Once upon a time, there lived five teens who were the best of friends. Not only did they all get along, but there was something unusually special about them. You see, each one of them possessed a power which ranked them above a normal civilian. Because of this, they used their powers to protect their city from were always successful in what they did, and nothing could come between them.
Unfortunately, this is not that story.
Robin pursed his lips in concentration. His fingers tapped rapidly over the keyboard as his eyes scanned every inch of the screen. His eyebrows were furrowed in concentration, while his stomach growled in frustration. No matter how much his stomach begged to be fed, he couldn't stop his work, not when he was so close to finding him.
"I know you're out there, Slade." Robin growled between gritted teeth. Again, his stomach let out a ferocious roar as another wave of hunger hit him. He mentally cursed himself for only eating a small breakfast yesterday.
Through all his typing and concentration, Robin had failed to hear the doors of the common room slide open. This was rare for Robin, since he always kept his guard up. Through the doors walked in a young lad who went by the name of Beast Boy. His bright skin matched his even more vibrant personality. Always one for a good joke, he did not waste the opportunity when he noticed his leader completely mesmerized on the data board.
This young man possessed a very peculiar set of powers; one which allowed him to transform into any animal on the face of this earth. And with such a power like that, well, how could anyone not take advantage of it?
With a sly grin on his face, the youngster turned into a tiny mouse, silently scurrying over to where his leader was typing away. Once he reached the foot of his chair, the mouse stood up on his hind legs and rubbed his green paws together maliciously. He positioned himself behind the chair, and within a blink of an eye, the tiny mouse transformed into a ferocious lion, which let out a mighty roar.
Now, any other person would have screamed in terror at the sound of a large beast behind them. Unfortunately, Robin was not a normal person. He was trained by the infamous Batman of course, so he was well adapted to the idea of expect the unexpected. So, before the lion could even comprehend what was happening, a fist was thrown at lightning speed, hitting the beast square in the nose.
The beast let out a surprised yelp, stumbling backwards. It had failed to notice the carpet poking out beneath the table and promptly tripped over it, crashing onto the floor. In a matter of a second, a green boy took its place, sniffling and clutching his nose in pain.
"What gives, dude?" Beast Boy cried, which came out more nasally than expected. Robin's surprised expression quickly turned into anger as he stood up in his chair.
"I should be asking you that, dude." Robin demanded, sarcastically mocking the teens choice of words. "You know I'm busy!"
"Ever heard of a joke? Besides, you needed a break anyways." The boy on the ground examined the other one and rolled his eyes. "Did you even sleep at all last night?" He asked incredulously. Of course the question didn't need an answer. It wasn't unheard of for Robin to spend his nights searching for fruitless clues.
"Just give me your hand so I can help you up." Robin growled, sticking out his hand.
"I think I'll stay here, thank you." Beast Boy said, sticking his nose up at the offer. Robin guffawed for a second before shaking his hand at the teen again.
"I'm not playing, Beast Boy, get off the floor." Robin growled more sternly.
"Well maybe if you hadn't punched me in the face I wouldn't be on the floor in the first place." Beast Boy counteracted stubbornly.
"You're the one that turned into a lion and tried to scare me!" Robin screamed. Still, Beast Boy had yet to let himself be helped up. Instead, he crossed his arms with a humph.
"No." He spat.
One could only imagine the dumbstruck expressions the rest of the team wore when they saw their humble leader and lovable prankster on the ground tangled up in each other with one yelling 'get up!' and the other, '"let me sit here and wallow in pain!'. It took the three other teens a good five minutes to separate the two, and even then, the arguing and complaints did not stop for an additional ten minutes.
You see, dear reader, this is only one of many arguments the two have had. In fact, their bantering has been going on a few months now, and everyday it was something different. No one knows why these arguments have started. Even Robin and Beast Boy didn't quite understand what led them to dislike each other's presence so. Still, they were both too stubborn to confide in each other and work things out, which often lead to more drama in the long run.
It was beginning to get so bad that it interfered with their crime work. Why, just the other day, the group of supers had a mad dash with a commonly villain, Control Freak. Now, Control Freak was not one of their more costly villains, but he did manage to stir up some trouble from time to time. This time, the shapely villain had decided to rob a local electronics store. He had somehow managed to make the gadgets come to life. To make a long story short, Control Freak got away because the two of them could not agree on who should take him out first.
It was beginning to become quite redundant and costly, but the two refused to solve their problems. No matter how many times their friends said they should overcome their difference, the two would just not do it. Sadly, this would become their downfall.
The two refused to talk to each other for the rest of the day. In fact, they did not even make eye contact. It was fairly difficult considering they both had stayed in the common room after the event. Neither of them were willing to remove themselves from the rest of their friends, which is why they still ate dinner and watched a movie together. Still, that did not stop the awkwardness of it all from spreading across the room, and a certain cyborg had had enough.
