Well, I think I got this up on time? IDK...
Anyways! Enjoy the story!
Warnings - none. :)
Disclaimer - I'm simply not cool enough to own this show...
Chapter Twenty-six - Monopoly
"Okay so he'll be put on Cymbalta, 40 Mg per day, 20 twice per day. Be sure he doesn't miss a dose, if he does just have him take it when remembered, or if close to his next dosage, just skip it. It is imperative he does not overdose, and if he does call poison control." She gave him a post-it with a number. "I want him to see Slade when he wakes up. He can't lose what he's accomplished, don't give him time to think it over, or he might go back to his panicked state." She collected her things as she spoke.
"I'll come back tomorrow to check in." She entered the elevator, receiving a nod from the oldest Titan.
All was quiet in Titans Tower, Slade sitting quietly with a plain expression, when in reality he was concerned for the one in the other room. The team all stared at him, some more terrified than other, Star being the one to speak, seeming slightly confused.
"Are you the Joseph, or the Slade?" He chuckled lightly under his breath.
"I'm both." The tiniest glint of amusement, shifting to sadness filled his eye, but was quickly dismissed, returning to his usual objective demeanor. No one else spoke, watching the screen, watching their friend lie sleeping in an awkward position, seeming at peace for the first time in a long time.
He woke, groaning slightly, turning, stretching over the bed, a yawn racking his form as, running a hand through his bed head, seeming to have forgotten everything from the past few months, though that didn't last, his features growing depressingly sad in an instant.
"Go." The cybernetic teen said, remembering the doctors orders, the man already moving towards his room.
A light knocking made the boy look up.
"May I come in?" The boy nearly choked.
"No." He said in a light whisper, trying to control his emotions.
"Please?" He tried, he didn't want to break in, it seeming he wouldn't have to as the door clicked, opening, if only just.
"Why should I?" His voice held minimum emotion, features copying, looking like a goth who hadn't had the time to get dressed, even the colors of his costume seeming to fade with his mood.
The air was thick, Slade silent, there was no reason for the leader to let him in, nothing he could think of gave him aliable excuse, though the boy knew there wasn't a reason, door opening a bit more, Robin stepping to the side, motioning the man in.
"Don't touch me and you can come in..." The boy stated, not wanting the man anywhere near him, but knowing this could help him recover quicker, the thought not helping his shaking.
The man walked past him, making him tense, shutting his eyes tight, terror racking his everything as the beast entered his quarters, though he soon passed, the door sliding shut. "W- what do you want...?"
"To talk."
"Fine... Talk..." He stood in the corner, as far away from the man as physically possible.
"I want to apologize-"
"Already heard this speech..." He interrupted in a weak whisper.
"Robin, I wasn't myself when I did those things to you."
"But it was you."
"Yes, but-"
"No matter how you look at it, Slade, you where the one who kidnapped me, the one who tortured me, and the one who r- raped m- me..." His voice trailed off, looking down at his feet with a sorrowful look.
"Robin..." He was suddenly in front of the Titan, lifting his head, silent tears littering his cheeks, looking down, shake worsening, bringing a gentle finger to wipe them away, the bird terrified, at least that's the conclusion he'd come to. A small trembling hand moved to touch the man's, wide-eyed, before he blinked his lids shut again, knees buckling under him, falling against the mercenary, who caught him, them standing in the corner, one crying into the other's chest, quaking as emotions invaded him.
"I- I- ev-everything was so p- perfect before- before you ruined it!" Small hands lightly hit Slade's shoulder, him making no attempt at stopping the assault, simply holding the bird's middle tighter.
"I know..."
"Why does this always happen?! Right when I th- think everything is going to be alright, that I'll be able to be happy! Someone always has to ruin e-everything!" He pushed away from the man, stumbling back, towards the bed, running a hand through his hair with a groan. "I just want everyone to leave me alone..." He looked out the window, a light sob leaving his lips, everything outside seeming so bright and cheery, though it didn't help with his inner turmoil, only making it worse in a way.
