Teen Titans: Be Gentle With Me

Note of Authorness: Two things. Firstly, this story has decided to be longer than I initially intended when I was planning on the whole lyrics thing… and I just ran out of said lyrics. So I have following options: A) Just not do lyrics, B) Repeat lyrics, or C) do lyrics from another song. (That song would likely be Name, by the Goo Goo Dolls, because that song is very Rob/KF) Does anybody really care?

Second: Oh my god Young Justice. Finally got to watch it. Watched all the current episodes in one day. Oh. My. God. xD Amazing. So amazing. Dick? Oh my god, you are perfect. Full reactions, along with how I feel about KF/Rob in it, can be read on my deviantart (which is linked in my profile)

Anyways, enjoy!


Chapter 11: Just Be Gentle


Just be gentle, be gentle, be gentle
And I'll be gentle,
be gentle,
be gentle,
be gentle with you


"His scent ends. It just ends right here."

"Ends? What do you mean it ends?"

"Just what I said. He must've jumped in a car or something, because right here, I don't smell him anymore. The trail just… stops."

"Where's 'here', Bea."

"Uhhhh, Copper Street and Bellmont. Look, I'm gonna backtrack. His scent was really strong around a phone booth back there. I'll see if I can come up with anything there, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, do that…"

"And I am afraid I have not found any sign of him, either, Cyborg."

"Right… just keep looking, Star…"

Cyborg lifted a hand and squeezed the bridge of his nose, his thumb pushing against his one human eye socket while a groan rumbled in the back of his throat. Lights flashed through his eyelids, blue and red, over and over. The lights of paramedics, picking up the severely beaten up gang members.

He couldn't believe it. He just couldn't believe it. He'd driven right by Robin, had looked right at him, and hadn't stopped. But he hadn't known – how could he have known? He'd never seen Robin without his mask before, and at the time he'd thought that his friend was still trapped in Slade's sick, twisted little clutches. But when he'd stumbled upon the beaten up gangsters, and then Raven forwarded the picture…. And that's when he realized what had happened, what he had done. But by the time the realization struck him, it'd been too late. Robin was long gone.

But the phone booth… had Robin made a call? But if he had, why wouldn't he have called them? And for that matter, why hadn't Robin flagged him down when he'd passed? It just didn't make any sense. None of this made any sense.

What's going on, Robin…

Cyborg sighed, rubbing the back of his neck and glancing out of the corner of his eye. The ambulances were just around the corner, their lights bleeding into the walls of the buildings around them. The robotic teen swallowed uneasily as he watched them, grateful he couldn't see what was going on. The gang members had been messed up pretty badly. One was particularly injured, sick from digesting the battery acid from his own cell phone. Another had lost two teeth and had a broken wrist. The investigators were asking too many questions, and the thugs that could still speak were more than willing to comply if it meant making the Teen Titans look bad.

It wasn't good… first the picture, now this… it was going to take a hell of a lot of PR work to cover this mess up…

Cyborg exhaled harshly before turning to the T-car. There wasn't really much else to do here. He'd done his Titans duty helping the injured men (even though he wanted to bash their faces in himself, for snapping that picture), but now he had to move on. He had to track down Robin. They had to find him. The whole situation left a rotten feeling in the pit of his stomach. He was worried. He was more worried for his friend than he'd ever been before, and considering Robin's aptitude for getting into trouble, that was saying something.

He scrambled into the driver's seat and pulled the ignition, the lights on the console roaring to life with the engine. The tires squealed painfully as he tore off, barreling down the road, heading toward Beast Boy, whose locator signal flashed a good mile away on the GPS system.

He found the green Titan as a mangy hound dog, hovering around an old, graffiti phone booth like he was looking for a place to mark his territory. As the car pulled up and stopped beside him, the canine lifted its head curiously. Cyborg rolled down his window and leaned forward.

"Got anything?" he called out.

