AN: Hello again! First of all, thanks so much for all the positive response to my last one shot. I'm always really nervous about showing others my writing, so I was really happy that people enjoyed it. Anyway, I've wanted to do a longer Teen Titans fic for awhile, and I finally feel like I've got enough of it figured out to start posting. Teen Titans has so many great characters/concepts/themes to explore, so I'm trying to consolidate a bunch of that into one big story, sort of my own season 6. I'm gonna go ahead and say Trouble in Tokyo isn't canon to this, as I'm having it take place directly after the finale of season 5. Pairings will mainly be what the series dictates, though this isn't a romance fic so that won't be the focus of the plot.
Anyways, I hope you enjoy the prologue, and please tell me what you think! I'll try to post more soon.
Dusk had settled on Jump City by the time Slade Wilson was walking home. He had opted for a glass eye that day, wanting to look as inconspicuous as possible. Dressed in civilian clothes, a simple coat, button up, and dark pair of slacks, most wouldn't recognize him as one of Jump's most prominent criminals. So, when walking through one of the coastal city's seedier neighborhoods, a rather desperate looking man stepping out of an alley, brandishing a handgun in his direction, shouting for his money, wasn't much of a surprise.
Slade stopped walking and raised an eyebrow. The would-be mugger glared at him expectantly. He repeated his demands, this time more clearly, shaking the gun around for emphasis. Slade almost felt bad for him. His choice of victim was extremely, unprecedentedly unfortunate.
"You really don't want to do this." Slade's voice was calm, his hands clasped loosely behind his back. He made no move to comply with the man's demands.
"Yeah, I do. Are you an idiot? Who has the gun, here?" The man snarled at him, taking a step forward. He'd lost some of his fire, though, seemingly taken aback by the older man's non-reaction. The step forward was a mistake, regardless. Slade could reach his wrist, now. He tensed, slightly, preparing to take action.
He didn't need to. With a whistle, a thin metal object caught the sleeve of the man's outstretched arm, pinning him to the nearby brick wall, and knocking the gun out of his grasp. Slade caught it easily as it flew in his direction, clicking the safety back on and looking up just in time to see Robin, Boy Wonder and leader of the Teen Titans, land smoothly on the street next to the struggling criminal.
"Nice catch," The teen said, taking a pair of cuffs from his utility belt and setting to work restraining the mugger, cuffing him to a nearby street sign. Job complete, and birdarang retrieved, he turned and flashed Slade, the man whom he considered his arch-nemesis, a reassuring smile. Now, this was surreal. Robin motioned for him to wait a moment, apologetically, before taking out his Titans communicator.
"Starfire? This is Robin. I just stopped an attempted mugging on Birch Street, can you get down here and pick up the guy?" His fellow Titan gave an enthusiastic confirmation over the line. Robin smiled again, thanked her, and then put the communicator away, returning his attention to Slade. Slade, who had to suppress a grin.
"Are you all right, sir?" It was more than a little odd, having the boy talk to him so civilly.
"Y-yes, thank you so much." Slade let out a small sigh and laugh of relief. "That, that was terrifying. If you hadn't gotten here-"
"Well, I'm glad I did. That's what the Titans are here for. I'm gonna need to take that, though." He motioned towards the handgun, and Slade held it out to him. He took it, handling the weapon gingerly, and with obvious distaste. "You're not hurt at all?"
"Oh, no, thank you. I'm fine." He paused and considered the boy before him. He hadn't planned on turning his attention back towards Robin and his team just yet. After more than a year's absence between his death and servitude to Trigon, he was still in the process of getting all of his assets back in order, hence today's outing. But Slade was flexible, and with an opportunity like this so kindly presenting itself, he felt morally obligated. "Tell me, is there any way I could repay you?"
Robin's mask shifted slightly on his face with the upward movement of his eyebrows. "Oh, no, thank you, but you don't have to do that. I'm just…doing my job."
"A job that you never get payment for?" One of many reasons the boy was wasting his time. The question, though posed innocently enough, did seem to give Robin pause. Good.
"Well," He began, turning away briefly to shoot a warning glare at his captive, who was pulling fruitlessly at his restraints and expressing his displeasure in increasingly loud volumes. "That's not really-"
"Robin!"
The Tamaranian descended gracefully onto the pavement, hues of gold and scarlet wisping in her wake. She touched down next to her teammate, and for a moment, the narrow street warmed and lit up with her presence, before her flight's afterglow faded and the street again grew cool with the coming evening.
