Summary: AU. What would have happened if Aqualad was part of the original five Titans instead of Cyborg? Or if Raven joined Titan's East? A look at what the Teen Titans could have and should have been like told through drabble sentences.
Chapter 1 ~ Titans East—and Raven
Raven stared at Robin. "What?" The word was clear, quiet, and deadly.
Robin swallowed nervously despite himself. He'd faced down Slade, Trigon, and even Batman, but Raven with that glint in her eye still made him want to duck and cover. He made himself look at her, and gulped again. She was not happy.
"You're sending me to Titan's East. Why?"
"They need guidance. This is the fifth time Bee's called me for help. Her team's barely listening to her, and she desperately needs someone who can communicate with the twins—"
"So, send Starfire! Don't tell me, after all the kisses she's given, she hasn't learned Spanish by now?"
Robin flinched. Ever since Starfire emerged from her cocoon, she'd been on a hormonal binge. Apparently, matured Tameraneans had the sex drive about triple of that of a human teenage boy. She'd nearly driven Beast Boy insane, had tried to seduced a disturbed Cyborg, and Robin had been forced to explain to her why exactly sex, (especially the kind she was offering), within a team was not a good idea. It was weird, because in many ways Starfire was still the innocent, bubbly, child she'd been a couple weeks back, except she routinely left the house in search of what Raven called wryly, her "boy-toys."
"Yes," he admitted, "Star's probably got the language down, but she won't provide the solid authority you can offer. And Bee doesn't like Star, remember?" The two girls had clashed over their mutual short-lived crush over Aqualad, and even after they both got over him they never got along. Plus, after Bee found out that Starfire tried to seduce her boyfriend—
"Send Cyborg," Raven argued, "He's her boyfriend, they get along fine."
Robin couldn't help but grin. "They may be dating, Raven, but we both know that they get along about as well as electricity and water. 'Sides, Cyborg can't speak Spanish to save his life."
"…uh, Beast Boy?"
"That's not even funny." Robin sighed, putting his head in his hands in an attempt to garner\r sympathy from the empathy. "It's just, you're the perfect one for the job. You're commanding, calm, and good in a fight. You speak fluent Spanish, and Bee likes you." Robin knew he sounded wheedling, but, judging from the look on Raven's face, it was working. "So, you in?" he asked hopefully.
Raven smirked. Hoisting herself onto his desk, she swung her legs over and bent down to look him straight in the eyes. Robin tried very hard to focus on her face, and not on the fact that their bodies were so close he could feel her body heat. Ever since Trigon had been defeated, Raven was a lot more comfortable with physical proximity. She was also a lot more casual about her outfits, preferring now to go without a cape, though she kept the leotard. All in all, when she was two inches away from him, her toes brushing his calves and her lips so close he could feel her breathing, it was rather distracting.
"Flattery isn't a good look for you, Robin." She teased, and smirked. "Fine. I'll go for six months. But you owe me." She jumped off the table and walked off, and Robin rubbed his forehead. He wasn't sure what kind of favor Raven would cash in, but he hoped it wouldn't be too humiliating. Batman didn't need to hear more stories about the goings on in Jump City.
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1. Less Than Impressed
Raven's first look at Titan's East was less than impressive. Aqualad looked green as he rushed past her, barely managing a polite, "Hello, welcome to Titans East. Team's in the big room on the left."
Raven was left wondering how he could fit all into a three second interval, and then she walked into the Tower and her mouth literally dropped open. Bee stood, hands on hips, yelling unabashedly at a equally annoyed Speedy, the former holding her stingers, (which were sparking dangerously), and the latter holding a bag of what Raven surmised to be fish tacos. So that explains Aqualad...
The twins raced around, obviously trying to clean up, but without Bee's guidance they knocked over as many things as they put away.
Raven waited for about two minutes, and then cleared her throat pointedly. Bee shot a glare over her shoulder, and then promptly jerked back in surprise when she saw it was Raven who stood there. Her inadvertent stumble backwards made her step on Mas—the twins just happened to be behind her—and she fell, catching herself but not before one of her stingers shot a bolt of energy towards the ceiling. There was a boom, and then the lights flickered out. "So," Speedy said in the silence that followed, "Welcome to Titans East, babe."
2. Pep Talk
"Listen up guys, Raven ain't no second hand dum-dum in latex. She's one of the original five, and probably tougher than all of you put together. So, if any of you cross me while she's here, embarrass me, or basically screw up in any way, I'll hit you so hard you'll be singing soprano for the rest of your life."