"He definitely used it," Beast Boy muttered as he returned to normal, stepping up to the car and leaning in through the open window. He frowned in concern. "His scent is all over the receiver and buttons, and there's a couple coins left in the return slot. My nose is good, but I can't figure out exactly which buttons he pushed. D'you think you'd be able to—"

"Already on it," Cyborg said, fingers flying on the computer display where a stereo would be in any other car. His artificial heart drummed a little faster in his chest. It was a lead. If they could just figure out whom he'd called…

Beast Boy remained uncharacteristically silent as the larger teen went to work cracking into the phone system. He hung his head through the open window, scratching his head with both hands then looking around, a little helpless. This was just so bizarre. Why wouldn't Robin have called them? They had a special line for things like this, after all. The whole situation just felt messed up.

A sound caught their attention. Beast Boy lifted his head, following Cyborg's gaze to the monitor screen, where a notification was flashing in the bottom corner, indicating a call was coming in from Raven's communicator. Cyborg hit a button. "Go ahead, Rae. What do you got for us?"

A face appeared on the screen, overriding Cyborg's phone-hacking attempt. But it wasn't Raven's. For a second, neither of them was sure who it was.

"Kid Flash?" Cyborg asked incredulously, eyes widening at the unmasked hero. Beast Boy gaped stupidly, then sputtered "What the-what're you doing there? Where's Raven?"

There was a hint of recoil in the speedster's pale face at their voices, as though their very stares were trying to bowl him over. He swallowed hard, clearly trying to remain brave and calm. "She's… busy. She asked me to—"

"…It was you," Cyborg whispered as the pieces locked into place inside his head. "You were the one he called." Surprisingly, he didn't feel any suspicion or resentment. In fact, he felt a small rush of relief as he leaned in towards the display. "Kid Flash, where is he? Is he okay?"

The redhead didn't speak, his eyes averting from the communicator. Cyborg felt his stomach plummet.

He had a terrible feeling he knew why Raven was busy…

"Kid Flash, what happened?"

Kid Flash took a harsh breath, and spoke in a strained voice, like he had to forcibly make the words exit his mouth. "He's not doing good. Raven's trying but—You guys need to hurry back cuz he… he might not..."

"Might not what?" spoke up another voice. It was Starfire, patching through from her communicator. Her voice was high with fear. "What's happened to him?"

Kid Flash flinched fully away at her voice, eyes clamping shut and head turning. "I'm sorry, you guys. I'm so, so sorry. I didn't… I didn't know… He just called me and I went to see him but I didn't know that he would try to…" He cut himself off again, shaking his head.

"Try to what?" Cyborg demanded, anger fueled by terror rising in his voice. "Kid Flash-!"

Raven's voice suddenly cried out from beyond the screen, and Kid Flash looked up in horror. Cyborg opened his mouth to demand more of an explanation, but the connection cut out, leaving the two boys in horrible, painful silence. After a moment, Cyborg glanced at the green changeling, who looked back with a lost, stunned expression.

"He made it sound like he's… but… Robin can't… he would never…"

The word was never spoken, but it hung in the air like a mist.

Robin would never die on us…

"Just get back to the Tower," Cyborg stammered hastily, hands snapping out to grab the shift stick. Beast Boy stepped back without a word, morphing into a pterodactyl and flapping off with a low squawk. Cyborg's hands shook as he threw his car into gear and pulled a u-turn, speeding as he shot through deserted intersections, his heart pounding with dread as he realized the distance he had to cover to get back to the tower.

"Goddammit, Robin," he muttered out loud to his steering wheel as he squealed around a corner, clutching the steering wheel so tight he thought his knuckle joints would shatter. "You spiky haired little… Don't you die on us… Don't you dare die on us…" As he said it out loud, his entire stomach and chest seemed to flood with cold water, choking his insides and sending a harsh sound through his throat. He was dying… his best friend was dying but he didn't know why, didn't even know how. He wasn't dying when he saw him just an hour ago. And how was Kid Flash involved in all of this? And why did he have to drive so far to get there?

