40 Oz. to Freedom
Jericho sat on the edge of the docks, staring out at the midnight sky reflected in the waves of the bay. His shirt off and pants barely on, his hair disheveled, sweat still on his brow.
A bottle in his hand that he casually brought to his lips for a long drink to drown out the rough tensions of being a superhero.
Behind him was a red mustang he had rebuilt from scratch with Cyborg's help, and it had become Jericho's personal ride for off-hours. And in the backseat of that car he had just left was another in the long list of girls the Titan had absolutely, completely, and utterly… satisfied. After their time together parked on the docks she had quickly fallen asleep.
Something Cyborg has said once ran thru his head and he smiled, "You know you done good when you put the girl to sleep… 'AHA! I put your ass to sleep! I am macho man! I put your ass to sleep I'm macho man!'"
The towhead giggled mutely and took another swig.
A cool breeze met his muscular body, chilling the sweat still on them. He tried to add another ounce of relaxation by lying back on the wooden docks and staring up into the large pale moon overhead.
He'd made love to a girl at the docks in the back of his car and now drinking a beverage of which he was of questionable age to drink, what sort of role model was he?
This problem has been haunting Jericho's concious for a while now. Jericho was a lover and a muse at heart, although he could slam down some villain ass when need be. But he enjoyed women, what could he say? He knew it was being promiscuous, but he always had protection and it wasn't like he was a fuck and run guy, he always kept his current lover (or lovers) in well company, never ignored them. Really loved them. It's just he enjoyed the act of sex. But if the media ever got hold of it they would grill and fry him and the Titans to high heaven.
He ran a hand thru is golden hair with a mute sigh.
And thought, 'In all the crap I go thru as a hero, I am bound by it. I choose to fight for justice, which limits my muse and labels my love foul. By choosing to fight for good I put a prison around my truer self. Is giving up my freedom worth what I do when there are so many others to fill my place in the heroic community?'
…
…
The Titan sat up and looked down at his drink, downed the rest of it, and proceeded to the backseat of his car, where he snuggled up close to the sleeping girl and put his cold body next to her warm one.
'Screw those rules, I am responsible. And I deserve this at least. Besides, every hero needs their own 40 Oz. to Freedom.'
He closed his eyes and fell asleep to the still playing Sublime from his speakers.
The warm, smiling girl snuggled up to his now unconscious body and give a giggle of, "Joey…"
…
In the morning he awoke to find her gone, he put on his shirt and button up his pants before driving back to the Tower.
It was still very early in the morning. Robin would be training and Raven was probably milling about the Tower. Everyone else was likely asleep, he knew. He'd make a clean get away.
So after parking the Mustang he proceeded up to the Main Room to gather his guitar.
But once up there he encountered someone he did not expect to see.
"Hey, Joey." Cyborg said slyly from over the bacon he was cooking for the Titan's breakfast.
Jericho's hazel eyes widened. He was still dressed in the wrinkled clothes, his hair was a mess, and he probably still smelled of her perfume.
Cyborg wasn't dumb.
The towhead waved hello as he tried to smile innocently.
Cyborg grinned and said, "Look, if I don't know where you were last night, I don't have to lie if I'm asked. So I'll just assume you decided to go on extended patrol. Cool?"
The mute hero stood dumbfounded for a moment.
…
"What? You actually want me to ask?" Cyborg added, noticing the teens look.
Forgetting he was mute for a moment, Jericho yelled, 'NO!' silently.
The mechanical man chuckled to himself, "Yea, I didn't think so. Breakfast'll be ready in 30, dawg."
Jericho nodded, smiling from ear-to-ear, before picking up his guitar, and went outside the Tower to a particular grassy knoll on the Island overlooking the bay.
He looked down at his acoustic guitar, took out his favorite pic, and started strumming out a tune to relax.
His thoughts wandered to last night and Cyborg's extreme act of kickassness just moments earlier as the cords to The Suffering hung in the air from his playing.
'I really should find one girl and stick with her.' Joey thought to himself, strumming the cords and fingering the frets.
He looked up from the grassy hill overlooking the bay around Titan's Island to the roof, and there he saw Raven, waking early to meditate. Her fair hair blowing in the wind, emotionless face laced with a tint of loneliness.
'Maybe, just maybe…' the hazel-eyed boy wondered mutely to himself.
Raven sat herself down on the roof and began to meditate, oblivious to his on looking.
Joey stared for a little while, stretched out on a grassy hill in the clothes from the earlier night, messy blonde hair looking like he just got out of bed, guitar lain across his body. He stared at the mystic girl and wondered how soft and warm she might feel in his arms. What tears she might sob to him. What they might share.
He pondered this and then with finality thought with a mute snicker, '…Nah! That'd never happen.' He sat up with a good natured mute giggle and played his guitar, and smiled to himself as the sun's golden rays warmed him, and he played on for his duty, for his love, for his freedom to have both.