"Listen, I don't know what is going on between you two but-" He began, pausing the movie, only to be interrupted by unanimous screams of 'there's nothing going on between us!'. As soon as Robin and Beast Boy said this, glares were thrown between them.
"Friends, obviously there is something of the matter. You two have been acting like a bunch of gorzelkaas while waiting for their next meal." Starfire chimed in innocently, but by the blank stares she received she could tell no one understood what she was talking about.
"Maybe if Beast Boy wasn't so childish and annoying we wouldn't be arguing." Robin growled under his breath. Beast Boy had heard, however, and jumped out of his seat.
"Oh yeah, well maybe if you weren't so stuck up and boring I wouldn't have to be childish!" He yelled. Robin stood up also, meeting the green teen face to face.
"At least I act my age!" Robin retorted. Beast Boy snorted.
"I act my age. You act like a stuck up adult. News flash, dude, you're only 18." Beast Boy yelled.
"Last time I checked, that makes me a legal adult." Robin shot back. It was only a matter of time before they were screaming on top of each other. Raven, who had been meditating in the corner growled under her breath and rubbed her temples.
A beam of dark energy wrapped around the two, separating them and suspending them in mid-air. The two still did not cease their arguing. Raven sighed and stood in the middle between the two. With a raise of her hands, tendrils shot over their mouths, shutting them up.
"I'm sick and tired of all of your arguing. Need I remind you that I'm an empath so I feel every emotion that you guys are letting out. If you two don't shut up I will lock you in another dimension and leave you there until you make up." Raven growled.
"That doesn't sound like a bad idea actually." Cyborg piped up.
"Do I make myself clear?" Raven asked, avoiding the cyborgs comment. The two nodded fervently. With another wave of her hand, Robin and Beast Boy were released. Robin dusted himself off before shooting one final glare at Beast Boy.
"I'm going to bed." He stated.
"Not if I get to bed first!" Beast Boy called, already making his way to the doors leading to the dorms. Robin quickly followed after him. As they both reached the door, they found it impossible for both of them to fit through at the same time. After a brief struggle of the both of them trying to fit, they managed to squeeze through, and with that they were gone.
"What are we going to do with them?" Cyborg side, pressing play on the movie.
"It's not only anger I feel from them. They're also confused." Raven stated.
"Confused about what?" Starfire asked. Raven shrugged.
"Each other." She simply stated. Cyborg and Starfire exchanged questioning glances, before turning back to Raven for elaboration. She sighed. "There's some deep down emotions that they cover up with anger to hide. The main one's I feel are confusion and love."
"Well of course they love each other." Cyborg stated. "We are a family."
"No, friend Cyborg, I think she means a different kind of love." Starfire said quietly, directing her attention to the television screen. Cyborg adjusted his gaze to meet hers. At the moment, the main characters of the movie, who had been denying their feelings for each other, had poured out their feelings for each other and had shared an intimate kiss with each other.
"No way." Cyborg gawked.
"It is the way." Starfire comforted. The three of them sat in awkward silence, processing the information. Then, out of the blue, Cyborg bursts out laughing, followed by giggles from Starfire. Even Raven cracked a smile and shook her head as she prepared herself to continue meditating.
Because how could such a ridiculous idea ever be true?
…
The next day was already foreshadowing something bad was to happen. Dark clouds hung above Jump City as thunder clapped and lightning lit up the skies. No one in their right minds would go out in weather like this. Of course, there would always be someone who was a little less than sane.
"Have any of you seen friend Beast Boy or Robin?" Starfire asked, floating into the kitchen to where her friends we located.
"Not since last night." Cyborg shrugged, flipping his waffle.
"Oh, I do wish they are the alright." Starfire mused.
"They just need to blow off some steam." Raven soothed, in her monotonous tone. The three sat down to eat breakfast together, usually something reserved for the five of them, but seeming as that was not an option they continued eating.
Just then the doors opened and in walked Robin. He walked with a sense of authority and confidence. His cape fluttered behind him gracefully as he made his way to the kitchen. Without a word he grabbed an apple, and retreated back into the corridors.
The three at the table exchanged glances but shrugged it off. It wasn't unheard of for him to be in one of his leadership moods. A few minutes later, Beast Boy walked through the doors, a distraught and tired look on his face. He practically dragged himself into the kitchen. Without a word spoken, he grabbed a banana and walked back out the room.
Now something was sure to be wrong.
"Maybe I should go talk to them." Cyborg inquired. Raven shook her head.