He glanced out his window as he raced down another vacant stretch of road. Time seemed to slow as he passed the block where he knew he'd seen Robin before. For a moment, he imagined the boy was standing there again, wearing the clothes he'd stolen from the gang members he'd beaten. He imagined those eyes, unmasked, cold and dead as they watched him pass, catching his gaze for just a moment.

But then, just as suddenly as the memory grasped him, it vanished, leaving the empty, lonely street.

Rage and guilt welled up in Cyborg's chest, and he slammed his fist against the dashboard, putting a dent in the metal surface as he found himself screaming to his empty car at the top of his lungs. "Don't you dare die on me!"


It was all just one terrible blur. Somehow, time seemed to move so fast that not even he could keep up. Just a manic jumble of moments that would be impossible for him to piece together again, once all was said and done. Pounding on the Tower door, screaming for help. Raven throwing the communicator at him, begging him to tell the others as she struggled to help her dying teammate. Her outcry as Dick began convulsing. How he'd had to hold him down while she shoved tubes down his throat to suck out any undigested drugs. The others' arriving, one right after the other. The horror and shock on their faces as they tried to help. A cavalcade of questions, begging for answers.

Wally tried to be strong, to keep calm, to not let the shock and guilt get to him. But once enough hands were there to help where help was needed. Once no one demanded him to hold him down or get this or that, his repressed emotions caught up to him, and found himself backing against the far wall, shaking, lungs paralyzed as he watched the others grappling to keep the boy alive.

But he was dying… Dick was dying...

A wave of dizziness and nausea passed over the speedster, and the next thing he knew, he was on the floor, the putrid stench of vomit in his nose and mouth. Voices were still shouting from somewhere, and he felt a pair of arms wrap around him, holding him up off the floor. A gentle embrace.

He gagged, dry heaving as he stared down at the floor, disoriented by his shock and confused by the arms clutching him so tenderly. A strange aroma surrounded him, and a voice murmured quietly beside him.

"It is okay, Kid Flash. Robin will be okay…."

He recognized the voice with a rush of guilt and despair. A sob barreled through him, and he dropped his weight against her grasp, as though to fall away from her. But Starfire held him steady, resting her head against his shoulder, clasping her eyes shut.

"Star, I'm sorry," Kid Flash wept, clutching at her wrists with trembling hands, bending double. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…"

It was all he could say. It was all he knew how to say. Starfire didn't respond, but hugged him tighter, tears streaming down her own cheeks.

The other Titans looked on with clouded expressions. No one spoke. As Kid Flash's choked sobs slowly dwindled to weak whimpers, then finally just soft, exhausted breathing, the only sound remaining in the room was the high call of the heart rate monitor, keeping time of Robin's life with a struggling cadence.

It was a welcomed sound. A lingering hope. Kid Flash felt his own heartbeat inside his lungs, between Starfire's tight embrace. He was afraid the moment would disappear. He was afraid that the next thing anyone said would be the one thing he didn't want to hear. We tried everything we could… but he didn't…

He hung his head limply, still trembling fiercely, tears somehow still trickling even though he no longer had the strength to openly cry. How could this have happened…? How could Robin have possibly have thought that this was the only way…? How could he be so stupid…?

"Kid Flash…?" a voice murmured quietly. With great difficulty, he lifted his head, Cyborg's face swimming in and out of focus with every buildup of tears. Cyborg's face wasn't unfriendly. There was no bitterness or loathing or distrust in his expression. Just sorrow, and a desire for understanding. "I need you to come back to the here and now. Talk to us. What happened? What did he say to you?"

Kid Flash swallowed hard. His mouth was dry, still tasting of stomach acid. He tried to speak, but broke into a coughing fit, tears stinging his eyes again.

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up…" Strong hands grasped his arms, pulling him to his feet. He found himself being steered toward the door, but he struggled to try and release himsef from their grip with a small yelp.

