Teen Titans

Just Like You

A/N: Dash is back in action y'all! I found this song by Three Days Grace while listening to a friend's MP3 player and I just recently downloaded it myself. After listening to it, I decide to write this fic. It is taking place just after the first part of the Apprentice episodes and before the second. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: DashRendar does not own the song Just Like You. It is by Three Days Grace. I also don't own the Teen Titan license.

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I could be mean, I could be angry
You know I could be just like you

Robin was sparring in Slade's gym with a robot. Sweat poured from every possible location on his body, his body weaving around every punch that was thrown, each laser blast fired, each missile launched. After another couple minutes of cat-and-mouse games, he finally decided to end it. He gave a loud yell, then jumped over the robot and landed in the rafters. While it was searching for him, he dropped again, his right foot crunching through the machine, splitting it into two parts.

A voice he had grown to hate came through his earpiece. "You took too long to destroy it. Never toy with an enemy. Don't draw out the fight, end it quickly. You will repeat the exercise until you kill the robots outright." The hiss of static signaled Slade had signed off and sent another robot at him.

A metal door groaned open behind the black haired teen. He closed his eyes, calming his nerves as he turned to face a robot version of Starfire. He laughed and spoke to Slade as he launched into an attack with his Bo staff. "Never toy with an enemy, eh? Seems to me you're playing head games with me. All the robots you've been sending have looked like Starfire, save that last one that looked like Cyborg."

I could be fake; I could be stupid
You know I could be just like you

Slade yelled, "YOU WI'LL NOT QUESTION MY METHODS! DID YOU EVER CONSDIER THAT I CONSIDER THE TAMERANIAN A BIGGER THREAT THAN THE OTHER TITANS?!" Robin winced on the other end of the earpiece. "Now, you will continue to fight. End this one quickly."

Robin sighed. "Can I take a break after this? I've been training for three hours straight and I could go for some food right about now." He dropped low as the Starfire drone shot off an eye beam and he shot an explosive disk at it, sending it into sparking parts all over the floor.

Slade responded by opening the double doors at the front of the room. "Go to your room. A dinner will be waiting for you. You will shower, redress in another uniform and meet me in the main room after you have finished eating."

You thought you were standing beside me
You were only in my way
You're wrong if you think that I'll be just like you (just like you)

Robin walked out, breathing heavily as Slade's butler handed him a towel to dry off his face. "Thanks." The butler nodded and Robin continued on his way to his room. He saw many rooms with nothing in them but drones and weapons. He wondered if Slade was asleep if he could reprogram one of the drones to attack him, but Slade rarely if ever slept. He had reached his room now and found a small plate of steak and rice with a side of vegetables sitting on his bed. He started munching, followed each bite of the dry steak with a swig of water. Soon, the plate and glass were empty and he pulled the skintight material off his body and tossed it into the laundry pile for pickup later that evening.

The hot water felt good on his aching body, so he stayed in for ten minutes, just to see if it ticked Slade off. He shut the water off, toweled off quickly, threw some more hair gel into his wet hair, grabbed another uniform and put it on. He longed to trade it in for his original Titan uniform, but Slade wouldn't allow that.

You thought you were there to guide me
You were only in my way
You're wrong if you think that I'll be just like you

Slade was waiting impatiently in the main room, arms folded behind his back, his visible eye staring at the monitors of the Titans fighting with the combination of Cinderblock, Plasmus and Overload. They didn't seem to be doing so well without their revered leader. The doors hissed open at that point and he thought, 'Speak of the devil, here he comes.' "You're taking your sweet time, aren't you, Robin?" He said, keeping his voice in his normal icy tone. "Well, I don't like it. Pick up the pace. From now on, you have ten minutes for dinner, five for shower. Any longer and I will personally drag you out of your room, wet and naked if need be to show you how I hate being kept waiting. Clear?"

No response.

He repeated his question. "Is that clear, apprentice?"

Robin replied this time. "Yes Master." He spit out Master with as much hatred as he could muster. He would do anything to get away from Slade, but the manipulating little mastermind had his friends in a position where they could die. He couldn't bear to think of any one of his friends dying, especially… her. The naïve Tameranian whom he loved as much as he loved himself. He was going to say so just before Slade forced him into the apprenticeship. Now he'd never have the chance.

You thought you were there to guide me
You were only in my way
You're wrong if you think that I'll be just like you

Slade turned to look at him. "You're becoming more like me with each passing moment. Soon, you will be ready to take over this empire. You will soon be a cold, ruthless mastermind just…like… me." He got right into Robin's face, pronouncing every word slowly and deliberately to get a reaction out of him.

