"So there we were, couple dozen stories below ground, no way out, no way to contact our mentors, no one has any idea where we are, and as soon as we let Supey out of his tube he starts pummeling us!" Kid Flash had the titans enthralled as he told the story of the founding of the team. Robin was pointedly looking anywhere but at them, and Jinx was giving him a smirk.
"I'm sure it can't have been that bad," Zatanna, who hadn't ever heard the whole story either, laughed.
"It was," Superboy said with a groan.
"Oh, hey, look, the pizza's here," Robin pointed out, blatantly changing the subject as the waiter brought over their pies.
"Okay, we've got two pepperonis, a veggie supreme, a meat supreme, and a hawaiian," the waiter said, laying them all on the tables they'd shoved together, "Heroes get half off for keeping us from having to renovate again."
"Hey, thanks man," Cyborg said, "Looks great."
The waiter nodded and went to take care of another table.
"Robin, I did not know you were such a n'farchka as a child!" Starfire laughed, clinging to his arm, "Why have you never told us these stories?"
"Because they're embarrassing?" he sank lower into his seat at the reminder.
"Nonsense," Starfire kissed his cheek, "They are adorable. You take yourself much too seriously."
"Good thing I have you guys around to puncture my ego, then, huh?" He replied, brushing her hair out of her face.
Zatanna looked profoundly uncomfortable. Artemis glanced at her and leaned over.
"Still have a crush on him, huh?" she asked.
"I know he's got a girlfriend, but it's only been a couple hours! Gimme a break!" Zatanna hissed back, "I'll get over it eventually!"
"No worries, I completely get it," Artemis comforted her as Beast Boy began loudly complaining about PDA in front of the pizza.
"You got any more stories?" Cyborg asked, "Robin never tells us the good ones."
"I've got a good one about Kid Flash," Artemis piped up, smirking gleefully, "It was the day I joined the team…"
"Come on Artemis, no one wants to hear about that," he chuckled nervously, "Right?"
"No, I think I want to hear it," Jinx said, leaning her elbow on the table and laying her cheek on her hand, "Do tell."
"So I'm in there, getting introduced around, but Kid Flash is running late," Artemis said, getting into it, "And so we're all there talking a bit while we wait, then the zeta tube activates and he comes through, but not in his uniform, oh no. He's in swim trunks, got one of those weird little white things over his nose, carrying a massive armload of beach gear, and talking about how 'the wall-man' was there so the party could start. Takes two steps and falls flat on his own face. The umbrella goes flying, the beach towel goes flying, the beach ball bounces right past my feet, and that's when he notices I'm there."
"The Wall-man, huh," Jinx laughed, leaning over her boyfriend to get right up in his flaming face, "What, do I not warrant a beach ball?"
"Oh, he didn't even know I was there," Artemis snorted, "Completely clueless until I said something."
Both of them laughed, and Aqualad decided to take pity. He reached out and took Artemis's hand gently, calling her attention to him.
"Would it trouble you greatly to leave off tormenting your former boyfriend to pay attention to your current one?" He asked, smiling faintly.
"If I have to," she rolled her eyes dramatically, but returned his smile with a soft one of her own.
"Oh!" Starfire clapped her hands, "You are such the cute couple! You should come with Robin and I on one of the double dates sometime! None of our other friends are dating but Kid Flash and Jinx, and Jinx refuses to come!"
"That's because anytime I go anywhere with you we end up covered in mud or oil or tree sap or on one memorable occasion, brownie batter," Jinx told her.
"Connor and I could come too," Megan suggested, "It can be a group date."
Starfire gasped in delight, face lighting up, "Oh, glorious!" she cheered, "We could go to a restaurant, or to the movies, or…"
Within a few minutes the two of them were excitedly planning around a long-suffering Superboy.
Rocket coughed a little bit, not wanting to get caught up in the date planning, "Uh, so! When're you planning to come back? Batman was absolutely losing his mind looking for you the other day, and we've missed you around the mountain."
The titans all went silent, startled and concerned expressions on their faces. They all, Kid Flash and Jinx included, turned to Robin, who's hands had clenched into fists. He stared at the table with an unreadable expression on his face.
"What? What'd I say?" Rocket asked, the team all feeling the tension her question had caused, but not knowing why.
"That's a conversation for somewhere a little more private," Robin finally said in a tense growl.
"Why? What's…" Zatanna started, but Cyborg cut her off.
"So! Any of you watch football?" He asked in a forcedly enthusiastic voice. Slowly, conversation started back up again, but no one forgot.