"No! No… I'm- I'm not leaving… I won't…"

He turned to look at the fallen Titan. The sight wrenched his empty stomach in two. Dick's face was so pale, his face hidden behind a labyrinth of pipes and tubes that were keeping him alive. More tubes siphoned out the drugs poisoning his system, replacing them with clean blood. Electrodes wired to his brain and heart, monitoring his vitals. Wally's glassy gaze flickered to the screens. He couldn't really tell what the monitors were indicating, but it didn't look good… the slowing rhythm of his heart beat… the way the lines moved on the charts…

A hand clutched his shoulder. "Then sit down. Over here."

"Can I have some water?" he croaked mechanically, allowing himself to be led to a seat in the far corner of the room. A glass of water appeared after a few moments, and he choked it down, the cup shaking in his hands. When he swallowed the last drop, he lowered the cup to his lap, staring into it contemplatively.

"I knew something was wrong right away, you guys… I just knew. I thought he was going to jump… but he said that was stupid. I could catch him without breaking a sweat. But the way he was talking… the way he…" he broke off, glancing around uncomfortably, narrowing avoiding making eye contact with Starfire. "…he kissed me… I knew something was really wrong. But I didn't know that he'd gone that far til right before he collapsed… and it was only just after then that I brought him home…"

"What exactly did he say?"

Wally wracked his muddled brain, frowning hard as he struggled to piece together the night's events. "He said he wanted to run away with me." He could practically feel Star's eyes burning into his skull, and he kept his gaze purposely focused on his cup. "But, I knew it wasn't because he wanted to be with me... it was because of what was going on here… with Slade and everything… He said that you guys… didn't want to deal with him anymore. And he mentioned something about everyone, I dunno, learning about something…"

"So you haven't seen it…" Cyborg spoke up.

Wally lifted his head, alert. "Seen what?"

The four Titans were all looking at one another, and Wally felt his heart sink again, long before Cyborg turned to the computer nearby and opened up the file for him to see.

He couldn't believe it. His heart seized hard in his chest and he almost bent double again. He had to close his eyes and turn away from it. He didn't want to see it, but the image was already permanently emblazoned into his head.

"It's been circling the internet. We have bots attempting to broadcast the idea that it's a hoax, but so far, no one's buying. Tomorrow, a news report will have the ones who took the snapshot telling their story – complete with the injuries that Robin inflicted on them."

Kid Flash felt his stomach turn. "You don't think they'll figure out who he really is…?"

"I don't think that's their objective," Raven spoke up. "They just want to smear the reputation of Robin and the Titans. This whole fiasco, even if we get it under control, is going to make the general population – and Robin's guardian – question whether kids like us should be vigilantes. And Robin… just think of what his enemies would do with this information…."

Kid Flash nodded weakly. A lump formed in his throat, and he focused his attention on his cup once again. "This is all my fault, isn't it?"

The room became so silent, one would've heard a fly buzzing on the furthest wall. Wally clenched his eyes tight and hung his head, as though in prayer.

"It would be too easy to only blame you," Cyborg murmured quietly. "But you're only as guilty as the rest of us."

Wally snapped his head up so fast it hurt. "Are you crazy? I started all of this!"

"You did not tell Slade to do those terrible things to Robin," Starfire spoke up in a soft cadence, her face grave. "You did not tell Robin to ingest the illegal drug tablets."

"I saw him before he called you, but I didn't recognize him without his mask…" Cyborg's eyes narrowed darkly. "If I'd only known… I could've helped him… could've prevented this…"

"I knew about his personal demons," rasped Raven, face half-hidden in her cloak. "But I didn't think to watch over him, to make sure he didn't run off. I should have known better."

"And I should not have gotten so mad… not while he was dealing with the burden of Slade's actions…"

"I didn't do anything," Beast Boy spoke up with a yawn. Four pairs of eyes turned on him, blazing dangerously. He choked on his yawn, leaping back towards the door. "I'll go… get us something to eat, ya? Heh… heh heh…"

"Anyways," Cyborg continued after Beast Boy clumsily stumbled his way out the door. "Mistakes were made everywhere. Honestly, if Slade hadn't done what he did, then everything else wouldn't have caused him so much stress… This whole love triangle thing would've just worked itself out…"

Kid Flash and Starfire purposely avoided gazes, each staring determinedly at the floor.