I could be cold, I could be ruthless
You know I could be just like you

Robin snarled, "I'll never be like you, no matter what. If you do succeed in breaking me, I won't be a copy. I will do things my way, but you'll never break me, no matter how… hard… you…try…" He followed Slade's example, getting into his master's masked face.

I could be weak; I could be senseless
You know I could be just like you

Slade laughed his usual laugh, pulling back and slapping the teen hard across the face. "You didn't see that slap coming, did you? If you did, you would have moved back to avoid it. You are a weak, senseless kid. I will have you whipped into shape in no time and you will be like me, no matter how much you hate it."

You thought you were standing beside me
You were only in my way
You're wrong if you think that I'll be just like you (just like you)

Robin finally had enough and lashed out, kicking Slade in the stomach with enough force to knock the man over onto his back. "You can tell that to my spirit, you moron." Robin's form glowed with a red aura, his eyes glowing dead white. "I am who I am. Nothing you do is going to change that."

You thought you were there to guide me
You were only in my way
You're wrong if you think that I'll be just like you

Slade rose, eye wide at the sight before him. "Hmm. Seems you have a point. I may not be able to break your spirit, but I can break you!" With a battle cry, he rushed Robin, throwing fast punches and kicks. Imagine his surprise when Robin simply moved slightly to avoid them and caught Slade's leg on the last kick.

You thought you were there to guide me
You were only in my way
You're wrong if you think that I'll be just like you

"You are about to learn the true meaning of pain. You hurt my friends, you abused me and you act like you can get away with anything you want to. Time for you to feel some pain, you monster." Mustering his strength, he chucked Slade into the nanobot machine, the red lightning dancing over the armor, certain shocks revealing Slade's skeleton as the man screamed in torturous pain.

All I own, cause I can't take living with you
I'm alone, so I won't turn out like you want me to

The monitors behind Robin suddenly flickered on and off. When they stopped flickering, a fifth monitor had come on. It read SLADE and it showed, just like all the others, the nanobots now pumping through the villain's system.

You thought you were standing beside me
You were only in my way
You're wrong if you think that I'll be just like you (just like you)

"Now you can't threaten me by hurting my friends without hurting me. Our contract is now null and void. Get rid of the activation stud. Unless you want to die along with the Teen Titans in a blaze of glory," Robin said, smirking at Slade, his aura still glowing as fiercely as had when it started.

You thought you were there to guide me
You were only in my way
You're wrong if you think that I'll be just like you

Slade fell away from the machine, his armor smoking and mask melted onto his face. "I'll never give up. As long as you are my apprentice, you listen to me, no matter the circumstances!" Slade yelled, rising shakily to his feet, a blaster attachment popping out of a slot in his wristband. As it charged, he laughed. "If you pose this much of a threat, I guess I'll have to take you out now. Pity. You would have made an excellent crime lord one day." He fired the weapon, a blast of red energy heading towards Robin.

You thought you were there to guide me
You were only in my way
You're wrong if you think that I'll be just like you

Suddenly, his aura flared and expanded, taking the shape of his namesake: a robin. "I WILL NOT BE LIKE YOU!!!!" The gun blast was harmlessly absorbed into the aura and the aura exploded like flames, setting the place on fire. The nanobot generator exploded violently, throwing Slade further into a now raging inferno.

The voice came still. "You may not realize it but you are like me. You are persistent, headstrong and smart. You will not give up until you have achieved whatever you set out to do. You don't completely trust anyone." Laughter. "It seems you and I were cut from the same cloth Robin. Go back to your team and tell them that." The voice faded away to nothing and a loud clunk was heard near Robin's foot.

The teen looked down and saw the controller for the nanobots. Grunting, he crushed it under his foot just to be safe before turning and running towards the exit as the building burned steadily. Soon the place would be nothing but ashes. 'Good riddance,' Robin thought as he pulled out his Titan communicator. "Robin to Titans. I'm coming home. Over and out."

I could be mean, I could be angry
You know I could be just like you

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So, tell me what you think! I hope you all enjoyed it but I realize some of you may not have liked it as much as I did when I wrote it.

Just Like You is from Three Days Grace's self titled debut album and I like a couple of the tracks on it. They are almost a metal band, but they are technically only a heavy rock band. The song is about standing up for your individuality and I hope I sent that message across with Robin.

This story goes out to 'rEd RoSe-StArFiRe RoSeFiRe', the only person who has read and reviewed all of my stories. Thanks a bunch! Even if your reviews are short, they mean as much as a long one.

She also showed me that you don't need long sentences or a big, fancy word to get across a message and that things can and will go wrong for whatever reason. Read her stories and you'll see what I mean. For that, I thank you as well. Keep up the good work!

Love, peace and chicken grease!

Dash

PS- Thanks to anyone else who reviewed all my stories that I missed! I'm sorry if I forgot you! Sweat drop