"This is the criminal to be escorted to the police, yes?" She indicated the mugger, who had fallen silent upon her arrival. He closed his mouth, which had been hanging open, and gazed at the two heroes sullenly.
"Hey, Starfire. Yeah, that's him." Even with the mask concealing his eyes, it was clear how much Robin's face lit up in her presence. Evidently, that particular relationship was going well. Slade would need to hack the Tower again when he had the chance, get himself up to date.
"And who is this?" Starfire paused and turned her bright gaze to Slade, who returned it with a small wave.
"Oh, uh, this is Mr.…?"
"Kane." Slade smiled at the pair serenely. "I was just telling your friend, here, that I'd like to do something to thank him, for saving me."
"Splendid! That is most kind of you, though I do hope you do not feel pressured to do so. We are more than happy to help, it's why we do this."
"Oh, not at all. I just like to give back, even if it's something small. Lunch for your team, perhaps."
"I was just trying to tell him there's no need-"
"Please, Robin. I'm a…fairly wealthy person, and you Titans do so much for this city. You all deserve something in return, every once in awhile. " Slade was beginning to get impatient. The boy's stubborn streak certainly hadn't left him.
"Well…" Robin ran a gloved hand through his hair. "I mean, I don't know what you'd even…" He sighed and stole a glance at Starfire, who nodded encouragingly. No doubt it would be beneficial for them to improve public relations after their own absence, fighting the Brotherhood. "I suppose I could talk to the team about it. I mean, you're at least free to stop by the Tower. That's what it's there for, so people can communicate with us easily."
Slade grinned. "That sounds lovely."
Red X pressed himself into the alcove doorway of the broken down apartment building when he saw the streak of flames passing overhead. Peering after it, he managed to make out the figure of Starfire, carrying some sap off to the police. Amateur.
He had to be thankful, though. Things would be a lot more difficult for him if there weren't idiots running around getting caught and wasting the law's time. Snickering to himself, and tossing a few wads of cash up and down in one of his hands, he pushed the rickety paint-peeling door inwards and slipped inside.
Stepping lightly, Red X made his way up the carpeted steps to the third floor. He slipped a key out from his utility belt and unlocked the door at the end of the hallway, closing it softly behind him. He stepped over the unread bills discarded by the doorway, then the dirty clothes spilling from the laundry bin, and retreated to his room at the end of the hall, casting off the disguise (as always, sure to be careful with the components containing xenothium), before stashing it, along with the stolen money, in the upper shelf of his closet, behind some old shoeboxes.
The young man ran a hand through his black hair, savoring the feeling of cool air against his face after having worn his mask for the past several hours. Throwing on sweats and a t-shirt, he crept back into the hall and opened the door across from his, the one that lead to the living room. Sure enough, she was there, curled up on the couch and asleep, TV left on some sitcom or other.
"Mom?" He questioned tentatively, just to make sure. She snored softly in response. He smiled, walking over and pulling an afghan over her. Easing the remote out of her hand, he turned the TV off and headed back out into the hall. He glanced towards the front door, and the bills left unattended in front of it. The pile grew every week.
He still needed to iron out the details, but soon, he grinned to himself, that pile wouldn't be a problem.
Blackfire stepped over a charred body with distaste. Her clothes were ruined, but at least they were prison clothes. Gray, baggy prison clothes that didn't even fit her right. She needed to find a different outfit anyway, if she was going to get by unnoticed once she left this damn rock.
She picked rubble disdainfully off her torn up sleeves as she wandered down another drab hallway, identical to all the others, though now lined with doors rather than cells. A few fellow prisoners scampered past her, giving her a wave and smile as they too headed for the exit. She smiled smugly back at them, before pausing by one of the doorways. Small embossed lettering read 'Staff Locker Room'.
The princess gave a small clap and pushed the door open, sauntering in. Across from her, a row of blue lockers, to her left, a coatrack, and to her right, a young prison guard, cowering.
"Hey there, don't mind me, just getting some new digs." She said, walking towards the lockers and waving dismissively at the guard, who stared at her wide-eyed. She flexed her hand, once, then flung her fist forward, denting the metal door and busting it open. "Just stay put and I won't do that to your face, okay?"
Blackfire rummaged through a few lockers, until she found a pair of pants and shirt that looked to be her size. The uniforms the guards wore weren't exactly her first choice in fashion, but they'd certainly be useful for unimpeded space travel. She shot the guard an appreciative grin as she grabbed a coat from the rack and walked out, slamming the door behind her.