"But no one goes through what Robin went through and expects to be able to just dust themselves off and keep going like nothing ever happened. It doesn't work like that. So in that sense, even Robin is to blame, for assuming he could."

"And for giving up, when it all blew up on him…" Raven spoke up wearily.

Wally nodded dumbly, twisting his empty cup absentmindedly in his hands. That picture still lingered like a demon on the inside of his mind…. "So… what happens now?"

Cyborg sighed, and for the first time, his mental exhaustion showed fully on his face. "Now, we wait. Wait to see what happens. His condition is still critical. There's no telling yet what kind of damage the overdose caused his body. Or his brain… or heart…" His voice tapered off, and he rubbed his head pensively. "It's been a long night. It'd probably be a good idea for everyone to go get some rest—"

"No," came the immediate response on all sides, three pairs of eyes now hooked on the cybernetic Titan with fierce determination. Cyborg's lips twitched with something like a smile, as Robin's heart monitor filled in the silence.

"Could've seen that one coming…" he said simply. "And as for you, Kid Fla—"

The door to the room opened with the hiss of hydraulics, and the group turned to find Beast Boy in the doorway. The skin of his face look sickly pale, and he seemed out of breath.

"Beast Boy? What is wrong?" Starfire asked, stepping toward him.

"Uh… well… we got a phone call… up at the command center…"

"Who is it…?" Cyborg looked wary as he joined Starfire's side.

"Uh… heh…" Beast Boy rubbed the back of his head, looking faint. "It's, um… it's Batman…?"

No one spoke. Kid Flash felt the floor drop beneath him, and he pressed his face in his hands with a weak moan. "He's seen the picture…"

"What did you tell him?" Cyborg went on with strained urgency, as he rounded on Beast Boy.

"I… well, I sorta, kinda… screamed? And ran away like a little girl?"

This time, Cyborg was the one to drop his face into his hands. "You're not exactly helping us here, Bea—"

"I'm sorry! I panicked! It's BATMAN! He's terrifying enough, without his face taking up the whole window of the command center!"

"Do you want me to…" began Kid Flash weakly, trying to get to his feet.

"No. I'll handle it. All of you, just stay here… I'll…" Cyborg's eyes flickered towards Robin, and he swallowed hard. "I'll think of something."

Kid Flash watched in quiet horror as the oldest Titan marched from the room. Gazes darted around, no one sure what to do or say. Wally let his eyes wander back to the boy lying on the hospital bed.

"Hey… guys?" he spoke up, after moment of screwing up his courage. "I… um… would you all totally kill me if I… asked to sit with him alone for a little bit?"

No one answered. Everyone's attention turned to Starfire, who had visibly stiffened where she stood, her lips pressed firmly together as she stared at the redheaded speedster. After a few seconds, she realized everyone was staring at her, and glanced away, frowning hard.

"I will not kill you."

"Are you saying that only because you'd never kill anyone, or…?" Starfire shot Beast Boy a harsh look, and the green changeling quickly shut his trap.

"I do not wish to kill him…" Starfire looked back at Wally, and the speedster was astonished to see that her face was almost kind. "You may sit with him for a time. We will not interrupt."

That familiar rush of guilt and shame peaked in his chest as Starfire turned, heading for the door. Raven and Beast Boy exchanged bewildered looks before taking her lead. But before she made it to the door, Kid Flash found himself on his feet. "Starfire… why… why are you being so nice to me?" His mind cast back to before… first when she seemed ready to kill him in the gym… but then, to when she was holding him as the world crashed around him. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he stepped forward, almost pleadingly. "You shouldn't be this nice to me. You should be hating me. Why aren't you hating me?"

"I was wondering the same—ow!" Raven elbowed Beast Boy hard in the ribs, and threw him a look that told him to stay quiet.