"They need to sort this out themselves." She said. "Besides-" As if planned, the crime alert went off. The three jumped out of their seats, rushing towards the main frame. Cyborg typed furiously on the keypad, searching for the source of the problem.
A few seconds later, Robin ran into the room, Beast Boy not far behind. They both made their way towards their friends; Robin giving a non-too-friendly glare to Beast Boy when he accidentally stepped on his cape.
"Who is it?" Robin demanded, making his presence known.
"Don't know," Cyborg stated. A map appeared on the screen, with a focus point glowing bright red. "But he's attacking Central Jump."
"Ok, everyone meet down there and regroup. Titans Go!" With that everyone made a mad dash to their respective needs of transportation. Starfire, Raven, and Beast Boy left through the windows while Robin and Cyborg went to the garage to get their vehicles.
The rain was pounding hard against the ground as the group of supers sped through the city. Thankfully, there weren't a lot of civilians on the streets, so they didn't have to watch their speed and who was surrounding them as they made their way through the city. It was only a matter of a few minutes before the group reached the edge of Central Jump. They all regrouped a few blocks away, where they could hear sounds of destruction.
They all huddled into a small circle, waiting for their leader to come up with a game plan.
"Alright team, we don't know who we're up against so don't try to do anything without knowing the full extent of his powers. Got it?" Robin asked, to which the small group nodded. "We attack from all four sides. Raven, Starfire, Cyborg, you have your own wing, Beast Boy and I will have whatever's left." Everyone game the raven haired boy a confused expression, but no one questioned it.
The group split up, each going in different directions. Robin and Beast Boy took the leftmost flight, moving quietly through all the puddles. They stopped at the corner as they heard the sound of maniacal laughter. The two exchanged glances before peering around the building.
In the center of the city, a man was floating in midair. His hands stretched towards the sky as white light cast out of them. His head fell back, letting out another howl of laughter. He had long blond hair and pale skin. His clothes looked to be something from medieval times.
The two boys could clearly see the other members of the group had successfully surrounded the man. Robin signaled that they would all attack on his go. With a wave of his hand, the five teens attacked. Raven and Starfire took to the skies while with their eyes glowing while Cyborg ran with his sonic cannon loaded. Beast Boy immediately turned into a pterodactyl, picked up his leader by his talons, and flew towards the man, while Robin had his bird-a-rang in hand.
Just as it looked like they would all have a clear shot of the man, the villain's head suddenly shot up, and white light hit each of the heroes, sending them spiraling to the ground. As the teens struggled to get up, the man floated to the ground, a large grin plastered on his face.
"Ah, the Teen Titans," he cooed. "It is a pleasure we meet. I was prepared for a fight, but I see you're already accepting defeat."
"Wait...is he rhyming?" Beast Boy asked, shaking his head.
"Who are you?" Robin demanded.
"I go by many a names, Arian and Elymas to name a few. But most just simply call me the Magic Man. So tell me children, how do you do?" Magic Man asked, earning unanimous groans from the group of team.
"Why are you destroying our city?" Cyborg yelled, annoyed with the constant use of iambic petameter.
"Ah, good question my metallic friend. You see, I feel like your reign on this city should come to an end. You and your comrades are always making a muck; and when you throw people away you don't give a-"
"Can we just hurry up and fight already?" Raven drawled. "Need I remind you it's raining."
"I see you're in a rush, but do not worry. This battle will soon be over in a hurry." The sorcerer chanted.
"I do wish he would cease the rhyming." Starfire said exasperatedly.
"Let's just get this over with. Titans go!" With the infamous battle cry, the teens took off. It seemed like the Titans had the upper hand, for the magical man had trouble counteracting each of their attacks at the same time. It wasn't long until the sorcerer found himself on the ground, panting and out of breath.
The teens surrounded the man, keeping their guard up. The man smiled, exposing his blood-covered teeth. He kept his head down as he let out a low chuckle.
"I supposed you think you have won, why, look at the damage you have done. But you have the advantage don't you see? For there are five of you and only one of me. Let's see how you fare when it's not five to one, but five to three!"
A blinding light surrounded the man, causing the group of heroes to shield their eyes. When the light finally faded, the teens saw something quite peculiar. In the place where Magic Man was, stood three exact replicas of himself. They each let out a chilling laugh before taking off to the skies, splitting up.
Robin cursed.
"Split up and report if you find one. Titans go!" The group nodded before splitting up. Cyborg and Starfire took the left flight, while Starfire the right, leaving Robin and Beast Boy alone to go straight. They both gave warning glares to each other before sprinting towards their destination. Actually, racing would be a better word. The two ran side by side, with the occasional shove from one or the other.
The puddles splashed back and wet their ankles as the water above caused their hair to remain matted to their foreheads. It seemed like the weather had gotten even worse as lighting began to strike every few seconds, immediately followed by the loud boom of thunder.
