Author note: Please understand that I will not be updating this every day or every week. I write in my spare time when I'm in the mood. I will update it as soon as I write new matieral. Please enjoy! ~
Beast Boy had been making a disgruntled face at the pizza for a few minutes and Cyborg was the first to notice his unpleasant disposition.
"Dude, why the face?" Cyborg bent down to Beast Boy's inferior height and smiled. "It's just pizza, hot 'n ready to eat!" Almost forgetting about the green teen, Cyborg slapped a few of the steamy slices onto his paper plate. All the Titans agreed, no one felt like doing dishes tonight. Disposable was the way to go, even though Starfire argued about saving trees.
"Why the face?" Beast Boy asked, as if Cyborg must be stupid not to know why his expression was frustrated. "There's meat on this pizza!" He folded his arms. "What'em I supposed to eat?" They knew he was a vegetarian. They'd known forever, how could Cyborg, of all people, forget about that? Wait, it was probably because he had a love for meat.
"BB, chill out," Cyborg answered after he inhaled a slice. "That box is mine, meat lover's. The one over there is for you, it's a veggie."
Beast Boy's face lit up and he left his previously angered feeling disappear. "I knew you wouldn't forget," he said to make up for himself, "I was just messing with you." He grabbed a few slices of the veggie pizza and took a seat in the Titan's kitchenette.
A few minutes later, Starfire wandered into the kitchen area and stopped to smell the air. "Have we forgotten to dispose of the old food in the refrigerator again?" she wondered out loud.
"No, Star, it's just all the different kinds of pizza mixing together," answered Beast Boy. His mouth was still full.
"Oh," said Starfire, unsure if she should still be concerned or not. "Is there any left?" She decided she was hungry enough to have some pizza, even if it smelled weird. Nothing was weird, according to her friends, compared to her alien food.
"Plenty!" Cyborg said, "In fact, where's everyone else? We got enough for everyone."
"Well," began Starfire, "Raven is in her room meditating. I am unsure of the location of Robin and Terra."
Beast Boy and Cyborg both stopped chewing for a second to raise an eyebrow.
"Robin's been researching who-knows-what a lot lately, but Terra, too?" asked Cyborg. "Man. Whatever Robin's doing must be serious, if he's got Terra in it too now."
"I do not know if they are together, I merely was stating that both of them have been missing for the same amount of time. It is possible they could be . . ." Starfire trailed off because Beast Boy and Cyborg had stopped listening to her and were now staring at the doorway. She turned around and instantly smiled. "Robin! Terra! You have come to enjoy pizza with us!" Somehow, she forgot about what she had just said and cared more that they had come out of hiding than the fact that they had showed up together-suggesting they were together before they came out for dinner.
Robin didn't say anything as he took a paper plate and a slice of pizza. He sat down at the counter and took a bite. Terra followed exactly as he had done, but slipped in a quick "Hey" to Beast Boy as she sat down next to him.
Cyborg didn't notice anything strange and kept munching away. Beast Boy frowned for a moment and glanced at Terra, hoping she'd look back. When she didn't, he just moved on to finishing his pizza.
Raven drifted into the room a little while later and got more tea. She stared down the pizza and considered having some, but didn't feel quite in the mood. She'd eaten something earlier and wasn't that hungry. Since she felt social, however, she sat down in the kitchenette with the rest of the team.
"So, what shall we do tomorrow?" Starfire asked. She broke the ice without noticing it and everyone else felt the awkward atmosphere lift.
"I'll be busy, I've got to figure something out," Robin replied just seconds after she asked. It was almost as if he had that line prepared in case someone should ask the question.
The rest of the Titans, besides Terra, felt a familiar worry approaching. This was exactly like how Robin acted when he was trying to track down or figure out the plans of a villain whom he felt was especially a problem. Last time it had been Slade, but they hadn't heard from Slade in a very long time now.
"I'll help you," Terra told Robin. He gave her a blank look and agreed with a short nod.
"What is it you are researching?" Starfire asked. "May I also be of some help?" She wanted to know what all the commotion was about, and more than anything she wanted in on it.
"It's pretty much taken care of, Star, but thanks for the offer." Robin swallowed some pizza and acted strangely content and normal. He didn't answer her question and knew he didn't-he hoped she didn't notice.
By now, Cyborg and Beast Boy were almost done with their pizza. Cyborg moved on to get some milk out of the refrigerator but Beast Boy's eyes moved towards Terra's hands. She wiped pizza sauce off her lips with one hand and the other held up her half-eaten slice. The hand that held the pizza shook, like the pizza was heavy, but it wasn't. Again, he tried to catch her eyes.
Terra felt like she was being watched so she turned towards Beast Boy. Their eyes met, but Terra quickly adverted. "After I'm done helping Robin, we can catch a movie or something," she mumbled.
Dinner was finished without any more mysterious comments from Robin and the team retired to their bedrooms for the night. At least, most of them did. Terra had followed Robin to the evidence room, where they kept quiet so no one else knew they were there.
"Do you really think he's back?" Terra asked. Her voice was void of emotion, besides a tiny hint of what seemed to be worry.
"It looks like it . . . we can be sure exactly, but the evidence looks like something's going on, and the signs point to him." He was sitting in a chair in front of a blinding bright-light computer screen and Terra stood behind him in pajama shorts and a loose T-shirt.
"But . . . he's not going to do anything . . . like he did before, right?" Terra frowned to herself. "I think he would just give up by now." She put her hands on her hips and watched the blue carpeted floor. She knew Robin wasn't looking at her, so trying to make eye contact was useless.
"He wants something," Robin said. "We just have to figure out what it is. When we do, we'll take him down before he has a chance to even start. We've gotten him twice before, guess he's too determined for his own good."
Like the chilly night breeze crept in from an open window, memories began to invade Robin's mind. But how can you stop me, when you don't even know what I'm planning? Robin frowned. Excellent, Robin. We appear to be evenly matched and equally ruthless. Not surprising. You and I are so very much alike. Robin reminded himself that there were some very big differences, but his own words were the next to replay. Focused, serious, determined . . . as much as I hate to admit it, he and I are kind of alike.