-1Alright, this is the final chapter ins this short installment. I initially planned on it being longer, but I have some amazing material to work with on the next installment and I'm really eager to start writing ^_^ So here you are!
Raven: Looks like you got the shaft, Robin.
Robin: Yeah, really! This was supposed to be my spotlight!
Hey, be glad you even got a character centric part.
Starfire: Yes. Be proud and cheerful, Richard!
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"Oh no you did NOT!" Terra was extremely pissed. Cinderblock had backhanded her straight off the rock she had been flying on. In addition, she was frustrated to find that she had no control over the big piece of rock with her powers. The others were having a difficult time with Cinder block as well, being knocked around and just generally getting the crap kicked out of them.
Even Raven was getting pounded. "What the hell?" She muttered to herself. They usually creamed this guy! What was wrong that they were being slammed around like rag dolls?
The only thing that was any different was… Raven's thought were interrupted as Cinderblock swung a massive fist, knocking her into the other Titans who had regrouped in front of the giant.
"What's going on here?" Beast Boy wondered. Everyone shook their heads, all thinking that very same thing. They had every advantage they usually had. Everyone was at full power. If anything, with Drake on their team they had MORE firepower. So what was up? Beast Boy jumped out of the way of a giant rock thrown his way, only to see another stone flying at him. "Oh-" Beast Boy was interrupted as he was swept off the ground, flying through the air until he was released and sent flying forward into a neat front flip on top of the restaurant nearby.
"What the…?" Beast Boy looked around, finally locating a familiar face.
"You're welcome," Richard said. Then, without another word to Beast Boy, he leapt from the building, aiming a flying kick at Cinderblock who reeled backwards. Richard landed expertly in front of the other Titans, and without even looking back he smiled.
Everyone else was shocked as Richard, out of uniform and not even wearing his mask, yelled "Titans, Go!" before pulling a bo staff from the only part of his costume he was wearing. That shock turned first into understanding, then newfound confidence as the leader of the Teen Titans suddenly came back with a passion. Everyone spread out, throwing their best at Cinderblock. Said villain was not amused as the tables turned, being slammed Starfire's best Bolts, Raven's strongest magic, Beast Boy's massive array of dinosaurs, Cyborg's various weapons, and of course the range of weaponry that came with Drake and Richard's twin belts.
In an instant the Titans went from rag dolls to heroes once more, tying Cinderblock up in no time. When all was said and done, Raven swooped down on Richard. "Feeling better, then?" She asked. He smiled and nodded.
"Much. BUT," He added, causing everyone to raise an eyebrow, "I am going to take one more day off from the Titans. Everyone alright with that?" He asked. Everyone nodded. "Oh, and while I'm at it? Terra, you ask a guy out by actually asking, not beating the hell out of him. Raven was and exception," He said with a smirk before returning to the diner, where the rest of his food awaited.
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"Starfire, in here, now," The Titans minus Robin were back at the Tower and Raven was on her communicator. Starfire quirked an eyebrow but nodded, appearing at once in the common room. Raven bit back laughter and simply shook her head. "You really should know better," She said simply.
Starfire was confused. "What should I have better knowledge of? If you say anything regarding cooking skills, I am afraid we shall have to commence the exchanging of words," She warned. Raven snorted.
"No, not that. You should know better than to lie to an empath. You know what I'm talking about," She said as Starfire put on her sweet-and- innocent Starfire act. When she still wouldn't budge, Raven sighed. "Does the word 'Glenkins' ring a bell?" She asked. Having been thoroughly busted, Starfire hung her head with a slight smile.
She looked up with a sigh. "I did forget that… and here I was feeling guilty for deceiving a friend. You must understand, all I want is for Richard to come to peace with himself. I simply thought that if perhaps you had extra…motivation, you might actually think of a decent idea," She admitted. Raven's mouth dropped.
"Hey! The ideas Drake and I had were perfectly sound! It's just that Boy Blunder is EXTREMELY stubborn. Had we been dealing, say, Terra or Beast Boy we would have had them back long before now," She huffed. Starfire rolled her eyes and nodded, clearly insincere in her agreement. With that, she flew out of the room, leaving one disgruntled Azarathian frowning.
Meanwhile, another female Titan was becoming equally disgruntled. Not because of someone else, though. No, she was managing to annoy herself quite well with her inability to come up with a decent pickup line, thank you very much. Terra growled. "Okay… 'Hey, Drake, you want to go catch a movie tonight? Oh, God. Yeah, a movie is definitely NOT cliché. Okay… 'Drake, could we go talk somewhere, maybe over dinner?'" She scowled even hearing that one, and after a couple more attempts she screamed at her reflection. "Come on! Work with me!" She yelled.
Outside of her window, perched on the windowsill that belonged to Robin and eavesdropping in on Terra's attempts to come up with a decent line was the object of said pickup. He smirked, wearing his suit minus the mask. "I'll let her try a couple more…" He thought aloud. After three more attempts and a frustrated scream, he decided to make his move. Jumping from his ledge, he did a neat flip and landed on the side of the tower, using the magnetic function of the suit (isn't it great how thought through Robin made this thing? It can do almost as much as Cyborg!). Crawling downward, he swung down so that he was hanging upside down with only his upper half showing in her window. He let her try two more times and smiled as she began to employ a few words Drake was pretty sure were illegal in 48 states. Finally, he spoke.