He looked back when he didn't get an answer, the man doing nothing, simply staring, single grey blue orb showing concern, sadness even, hating to see the fearless hero in such a state because of him.
"Say something!" The silence made the Titan nervous.
"What is there to say? I made a mistake, and I don't blame you for hating me."
"I don't hate you!" He looked away as the words left his lips. "That's the problem... I don't hate you, but I s-should..." He choked back a cry, the man walking towards him, touching his shoulder.
"Robin-"
"Don't touch me!" He struck the side of his face with a fist. "Your being gentle! Your not supposed to be gentle!" The other sighed, wiping away a bit of blood from the side of his mouth.
"Robin-"
"Your supposed to beat me! That's how it is! That's how it's always been! You beat me beyond repair! Your supposed to hate me!" He kicked the villain in the leg.
"But I don't hate you... I've never hated you."
"Liar!" He tried to hit his chest again, when his hand was caught, the grip soft, though he couldn't escape, at least not in his current state.
"Robin, listen, I do not hate you, I have never hated you, I just wanted you to be my apprentice, to be with me, but I knew if I didn't force you, you would have never came of your own free will."
"How do you know..."
"Would you have?" Silence. "I thought not."
Robin stood, looking towards the ground, rummaging through his belt, pulling a bird-R-rang from the front pouch, taking no time to aim, throwing the weapon, hitting the camera, which broke, leaving them without an audience.
"Man, that was new!" Cyborg whined.
"I'm sure he'll buy you a new one." Rae said, knowing they needed a minute alone.
"What do we do now? What if Slade tries something?"
"He won't, he feels remorse for what happened, he wants to fix things." She crossed her legs, starting her mantra, concentrating on monitoring Robin's feelings, just in case.
"I might have..." He said, knowing they weren't being spied on now. "I would have stayed of my own free will if you'd been able to make me happy… Genuinely happy… but you made my life a living Hell." A pause filled the air, if only for a moment.
"I didn't know… I always assumed you hated me, and I'd have to force you to be my apprentice." He spoke evenly despite himself, standing in silence for the longest amount of time, the break in conversation a painful gnawing to the teen, though it was soon broken when the man spoke again. "Come with me then."
"What…?" The bird asked in disbelief.
"Come with me. I can make you happy, Robin, I know I can make you happy." The boy seemed slightly taken aback, though quickly recovered.
"I can't… You know I can't, Slade…"
"Why? You said you would have stayed if I could have made you happy."
"I just... can't… They all did so much trying to get me back, what kind of monster would I be if I abandoned them now…" The mercenary sighed, he knew he couldn't, but still thought he'd at least try.
"Can't we just go back to the way we where before…?" The boy asked, rubbing his arm with the opposite hand.
"Back to fighting?"
"…No… Back to before... when I had Joseph…" Slade looked over with a look of surprise playing his lips.
"After everything I've done?"
"Back then." He clarified. "All I've ever wanted is to be happy, and for some reason I never am. I get depressed for no reason, then I have to leave, search for that joy I know is somewhere, I think I've felt it when I was little, and each new place starts off happy, but it fades, so I don't think it's real happiness, it was different with Joseph. I was so happy, but all good things must come to an end..."
"I'm not exactly Joseph, but Joseph is me." The man replied. "We can try, when you're ready."
"Not yet. You still did so much Slade, I just don't know when I'll be r- ready..." His voice shook slightly, tearing up, looking away, no farther words uttered, Robin looking towards the ground. "Please don't tell them..." Slade nodded, heading back towards the living quarters when he realized the conversation was over, that the boy needed to be left alone, the feeling in the air saying he was near to breaking down with emotions, having been holding them back.
"What happened, man?!" He was immediate questioned, Star flying towards him.
"What did you d to friend Robin!" Green eyes threatened him, as her hands intertwined his top.
"We simply talked." Where others would shrink, he didn't flinch in the slightest, not finding her a threat.
