There were certain things that really annoyed perfectionists. Actually, a lot of things, but certain things in particular pissed them off more than anything else. Especially if you considered what line of work they were in.

Getting his ass pounded and having the bad guy get away while he was immobile was not something that made Robin a chirpy birdie. Listening in on the Titans' frequency as he heard his friends fighting without him was almost as bad as getting beaten up all over again. He knew they'd take this week's feature creature down, but the fact that even one of them got injured – even slightly – irked him. Intellectually he knew that losses and injuries were part and parcel of the superhero gig, but in his heart he couldn't completely accept that. They were the good guys; they were supposed to win without a hitch.

Hm. Batman mustn't have completely destroyed all of his romantic ideals. Either that or his ego couldn't accept that he and his team weren't perfect. Both concepts weren't ones he wanted to admit to, but the disappointed feeling in his gut let him know that something was really bothering him and he wouldn't let it go until he'd worked it out.

For now though, he'd just lay here, listening in and feeling worse and worse as his team struggled to bring in the bad guy. That is, he'd try to stay conscious enough to listen in.

"Urgh … Robin?"

Blinking behind his mask, the dark-haired teen shifted his head slightly then hissed. Terra's eyes widened at the pain-filled sound and crawled closer. "I'm sorry," she gushed, "I just wanted to know if you were okay." She laughed, a sound hollow and full of disgust. "Stupid question huh?"

Robin sighed. "Terra, it's not your fault."

"Yes, it is. I messed up again." She sat up with a wince and laid her head back against the wall beside Robin.

They were both still inside one of Slade's underground bunkers to which the team had traced a radioactive signal beforehand. Slade himself had slipped away, but not before another of his unintelligent, easily-manipulated, brutish minions had gotten away with the highly radioactive material with which to threaten the town.

Even without the concussion Robin wasn't sure he would have been able to perfectly recall all the events from earlier – everything happened so fast and all at once. He'd barely heard the others scream for his help, all his attention on Slade, though the Boy Wonder never managed to lay a hand on the older villain. That taunting voice still haunted his thoughts even now.

Slade had knocked him to the ground and as he gasped for breath he heard Terra's scream cutting through everything. He twisted his head to see a beam catch her on the back. Then the ground rumbled and everything fell apart. Slade must have escaped while he was distracted, for when his vision cleared and the dust finally settled only he and Terra were trapped behind the collapsed entrance, injured and useless.

"Accidents happen." Terra winced and turned away. Robin looked up at her and felt a little guilty. He wasn't completely sure if he was just saying that to placate her. She seemed unsure of his meaning as well.

"I'm sorry." She curled up, beside him, hugging her knees to her chest. He'd noticed she did that often when she felt insecure about something. He tried to reach out to her, but his shoulder flared and he yelled out, head slamming back on the ground. It was possible he'd dislocated the limb.

"Robin!" His vision was a white blur and the figure above him appeared only a little like the Titans' newest recruit. She sounded worried, but he couldn't see her face. Soft skin gently traced up his arm, probing just outside the injured area. He winced, gasping as the pain increased slightly, but he tried not to shake too much at the touch, knowing Terra was just trying to help.

He couldn't help the scream as she touched directly over the injury. He couldn't see a thing now, screwing his eyes shut so tightly that tears leaked over the edge of his mask. She was just trying to help, she was just trying to help, she was just …

He blinked, darkness still crowding the edges of his vision. He was seeing double and he wasn't completely sure he knew what four and seven added to. His ears rang with a very annoying whine; he thought he smelled mildew and stale air and, judging from the slightly metallic sensation in his mouth, he considered the possibility that he had bitten his tongue. The concussion was making it hard to concentrate and be certain of anything, but he thought his senses were still attuned. That is, until he felt the tingle of his skin; sensations leading in a trail down his chest.

Robin shivered. The light impression was not unpleasant – quite the opposite in fact. Too pleasing, if truth be told. He shouldn't be experiencing this, he knew he had to keep his mind elsewhere, but concentrating on anything was hard, it was far too easy to fall into the sensation of sliding fabric and nimble fingers dancing over his torso.

And then …

"Oh god." A groan, and he arched his back. He needed to be closer.

Vision clouded and the ringing grew louder, but this was all his mind could comprehend – the touch of fingers and the damp sensuality of a tongue tasting the skin stretched over his lower abdomen, suckling and advancing further.