"You know, I think you need to work on the delivery rather than the activity," He said. Terra leapt up like she was on fire and spun around. And went promptly from ready-for-a-fight to oh-shit-how-long-has-he-been-there. She blanched, almost fell over from shock, regained her balance and began stuttering.
"H-H-How long have you been hanging there?!" She demanded. He grinned, an expression that told her exactly how long he'd been there. She turned a fiery shade of scarlet, face in her hands, lost between whether to be embarrassed at the fact that he'd been listening or overjoyed that he hadn't immediately rejected her.
"Don't worry. I have that effect on people. Now, which one of those many lines are you going to use? Or are you gonna opt for the obscenities? I mean, either works for me. Just give me a time and place," He told the geomancer, whose eyes widened and sparkled.
"So does that mean…?" She asked hopefully. Drake rolled his eyes and nodded. For a moment she stood still, absorbing the information. Then, lip trembling, she threw herself around him, tears of relief and joy streaming from her eyes. Drake didn't know what to do with this, so he just patted her on the back with one hand and the head with his other. Too bad he had forgotten to turn the magnetic feature off.
A minute later, Terra was standing with her hands on her hips, looking from Drake to her hair, which was now sticking straight up and fanned out. And due to the magnetic static electricity, it was staying there. "So… is this our first official fight?" Drake asked. She scowled.
"No." She said. Suddenly, a small rock flew in through her window and smacked Drake upside the head. "This is our first case of domestic abuse," She corrected with a smirk.
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"Alright, to all you viewers: This will be the last transmission recorded on this camera. I guess I've been a bit of a 'tard, but I'm starting to realize just exactly who I am. In any case, I feel confident enough now that I'm cutting my week off short, save for this one last day. I want to make this special for Kori and I. I… I think that tonight, Kori and I are going to spend the perfect night out. No Cyborg or Beast Boy, no villains, no criminals. Well, here's to it," And with that, Robin reached up and shut the camera off for the final time. "I just hope I'm right," He muttered as he changed and headed for his destination: the park.
He met Kori at 8 pm sharp. "Wow," He whispered.
"Are you going to say that every time you see me?" Kori questioned as she took his hand with a smile. He smiled back, taking in her shirt-and-jeans look, complete with her red hair pony tailed.
"Depends. Are you always going to look this beautiful every time I see you?" Robin quipped.
"Sweet talker," She accused.
"Tease."
"Nutcase."
"Hey!" Robin laughed out of shock. She grinned and squeezed him around the shoulders. Robin frowned.
"Raven taught you that one, didn't she?" He asked. She gave a quiet chuckle.
"Yes. Although I did not at first understand why calling someone a container of food was considered an insult, Raven explained it perfectly to me," She said with a laugh. Then she stopped, stopped him by his hand and turned him to face her. She put her hands on his shoulders. "Have you finished being foolish?" She asked.
"If you mean am I better, yes. I've come to terms with myself," He replied.
"Good," Was her only speech before she withdrew him into a kiss. He went into it, but stopped suddenly as movement caught his eye. He frowned as he heard a thumping sound followed by a hiss of "Klutz!"
"So much for no Titans," He muttered, seeing the bushes to his right literally shake around as they moved. Yes, moved. Then, to his shock, he heard sounds that sounded nothing like hissing. Rather, it sounded like… making out? "The hell?" Robin was hesitant. On the one hand, it could be a ruse, and they would walk away and get mugged in the back. Neither would have time to act fast enough. On the other, he really didn't want to interrupt if it was just an innocent couple…
His hero instincts took priority over sensitivity. Inching close, with Kori looking on in apprehension, he threw aside the bush. And blanched. And subsequently turned Kori-hair red, just like Terra and Drake were doing. "Er…" Robin backed away. Both had annoyed looks on their faces.
"If you didn't see us, go on your merry way. Tell anyone, and I'll make sure that I actually do kill you under that landslide," Terra said crossly. Robin laughed nervously and nodded. Then, taking Kori's hand, he ran. Once they were alone, Drake looked at Terra.
"You were just bluffing…right?" He asked.
"Do I look like the kind of girl that would bluff about that?" She responded.
"I think you're lying."
"Five bucks says I bury you if you don't shut up and kiss me."
"Yeah, I'd better get paid for this."
WHAP!
"Domestic violence case number two. Wanna go for three?"
WHAP!
"HEY! You just hit a girl!"
"What girl?"
Robin, who had returned to see if the area was clear, winced as Terra pounced on Drake and began beating him senseless. Then he turned back to Kori. "You know something? I'm glad we don't have a relationship like that," He smiled at her.
"We do as long as the subject of cooking never comes up," She said with the sweetest, most deceptive smile. And with that, both of them laughed and walked into the night, leaving Drake yelling, "A little help here?! OW! Do you not want to have kids?!"
