Nightmares - There is good and there is evil. There are those who commit crimes and those who stop them.
"In exactly 10 seconds, I will drop the bomb detonator..and her.." His eyes peered to the girl who struggled to break free from the piton tightly wrapped around her body and back to the metal device that loosely hung in another rope across the way. The defeated man stood in the middle of it all. His eyes narrowed at the big screen in front of him. "Choose wisely."
"Let her go now!" Robin commanded, frustratingly sliding his fingers through his spiked hair.
"Temper, temper, temper," Slade soothed. "Tell me, what's more important to you?"
"You listen to me, Slade," Robin declared, words gritting from his teeth. The villain nonchalantly stroked his jaw line. "You better end this now because when I find you, it'll be the last breath you take."
Slade chuckled. "Well it seems you're a bit late for that. You'll tire yourself scouring the earth for me."
"Justice never sleeps," the leader shot back. His glare pierced into the screen. "What are you up to?"
"Unfortunately, you're out of time. Goodbye." The image of Slade fizzled out, screen going blank.
"Slade!" He heard the snaps of the ropes breaking and watched in horror as the two plummeted toward the ground. It seemed as if it all happened in slow motion. The future of the city, falling. He encouraged the other Titans to evacuate all of Jump City as soon as possible, but surely, they could not escape in time.
His gaze shifted toward the girl. Literally his other half...his love. Her green eyes widened, a flicker of terror in them. She found enough wiggle room to remove her gag. He couldn't let her fall. The boy turned toward the small detonator then Starfire. Each the same distance but only time for one. Decision. Fear. Yet, he knew what was right. Even if it meant losing what he worked so hard for.
Dashing on the ball of his heel, he lunged with all his might for the metal device. Cradling it in his arms, his ears pierced with her voice screaming, "HELP!" He forced his eyes shut listening to her wails and pleas. Robin fell to his knees, not bearing enough strength to watch her fall to her death. "ROBIN!"
"ROBIN!" Eyelids cracked open, cerulean slits darting around. So it was a dream. Nightmare, so to say. He mentally reminded himself that it wasn't real. Not real. No deaths. No blood on his hands. "Robin?" His breathing pace increased, heart beat thumping out of his chest. Robin felt as if he were paralyzed, unable to move his trembling body. He felt her fingertips trace his jaw, and gracefully place a comforting hand on his cheek. Familiarity taking over. She blinked slowly, leaning over him, and her smile broke into a concerned frown. Auburn hair tickling the sides of his lips.
"Hi Star," he meekly responded. With his body still shaking and face terror-stricken, Starfire's expression became troubled. She felt his forehead, flipping her hand over to the backside.
"Greetings. Is there something the matter?"
"I'm fine." Shrugging her off, he swung his legs over the side of his bed and rushed toward the bathroom, feeling nauseous.
"But boyfriend Robin.." She tiptoed behind him, watching in curiosity as he splashed the cold water over his face repeatedly, and rested his arms on the sink. Cool liquid slid down his face. Robin attempted to tune out her voice...mainly the bloodcurdling shrieks she gave in his nightmare. Mentally and physically exhausted, he practiced finding his center as Raven had taught him. Tired eyes with dark circles reflecting back at the leader in the mirror. "Are you quite alright? You have been doing the shaking in your sleep and it does not appear that you have the fever. Perhaps you are-"
"Starfire," he sharply added, cutting her off. She shut her mouth, anticipating his response. He took shallow breaths. "I said I'm fine. Just drop it."
"As you wish." Robin pushed past her, tugging on his uniform top. She staggered against the wall and with saddened eyes, witnessed him exit.
He held his head in between his hands. The workroom was decorated with crumpled papers scattered everywhere. News clippings of Slade and the Titans' victories plastered on the walls. How could he have let his dreams get so..vivid and graphic? He needed to protect his team and never let Slade leave his sight. Robin dug through his old briefcase, finding anything to get his hands on. The sliding doors opened, and the Titans filed in the dim room.
"Dude," Beast Boy yelled. He twisted his head from left to right. "This place is way creepier than Raven's room." The cloaked woman defiantly strolled past him, smacking his head while passing by. He mimicked shivering and creepily wiggling his fingers. "Ooh, do it again."
"Enough," she warned. He giggled and triumphantly fist-bumped Cyborg. Raven cautiously approached the multi-tasking man. She faced Starfire and laid a hand over her friend's shoulder. "What is he looking for?"
Starfire shrugged. "I am unsure of his actions. Boyfriend Robin, exactly what do you seek?"
"Documents on Slade," Robin muttered. He aggressively held his communicator in the air for a signal and allowed bits of profanity to escape his mouth, causing Starfire to cover her ears.
Cyborg thrust his palm in his face. "Rob, don't tell me this is one of those whack-job Slade obsessions again," he argued. The bulging vein in Robin's neck throbbed and he scraped his fingers deeper into gloves. Face instantly changed from pale to a frightening red.
"In case you weren't aware, Cyborg, you're apart of this team. Work obsession or not, we stick together to take down our enemies and keep this city safe. Someone has to," Robin bitterly hissed.
