt like he could trust him. And so, he told the story of how he was the son of a successful detective who wanted him to follow in his footsteps. He explained how his father wouldn't approve of him wanting a singing career, which was why he wore a mask during his concert. He went over how his manager was a jerk and was only concern with money. The whole time Robin was explaining his life story, Garfield listened with open ears, only speaking to acknowledge he understood. By the time he finished, the rain had already stopped, and almost half an hour went by.
"Wow, that really sucks dude." Garfield said. Richard nodded his head in agreement. "I wish there was some way I could help."
"Thanks for listening anyways, Gar." Richard said. Garfield smiled, preparing to say something else when his phone rang. He apologized, digging into his pockets and pulling out his cellphone. After reading the text message, he quickly sent out a reply before shoving the phone back in his pocket.
"I'm sorry, I have to go." He said, standing up. For some reason, Richard felt upset that he had to go so soon.
"I guess I should start making my way back to the trailer." Richard said, standing up also. He looked at Garfield one last time, admiring the odd beauty of him. He thought he was cute when he spotted him during the concert. How ironic was it that they would talk like this not even an hour later. "I really appreciate you listening to me when no one else would."
Garfield flashed his charming grin again. As if suddenly remembering something, he began digging in his pocket, pulling out a piece of paper and a pen. He then began to scribble something on the paper, before handing the small slip to Richard. Richard took it, and was surprised to see a phone number on it.
"In case you ever want to talk again." Garfield said, smiling. He then winked, turned on his heel and walked away in the other direction. Richard looked back down at the paper. Normally, whenever people gave him their numbers he would just throw them away without a second glance. Perhaps he would keep this one for emergencies.
A small smile inched across his face as he tucked the paper safely into his pocket. He looked up, watching as Garfield regrouped with his friends from a distance. He caught Garfield giving him a small wave goodbye, going unnoticed by his friends. Richard returned the favor, before walking in the other direction back to his dressing room.
I know I shouldn't be starting another story (especially since I haven't uploaded Grayson High in awhile, I'm working on it) but this writers block was killing me!
This story was actually created with my friend Sapphire Sterre (Go check her out on fanfiction, she's such a good writer guys!) so that's the only reason I'm writing this out. This story is fairly different then my usual stories (in my opinion) and I would love to see what you all think about it. We wrote the songs here together and I'm hoping they sound alright.
Please review!