A whimper, there was little else you could call the needy sound. Breathing grew heavier, laboured, anxious … Anticipation hung heavy in the air with every groan. The silence shattered with the echoes bouncing off the walls, colliding with each other and creating a louder furore of resonance, intensifying with every second.

It made him cry out – the impact on his senses. All the outside stimuli rushed towards him, crowding and taking him off-guard. Sweat broke out on his face, his body grew heavy and he clutched at what he could, fingers grappling at the loose sliding rock he lay upon. His vision was dark, tinged with red – the light shining too bright on his eyelids, even hidden behind the mask. The air was scented with so much – he could almost taste it all. Licking at a stray drop of sweat beading on his lip he knew he could taste himself in the air. He could almost taste her as well.

The wave slowly receded, his mind slowing back down to a stuttering pace, his breath catching up to him in pants. He gulped in air to clear away the darkness in his peripheral vision, but it wasn't working. The sensations, minor oxygen deprivation and all the pressure on his mind … he was starting to black out. He felt so weak and spent. He tried to say something, but only a fragile gasp emerged. Fighting the pain and lethargy, he glanced down.

Azure eyes glinted through a curtain of gold below him … above him … around him. His mind whirled and his head fell back against the ground, eyes sliding closed again. He gave in to the last shuddering sensations, allowing them to embrace his inner being before completely giving way to the darkness pushing at him.


Robin awoke to pain.

Hands were on his shoulders, firmly shaking him, but also gentle enough to cause little harm. He opened his eyes and winced, turning his head to the side and inhaling sharply. The pain was so intense, like he'd gone three long rounds with Cinderblock with all his limbs tied. He let himself reorient for a minute or more … he couldn't tell.

"Robin?" He turned his head slowly, knowing sharp movements wouldn't be in his best interests right now. Terra wore an expression of devastation mingled with tired relief. Her eyes glittered and she managed a weary smile for him through the dust on her face. "Thank god you're awake," she breathed, voice tight with emotion. "I was just so worried."

Robin nodded, not sure what to make of everything.

"I was looking at your injury," she rambled on, twisting a long lock of limp hair through her fingers feverishly. "You had dislocated your shoulder like you thought and I was seeing what I might have been able to do. I'd seen someone put a shoulder back into place and I knew you couldn't leave it too long else there might be real damage so I thought I should put it back in place but you screamed and went so limp when I did it and you passed out again." A tear fell, the first drop that set off a flood. "I-I was just s-so worried," she stuttered through sobs. "Y-you're not supposed t-to go to sleep wh-when you've got a c-concussion. You w-wouldn't wake up when I c-called or t-touched you. I didn't w-want to hurt you, b-but you w-wouldn't wake up."

Robin reached out to touch her arm, but stopped, overwhelmed by a sudden onslaught of images and feelings that made him violently sick to the stomach. His heavy gauntlet just managed to hide his shaking, and he was glad for the mask. Desire, disgust, fear – they roiled through him and his body reacted accordingly to the mere sight of his frightened, oblivious team mate.

"I-is something wrong?" Terra was biting her lip.

He shook his head, making himself dizzy again. "I'm fine," he croaked. He couldn't afford to lose it now – not like this. Not with her. He was just so completely shaken up by the events of the day.

Terra still didn't look completely convinced of his health, and more tears filled her eyes. Wincing, Robin reached up, hesitating again, but steeling himself against the unwelcome reaction he was having to her presence. But the images still came to his mind … he could swear all his senses recalled —

He could still barely touch her arm in comfort for more than a moment.

The sounds of rubble shifting on the other side of the room translated to a five tonne weight being lifted from his chest. He snapped his gaze to the doorway and the faint green glow of Starfire's energy bolts.

"Robin! Terra!" And she was there, poking her head through, huge green eyes filled with worry, then lighting up with relief and happiness as she saw them safe, though a hint of concern remained at the state she found them in.

The sinking feeling increased in his stomach as he watched her race towards them. The weight returned; this time doubled in size. After letting the tall alien girl fuss over him for a while, he turned away, watching the others enter. He winced and bowed his head as soon as a small green ferret pushed his nose through the rubble. Doubting that the others saw the quick movement, he glanced up through his fringe, but none looked at him askance.

A quick patch-up job from Raven accompanied by searching look from the depths of her indigo eyes and they were set, the lanky Boy Wonder growing increasingly more lethargic with every step, now that he knew everything was quite well. Before he could stumble and re-injure himself, Cyborg caught him and, with Raven's help, carried him to the car.

He wasn't able to meet Beast Boy's eyes throughout the entire trip.