"Hey, man, don't get your traffic light boxers in a twist," Cyborg defensively complained. "You're just lookin' a little overworked."
"Yeah, dude, your face looks like a tomato," Beast Boy included. He earned threatening stares from each person in the room. "What? Don't start starin' at me!"
"What he means," Raven spoke up, "is that you normally don't shut yourself in the workroom unless something's bothering you. Honestly, are you alright?" Robin slammed the papers down, kicking the trash can next to him. It toppled over, spilling more Slade-related articles.
"Why does everyone keep saying that?! I'm fine! I'm doing what a leader should, taking extra precaution and make myself aware of the dangers that are out there! You guys might not take this seriously, but I do." They were surprised by Robin's outburst. He hadn't retracted from his hostile behavior. "If you're finished hounding me, then leave. You'll need all the relaxation you can get before I call an emergency combat training in an hour." Beast Boy and Cyborg didn't need to think twice before marching out of the room, their tantrums heard from down the hall. Raven took a few moments to recollect before receiving a nod of approval from Starfire to disperse.
Once the two were alone, she tossed a paper ball over with her foot. Careful not to move too close to the cantankerous male. "If you're going to stay and lecture me, don't bother."
Fingers trimming over a news article, Starfire never refrained from her calmness. "I shall do my best to not disturb you."
Giving a grunt as a reply, he continued to shuffle papers, not once lifting his head to acknowledge her. The silence was killing him. It stabbed at the man like someone had stuck a dagger in his back and slowly twisted it. Pounding his fist, he rested on the desk. "What do you want, Starfire?"
Her hands stopped hovering over a briefcase, and she gave her direct attention to Robin. "I do not believe that you are well."
He clutched his head, running a forefinger alongside his temple. "Doesn't matter what anyone thinks of me right now. It's the principle of it all."
"The principle of what, Richard?" He winced at the mention of his name. Normally, he was in trouble with the alien princess when she no longer referred to him as 'boyfriend Robin'. "The principle of a mere nightmare frightening you into overworking yourself into the obsession again? Please, enlighten me, for I do not understand."
Robin removed his mask, wheeling around in his chair to speak to her. Starfire noticed the red rims encircling his blue eyes. They used to be so clear and blank, now they were filled with torment..destruction. She rubbed the pad of her thumb underneath his tired eye. "You don't understand, Star," he begged in a barely audible whisper. "He almost got you. He almost got the city...and I could have stopped it. But...I let it happen and I-"
"You did not let anything happen," she advised. "It was the dream, it has not happened."
He wrinkled his nose. "What if it does? What do I do then?"
She allowed a small smile to grace her features. "Then you lead. You shall lead the team to victory as you always have. It is apparent you do not put as much of the faith in us." At her words, his soft gaze tore away from her comforting hand into a cold, grim brush off. Her hand gently fell to her sides.
"That's because you all need more focus of what's going on around you." He clenched his mask, putting it back on his eyes, covering the cerulean gems that Starfire loved to see. "I'll never let Slade get the upper hand...Even if it's the last thing I do."
She scoffed and her eyes began to glow neon green. "This is what I am speaking of! You do not understand."
"No, I understand perfectly. I'm not going to let some random whim of trust hinder what I've founded with this team. Stability and discipline. Slade will manipulate that!"
"Slade has done this. Slade will do that. Slade will only do as much as you allow him to!" she complained.
"Just as I've allowed him to get away multiple times. He'll be back, and we'll be ready."
Starfire looked away. "It is almost as if you are Slade himself," she sardonically grumbled. He paused, shaking his head to make sure he heard her correctly. It is almost as if you are Slade himself. His face instantly turned hard and cold. Jaw line and cheekbones tensing up.
"I need to get back to work," he stated.
"But we must-"
"Alone." Rising from his seat, he shoved a finger at Starfire. "I will never be like him. Do you understand?"
She fumbled with her words, while slowly walking backwards. "I did not mean to upset-"
"He kills, I don't." The girl bit nibbled on her bottom lip, eyes welling. With each step, he seemed to tower over her dramatically. She flinched at his infuriated scowl. "He commits the crimes, I stop them. And if you think for a moment that I am anything like him...you're mistaken." Grabbing at her shoulders to face him, he reached her eye level. "Now leave."
She resolved after his statement, quickly leaving him alone. Hot tears streamed down her face. At the sight of this, Robin's dark demeanor became inscrutable. He suddenly fell into realization: he made her cry. Racing toward the exit he called her name. She had already left.
Punching the wall next to him, Robin slid against the door, head hanging low. This is what he wanted to prevent..hurting her. Or even worse, having her hurt. He tried his best to protect the city, but the villain constantly had a way of messing with his mind. Lingering around in the shadows with questions of "what if". If he lost Starfire or the team, he wouldn't know what he'd do. Was this an obsession? Was he doing the right thing for tracking down Slade? Was he overreacting to the nightmare? Was he really protecting the Titans, Star, and Jump City? For all he knew, it was quite apparent: Slade broke him.