Well, here I am, back from a long string of computer deaths and unfortunate distractions. I was flipping through my stories, wondering which to update, and when I got to this one, I realized I'd already written almost half a chapter. So, I present to you, Too Little, the next chapter of Heroes Don't Always Win.
Tina sighed out her nose and reached for the handle to turn off the shower. She'd been entirely too long in the bathroom; Woofers was scratching at the door and whining. The water stopped, all too soon, and she leaned out, grabbing her towel off the back of the door. She pressed her face into its softness, breathing the smell of detergent deeply before she peeled it away, and wrapped it loosely around herself. Her hair hung dripping from her shoulders, but she didn't really mind; she was just going to change into PJs for a nap anyway.
She turned the handle slowly; Woofers had learned that the sound meant the door was about to open, and usually backed off a few feet, plopping on the ground and wagging her tail. This time, however, when Tina eased the door open, the Yorkie forced her snout into the crack and scrambled to get into the bathroom. Tina stepped back and the dog squirmed into the room and past her. The girl looked back at her canine companion curiously. "Woofers, what's wrong?" The dog pinned her ears against her head and let out a little growl. Tina cocked an eyebrow at the strange behavior, but shrugged. She probably just saw a paper move or something, she thought to herself, rolling her eyes. Scared-y dog.
Pressing that thought firmly to the front of her mind, she pulled the door open and let out a frightened scream.
Robin flinched as Tina's scream reached his ears. He'd tried to tell the dog to stay quiet, wishing the whole time that he'd brought Beast Boy along, but he'd been unsuccessful. He'd had his back turned, in the act of trying to find dog treats, when she screamed, and now turned around, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.
When he caught sight of what she was wearing –or rather, what she wasn't wearing- both hands flew to his eyes. His sheepishness melted into straight embarrassment and words started stumbling out of his mouth. "Sorry –I –uh… I'll just –and –um …yeah." His wild gesturing collapsed into stillness. Tina yelped and jumped behind the bathroom door, clutching her towel tighter.
"Get out!" she yelled. "Get out, get out, get out!" The dog yipped her agreement from behind Tina's leg and Robin bolted out the front door, slamming it shut behind himself. Sighing as her indignant shouts gushed through the walls, he massaged his temples.
"Well, that could have gone better."
Tina slammed the bathroom door shut, having gotten dressed in record time. Woofers slunk after her, tail between her legs; she didn't like seeing her human like this, but she knew better than to try and cheer her up. Tina paused with her hand on the front door's knob, trying to calm her breathing and her temper. Robin certainly had a good reason for following her home and breaking into her house and scaring her dog and- she huffed, gritting her teeth together. That was not helping. She flicked a strand of wet hair out of her face and threw open the door, ready to give the young hero an earful, eyes narrowed in fury and jaw set in anger. "What exactly do you think you're-" She stopped in midsentence, eyes widening in shock. A split second later, she started to slam the door shut; the young man on the other side of the door wasn't Robin at all.
"Careful, sweetheart. Wouldn't want to hurt yourself." His gray-gloved hand shot out and caught the door, and he forced the opening wider with little effort. Woofers started barking and growling as Tina backed away from the door, anger and color draining from her face. The black-clad intruder took a few steps in, his tattered gray cape swirling after him. "Nice place you've got here." His mechanical voice echoed hollowly down the short hallway as he glanced around, his white skull mask betraying no emotion. He looked at her, the red x splayed across his mask flashing in the bright artificial light.
"Who are you?" Tina asked, her voice hoarser and quieter than she had meant for it to be. The lenses on his mask moved, and she could tell that skull was hiding a smug smile. He jabbed himself in the chest with his thumb, firmly landing at a second x's point of intersection.
"The name's Red X." His hand dropped to his side; he took another step forward. His mechanical voice was putting her on edge, and she eyed him suspiciously.
"What do you want?" She'd found her voice, and had managed to sound almost demanding. He let out a playful chuckle, his hand reaching toward a pocket on his utility belt.
"It's not that hard to figure out, is it, babe? Word is, there's a healer in town." Tina's eyes scrambled across her surroundings, searching in vain for a make-shift weapon. "The underworld is already writhing with prospective buyers." A ceramic plate sat on the table a few feet away… but could she reach it in time? "All I had to do was follow our very own Boy Blunder to find the goods." Tina lunged for the plate as Red X pulled something out of his belt and gave it an easy toss. It expanded into a large red x that wrapped around her torso on contact, pinning her arms awkwardly. She gave a cry as she fell, knocking the plate to the ground with her. It shattered loudly, sending shards flying into her unprotected face. Eyes closed and teeth gritted, she shook her head, trying to dislodge the sharp splinters from her cheek. Several fell out; her wounds bled for less than a second, sealing themselves closed quickly, with scarcely a scar left behind to remind anyone they'd been there at all. Red X let out a whistle as he released another x at her face, sealing her mouth shut.
Robin looked up from his communicator. "And hurry!" he yelled to Starfire as he snapped the lid closed. He had only just finished explaining the embarrassing situation to her –and begging her to come and help smooth it over- when Tina's scream and the breaking glass broke the relative silence. He bolted down the hallway, headed for apartment 148. The door was open; that was a bad sign.
He skidded to an uneasy stop across the welcome mat, just in time to see Red X mock-salute him and press the button on his belt, teleporting away with a captive Tina.
It was a short chapter, I'll admit, and I'm more than certain I've lost most of the few fans I had thanks to my long absence. My apologies and pretty promises to update sooner.
...SnowFallsSlow...