"About what?" Cyborg set his arm between them, pushing a seething Starfire back.
"He told me not to say." He said simply, walking in the opposite direction. "I'm leaving." He said, before leaving the tower, no one having the courage, not even Star, to stop him, still terrified of him despite.
He sat at the back of his bed, motionless other than the few sobs that racked his body from time to time, trying with all his power to avoid another panic attack, feeling anxiety targeting his heart.
"Stop... Stop... Stop..." He said quietly aloud, but screamed in his mind, knowing he needed to stop it before it seeped to the surface, steadying his breathing, lying back, head leveled as he focused on remaining calm, the shock of having the man so close, being embraced by his nightmare, beginning to sink in.
The soft knock on his door made his breathing pick up a bit, before a soft tone calmed them again.
"Dude... Are you okay?" Beast Boy spoke, the door soon opening, immediately allowed in.
"Hey, bea." He said, smiling for the first time in what felt like forever, Beast Boy being like his little brother.
"Hey, dude." The changeling smiled wide, just happy he'd been allowed to enter, the fact that Robin was smiling being a bonus. "So, you okay, Rob?" He turned slightly more serious, though not by much.
"Yeah... I'll be fine." He assured. Of course that was a lie, he'd never be okay again, he just didn't want to worry him, Bea was to young to be worried with such a thing. Hell, he himself was to young to be involved in any of this!
"Dude, have you been crying...?" His ears slunk back.
"What- oh no, no, it's fine, don't worry about it, Beast Boy." A hand swiped over his eyes to clean himself up, sniffling, before managing a smile to his friend, it not seeming as assuring as before.
The youngest Titan morphed to a green puff of fur, meowing as he rubbed against his friends legs, lying at his feet, trying to comfort the other, hearing a short laugh. The kitten ran, jumping to the bed, wagging his tail, waiting for the boy to join him, knowing he needed a distraction.
He morphed back to his human form, swinging his legs over the side of the bed.
"Wanna play a game, Rob?" His ears had returned to their happier state.
"Depends. What game?"
"Life?" The leader nodded, knowing he needed someone to comfort him, following Robin as he was lead to the kitchen, needing a table, and the game was in the closet.
He'd left his room. walking into the main room, everyone stilling, surprised, watching him walk behind the couch, pulled by the youngest. They'd known that if anyone could get him out, it was Beast Boy, and it seemed it had been a success.
"Anyone else wanna play Life?" In the end they all sat at the table, even Raven, being a black car, painted black by Beast Boy, just for her, white showing where the paint had chipped.
The game started out simple enough, each car holding one peg, some blue, some pink, Cyborg spinning, going oldest first.
When it came time for Robin to gain a mate, he put a pink peg next to the blue, while in reality he wanted a blue, knowing he couldn't, or feeling he couldn't more like, he wasn't gay, so he should have a wife, at least, that's what he'd thought before his eighteenth birthday, now that the line had been blurred so drastically, he wasn't sure. As the peg stabbed in the cars hood, his friends noted his sorrowful expression, though he quickly hide it, looking at Star, who was next.
The game went on regularly, Bea nearly crying as he started stacking his children, having ran out of room in his car, everyone having a great time, even Robin it seemed, which made them all happy.
"Robin, how longs it been since you've eaten?" Cyborg had suddenly realized while cleaning up the game. He was metwith a growl, which made the boy wince. "Man! You gotta eat something!" He abandoned his task, rushing to the kitchen.
He groaned, avoiding the sludge that escaped the fridge. "...No food... Order in?" He assumed the Titan didn't want to go out, though just in case he added. "Or we could go out if your up for it, man?" Robin shrugged, meaning he didn't care, all smiling as they prepared to leave.
That Life thing is important, those of you thinking, 'Well that was an unnecessary amount of information.' it will make sense later you elegant swan you!
Feed the nummy with the yummy? (omfg I apologize...)
Feedback please?
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