Starfire, however, turned to face the speedster again. She looked enormously tired, somber, weighed down by a heavy burden. "Because… you have made it clear that you love Robin as much as I do. That is not something either of us can control, as it is impossible to suddenly stop loving someone who has taken our heart. It's up to him - not you or I - who he decides to return that love to, if he survives at all…" Her composure broke for the first time, her eyes blinking repeatedly as she looked over at the boy lying on the bed. Wally again felt remorse for her, knowing full well the longing expression carved into her face. "It hurts me to think that he may choose to be with you… but now is not the time to even think of it. I'd much rather he be alive and happy with you than dead."

"I'm not at all convinced he'd even pick me, Star…" Wally muttered quietly, his own eyes gazing upon the Boy Wonder sadly. "He definitely seems to care about you much more than me… Sometimes I wonder if he cares about me at all… about my feelings or… anything…"

His face darkened as he remembered them on the rooftop. Robin wanted to run away… but not to be with him, but rather for his own selfish reasons… so selfish that even if Wally had said yes, he wouldn't have survived their destination – the drugs had begun poisoning his body long before Wally had even arrived.

"No matter what happens, Kid Flash," Star continued, her eyes shining as she looked at him, "I will always be grateful to you, for bringing him home."

"Can't be grateful yet, Star… he needs to pull through first…." He slowly stepped forward, making his way to the Boy Wonder's side. He stared down at him, passed the tubes and the wires, trying to imagine his face without all of it, trying to imagine his smile. It was near impossible. Without even thinking about what he was doing, his fingers found his way to Dick's forehead, tracing his hairline tenderly. The familiar soft touch of his skin and dark locks caused a lump to form in his throat.

"Come on," Raven hissed quietly. Wally could see them out of the corner of his eye, a short, dark figure waving the others out the door. "We'll be in the next room, Kid Flash, if you need us. You have fifteen minutes."

"Kay…" he managed to croak, his fingers shaking a little as they traced that border between dark hair and pale skin once again. He managed to wait until the door closed, signifying their departure, before he dropped his head, his forehead resting against Dick's. It was clammy, beads of sweat chilling his own skin. A silent sob choked him, and his other hand sought out Dick's hand, grasping it tightly, mindful of needles and tubes.

"You selfish prick…" he breathed, squeezing Robin's hand so tightly, he wondered if he might break something. "You… selfish… stupid little…" But his emotions robbed him of words. Tears slipped down his cheeks unchecked. He gritted his teeth, baring them to the floor as he fought not to burst into open sobs once again.

Starfire's words still lingered inside his head. It's impossible to stop loving somebody who has taken our heart…

"You do have it…" he murmured quietly. "You took it and I don't know if I'll be the same again… But if you leave us now… if you leave me this way… I'll never forgive you, Dick. I'll never forgive you…"

Tears were streaming more fervently down his cheeks again. His shoulders bobbed as he cried, silently. With foreheads still connected, he stared down at the boy lying beneath him. The soft hairs on his cheeks… the lashes on his closed eyelid… the little freckles dappled over his nose, so fine they were almost invisible… and out of the corner of his eye, the breathing tubes…

He choked on a sob, clasping his eyes tight, as though not seeing it made it suddenly not there. He licked his lips, and raised his head, just enough to plant a gentle, careful kiss on Dick's browline, then on his cheek. Then, with the uttermost care, he stole a kiss as close to the boy's mouth as he could get, the oxygen tube grazing his temple, their noses bumping as they had so many times before.

"If only I could really kiss you…" he murmured numbly, pulling away and staring tearfully down on him, his lips tingling with aftershocks. "Maybe I could be your prince charming, and bring you back from this sleep…"

He suddenly winced, and hung his head as he imagined what Dick's reaction would have been, if he'd been able to hear him. "I know... I know... That was lame. Sorry…"

For a second, he thought he felt Robin's fingers flex under his grasp. But the moment he lifted his head to check, the feeling was gone, and he felt alone once again.


A/N D'aww. Boy love.

Anyways. Hope you guys liked this chapter. Toss me a review, if you're feelin' generous.

The story ain't over yet….