Robin was the first to come to a stop, yanking Beast Boy back and behind a building. Beast Boy was about to yell in protest when noticed a Magic Man robbing a jewelry store.
"I'll contact the Titans." Beast Boy whispered, taking out his communicator. Robin nodded as Beast Boy pressed the red button on the side which would alert the rest of the teams.
"Here's the plan-" Robin whispered before being interrupted.
"Why can't I ever make the plan?" Beast Boy whispered harshly.
"Now is not the time." Robin growled. Beast Boy folded his arms stubbornly. Robin groaned, slapping his hand on his face and letting it run down. "Fine, what's your plan?" Robin asked.
"Um…" Beast Boy hummed, tapping his chin.
"You don't even have a plan?" Robin yelled.
"Well it's not like I ever have the chance to!" Beast Boy screamed back.
"This is why we can't get anything done!"
"So now I'm the problem?"
It wasn't long before the two were yelling over each other. However, neither had noticed the watchful eye who had witnessed their bickering. The Magic Man tapped his chin in thought as he watched the teens argue. Then an idea popped into his head: a very devious idea indeed.
He rubbed his hands together excitedly as he stuffed his jewels into his pocket. He then cracked his fingers, readying himself for possibly the best idea he had in awhile. He made his way to the still bickering boys, clearing his throat. The two stopped, immediately getting into defensive position.
"I couldn't help but notice the hostility, so pardon my inquiry, but it seems you two enjoy to fight; and as two people who are supposedly friends, well, that just isn't right."
"You're going down, dude!" Beast Boy yelled. Robin groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose, earning a confused 'what' from the green teen.
"Oh what a shame. You two argue as if it were a childish game. Now I am able to see that you two need desperate help from me." The man's eyes began to glow a bright white as he began to hover above the ground.
"All's fair in love and war. You've battled long and will battle more. Too long has this fight have reign. Only peace of mind will end the game. Given time, you'll decipher my rhyme. Until then, you're intertwined." Before the two could react, white light surrounded them. Robin instinctively covered his younger companion as the light encased them in a tight bubble.
The two closed their eyes as the light got even brighter. Then, everything went black and the two fell unconscious.
The Magic Man smirked as he eyed the two resting teens. From a distance, he could hear the loud footsteps coming towards them at full speed. He let out one last howl of laughter before disappearing into thin air, just as the other titans arrived at the scene.
Once the group noticed their fallen teammates on the ground, they were quick to their aid. Cyborg made sure to check their pulse first, and with a sigh of relief, he turned back towards the girls behind him.
"It's ok guys, they're just unconscious-" suddenly Robin sat up, taking in a big intake of breath.
"Friend Robin, you are the ok!" Starfire cheered.
"What happened?" He asked hoarsely.
"We don't know. We got an alert from Beast Boy, and on our way here we saw the whole sky light up white." Raven explained.
"We were most worried." Starfire sighed. Robin looked down at the unconscious figure beside him. he gently shook him, earning a grunt from the green teen.
"Five more minutes." He mumbled before turning over. Robin rolled his eyes beneath his mask before giving Beast Boy another shove, this time harder than before. Beast Boy jolted awake, coughing violently. Once he finished, he looked around, confused.
"Did we win?" Beast Boy asked. Cyborg shook his head.
"He got away." Cyborg stated.
"He got away?" Robin repeated. "What are we doing still sitting here? Let's go!" Robin stood up and began to run. However, something was wrong.
Beast Boy yelped as he was suddenly yanked forward, bumping into the back of Robin and causing them both to fall.
"Beast Boy, what gives!" Robin demanded.
"I didn't do anything, you pulled me!" He yelled, scrambling to get up. "Besides, I can smell him, and he definitely went this way." Beast Boy said. He began to run in the other direction, only to have Robin be pulled forward and land on the back of him, causing them to fall once again.
"I think we have a bigger problems at the moment." Raven said, awestruck. The two groggily stood up again and exchanged surprised glances.
"You go left, I go right." Robin stated. Beast boy nodded. On the count of three, they both tried to move in their respective direction, however, neither could do so. They were not able to get more than a foot away from each other. After a few minutes of fruitless struggle, they stopped, completely out of breath.
"Well, this can't be good." Cyborg said, stating the obvious.
"What's going on?" Beast Boy asked.
"It would appear that the two of you are...glued together." Starfire answered. Robin and Beast Boy stared at each other in shock before groaning.
Could things get any worse?
new story? Yeah, I know I haven't even finished Grayson High yet (and I will) but this story has been bugging me for awhile and I thought I'd give it a try. It's not one of my typical stories but I think it has good potential.
If you like where this is heading then please review!