3. Rules
"Don't plan on using the bathroom from seven to eight, that's Speedy's quality hair time, and he won't open the door, not even if Mas and Menos just spilled gasoline all over themselves and are in serious danger of lighting themselves on fire."
"Don't use the sink. Aqualad accidentally broke the pipes when he was washing the dishes. Turns out it's not a good idea to take shortcuts with stuff like this."
"(In Spanish) Don't talk to Bee before ten, because before then she's a big, hairy monster!"
4. Touching
Raven gave Speedy a withering look as the archer, who'd placed a hand innocently on her shoulder, started sliding it down. "Roy, keep doing that, and you're in serious danger of losing that appendage, which would be a pretty serious handicap considering your profession."
5. Talented
Speedy swore that Raven was the only girl who could sound smart, look sexy, and make him back off all in one sentence.
6. Publicity
Raven finds it hilarious that the residents of Star City found Aqualad's hair more appealing despite the fact that the Atlantian spent little to no time on it, as opposed to Speedy's continuous fussing. She nearly splits her sides when she catches an article discussing the possible love triangle between Bee and the twins, (afterwards, she's extremely disturbed). But what makes Raven laugh the most is the fact that, despite her international fame, the residents of Star City insist on remaking her into "Shadow, the villainess who turned good and joined Titans East."
7. Tabloid
"Dudes, I thought we sent Raven to Titans East. Who's Shadow?"
"That's the name Star City calls her, Beast Boy."
Beast Boy's mouth drops open and he drops the magazine as if burned.
Robin glances curiously at him. "What?"
Beast Boy's face reddened. "Well, apparently, 'Shadow's' pregnant with Aqualad's baby."
8. Authority
"You guys are under Bee's authority, which means you listen to her. You won't function as a team until you have a clear leader, and that person's Bee. So when she tells you to jump, jump, and then fix her hot chocolate and maybe rub her feet. Capiche?"
"Raven, I think you have to let go of the magic over their mouths before they can answer."
9. Pool
She knows that the pool's like Aqualad's room, but they don't have one back in Jump and she doesn't expect him to be naked when she slips in wearing only a nightgown. It's awkward, to say the least, especially since the nightgown happens to be semi-see-through.
10. Devious
"Dude, you saw what? Why can't I be that lucky?" Speedy's eyes narrowed at the smirk on the other boy's face. "I knew you that pansy chivalrous act was just a cover up. You totally planned it, didn't you?"
The Atlantian rolled his eyes. "Like my bed's really heated when I sleep. Atlantians usually live in waters below zero." His smirk grew at Speedy's open mouth. "Shut it, Harper. Just admit it, you got outplayed at your own game."
11. Sleep
When there are thunderstorms, Mas tends to sleep with Bee, and Menos sneaks into Raven's bed. The problem is, the two hate to be apart, so somehow the two girls end of squeezing with the twins on a makeshift bed in the living room floor.
Aqualad and Speedy are both slightly disturbed and very turned on when they wake up the next morning to find Menos snuggled into Raven's chest, Mas next to Menos, and Bee behind the other girl with her legs intertwined with hers. "And you called me devious," Aqualad muttered, glaring at the twins.
12. Home
Make no mistake, Raven loves Jump, Titans West, and her team-mates—but she starts realizing that she loves Titans East just as much. She likes being the first one up, learning to cook from Speedy of all people, and actually improving at it. She looks forward to her swims with Aqualad, her flights with Bee, and the lunch that the group always eats together.
13. Homesick
But then she looks over her shoulder, expecting Robin at the computer, and sees Bee instead. She sees the burgers at the lunch table and expect Cyborg's "now that's real food," or Beast Boy's rant about animal rights. She misses Starfire dragging her into her room and insisting on modeling lingerie for her and with her, and then lying on the bed and listening to the other girl's problems before offering advice.
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Robin wasn't sure what he was expecting when the six months finally came to a close. Sometimes, he imagined Raven coming home ready to pound his face in or demand that he buy her a medieval castle or something in exchange for her six months of duty. Other times, he imagined her arriving without mentioning a thing about a trip but wearing a small smile that would have told him that she'd actually enjoyed herself. Very rarely, he allowed himself to picture her gratefully throwing herself into his arms and thanking him for making her go. (Those daydreams usually wandered into places they shouldn't go, so Robin tried to avoid them.)
The thing was, all of those scenarios had one thing in common. Raven coming home.
Instead, he got a roomful of Titan's East, and the empath was no where to be seen.
"She's still at Star," Bee said shortly, "Miserable, 'cause she doesn't know how to tell you that she'd rather chill with us than here."
Robin raised an eyebrow at her tone. "If that were true, Raven wouldn't hesitate to tell me straight to my face. And you would hardly come here full force with your fighting face on. What's really going on, Karen?"
Bee sighed. "She misses you guys just as much as she knows she'll miss us if she leaves."
Speedy rolled his eyes. "Don't know what she sees in this place, except maybe Starfire, and Raven hardly rolls in that direction."
"Says the one who spends hours at a time grousing about how he's always being compared to the Boy Wonder," Aqualad noted.
"Si," the twins agreed.
Bee shut them up with a look. (Ah, Robin thought, Raven's doing.)
"The point is," she said, "Our girl's doesn't know what to do. Whatever team she chooses, she'll miss the other one, maybe enough to make her loose her edge. Maybe enough to get her hurt in a fight."
Robin nodded. "So it's settled. Raven's coming back, and I'll keep you guys apart for awhile. She lived without you bunch before, and she can do it again."
"Like hell you will," Speedy snapped. Aqualad grabbed at his arm half-heartedly, but Speedy easily pulled himself free, "How about, she stays with us until she realizes how much a prick you actually are and how much happier she'll be with us."
Robin gave the other boy an even stare. "I'm not the only one on this team, Roy. And while I'm sure she'll miss me too," he smiled innocently at the fuming archer, "There's the rest of the team to consider. I happen to know that Raven's really close to all of us. Mental bond, remember?"
"That can be remedied," Aqualad remarked, dark eyes going black, "Telepathic surgery does wonders."
"All of you shut up and stop acting like damn infants," Bee snapped, "I talked it over with Vic, and he said the best way's probably to share Raven. Let her stay six months with you, and then six months with us."
"No!" the twins cried, "Mas tiempo!"
"And what does Raven say?" Robin asked, ignoring the twins plea for more time.
"Can't you tell with your mind bond?" Speedy muttered, and Robin felt rather than saw Aqualad kick him.
"She says yes, if you'll agree." Bee replied.
"Then there's no more discussion," Robin looked down and started sorting through the files on his desk. "If she says yes, than who am I to stop her? You guys know the way out."
"I swear, every time he opens his mouth he sounds more like a prick," Speedy muttered as the group filed out.
"Hey, we just pretty much stole one of his best team-members right under his nose. Boy deserves some times to stew."
Back in Robin's office, a small hand touched Robin's shoulder. The Boy Wonder didn't look up. "I knew you were here," he said, and Raven came fully out of the shadows. He studied her, noting the length of her hair and the way she wore her clothes. The same Raven, but different.
"So, are you really ok with this?" Raven asked. Robin pulled up a chair for her and she sat, "I mean, I heard what you said, but—"
Robin winced. "Don't remind me. I can't believe that team of yours didn't notice that noise you made when the twins started shouting." He smirked at her, "You're just going to have to whip them into shape the next time you go visit."
Raven's eyes widened, and Robin enjoyed one of the few times he'd ever seen Raven speechless. Then, the girl hurled herself at him, hugging him around the shoulders. Robin wrapped his arms around her petite frame, and whispered in her ear, "So, does this cancel out your favor?"
The look Raven gave him was pure mischievousness as she pulled away. Lowering her eyelashes, she bit her lip, rubbing the spot with her tongue. Robin swallowed hard. "Let me think—" her half-smirk grew. "I'm in a good mood, so I suppose I'll give you that one. Consider your debt paid."
Robin smiled weakly as Raven sauntered off, looking very much like a sleek black cat who's just finished a bowl of cream. No, of all the possible scenarios, this was not one of the things he could have predicted happening. Listening to Star's squeal of joy and Cy's, "welcome home, baby girl!" And listening to Raven's low murmur of a reply, Robin had to wonder if she'd really leave after six months.
Well, he'd just have to persuade her to stay, now wouldn't he?
The End! Unless, of course, my dear readers review and tell me they want more of this story. Otherwise, I'm planning on moving on to another chapter of completely new material. Perhaps it'll be a gender bender, or a role-mix up. Any preferences? Let me know!
