The six Titans had just arrived at the Pizza Corner to celebrate the full recovery of Robin and the recent relationships that had blossomed. Each ordered their own favorite types of pizza slices and took a seat on the roof of the restaurant. The sun was just beginning to set, lit in shades of pink and orange as it hovered just over the coast.
Robin and Starfire were sitting next to each other, as were Cyborg and Jinx. Raven and Beast Boy sat together in the last two chairs, each of them looking decidedly more uncomfortable than the other four Titans.
The server brought them the soft drinks they ordered. Cyborg and Beast Boy were nursing sugary sodas, Raven and Jinx had ordered iced teas, Robin had bottled water, and Starfire had requested mustard.
Jinx looked quizzically at the bottle of mustard she had requested. "Uh...is this a regular thing with you?" she asked.
"Being from the planet Tamaran, I have a different taste palate than the people of Earth," Starfire explained. "This yellow sauce you call mustard reminds me of the milk of a Tamranian creature that is a staple of our diet."
Jinx gave her a small smile but still looked confused. Robin cleared his throat and cut in. "To answer your question, yes, this is a regular thing."
"Thank you…" Jinx said, taking a drink of iced tea without saying anything else. Cyborg gave her a playful nudge on the arm, which she returned.
"It's great that we're all able to hang out like this," Beast Boy said. "We don't always have a chance to do it."
"I concur," Starfire replied. "The hero work we do is important, but it is wonderful that we still have a chance to do the hanging out."
"I could use a fight or two to get back into the swing of things," Robin added, "but I'm glad we had this chance, too."
Raven remained quiet, and Beast Boy thought he could feel something cold emanating from her. Robin, who was on Raven's other side, noticed something as well but chose to ignore it for the time being.
"You know," Cyborg said, "we've done a lot of good lately. Took out that Brushogun guy in Tokyo, stopped Slade's plans for like the twentieth time. It's good to be on top."
"Isn't it a little weird that we haven't heard about Slade in weeks, though?" Jinx asked. "I had the impression that he was the most relentless villain you've ever faced. Why's he been so quiet?"
"I've had a chance to think about that," Robin said. "I know he isn't idle, but I haven't been able to pick up any suspicious activity nearby. When he does hit us next, it's going to be hard, so we have to be vigilant."
"You know what I'm about to hit hard?" Beast Boy asked. "Our pizza! Food's here, guys."
The server came with the signature slices that the six Titans had ordered. Cyborg's featured all meat, Jinx's and Beast Boy's were piled with vegetables, Raven and Robin had just plain cheese, and Starfire's had literally every topping known to man.
"Hungry?" Jinx asked Starfire.
"I possess nine stomachs," Starfire said, "which means nine times the appetite." Starfire then proceeded to squirt mustard from her bottle all over her slice.
The Titans began to dig in, so verbal communication was minimal while they enjoyed their meals. Robin was still aware of how quiet and withdrawn Raven was behaving. Of course, Raven was usually quiet and withdrawn, but something about tonight seemed off to Robin. He decided to take a chance to ask what was bothering her.
"Hi, Raven. Are you okay?" Robin asked telepathically.
Although Raven's body made no visible reaction, her mind was startled. "How did you get in here? I thought I was the one who had to initiate these conversations."
"I practiced this while I was bedridden. I hope I'm not being too intrusive."
"Let me guess. I'm putting off a negative vibe and you caught onto it."
"We have this connection, so I'm more in tune to how you're feeling than I would be otherwise. It felt to me that there was something bothering you, so I wanted to check in."
"I'm fine," Raven said.
"Sorry, but we've known each other for far too long for me to believe that. Whatever's bothering you, I promise I won't judge."
"It's a personal matter. I'm not comfortable discussing it."
"I understand. I also think that if you don't confide in somebody, it's going to start eating away at you. My concerns here are not just for your well-being. Your powers are fueled by emotion, so if you keep this issue in the dark, it might interfere with your ability to fight effectively. So if you won't tell me for personal reasons, let's at least discuss it professionally."
Raven didn't respond for a moment, and appeared to be pondering what Robin had said. "Fine. I'll explain what's troubling me."
"I'm all ears," Robin said. "Well, in a manner of speaking."
"It's Beast Boy. My feelings for him at the moment are...let's just say 'complicated.' He's goofy, childish, and reckless. Not at all like the kind of person I thought I'd be drawn to. And yet…"
"I understand," Robin said. "But Beast Boy's been more interested in Terra, at least from what I've seen. That can't be easy."
"Every time I think we're getting closer, she somehow finds her way back into our lives, and suddenly she's all he can think about. I tried to talk to him earlier tonight, and I more or less told him that I was interested in him."
"How did he respond to that?"
"He said he needed time to think about it."
Even telepathically, Robin could feel the frustration in her thoughts. "Maybe I'm mistaken, but that doesn't seem like the worst outcome. It's not a 'no.'"
"You're a boy, you wouldn't understand. A 'no' is at least a definitive answer. But he needs to think about it? I don't know what to do with that. And even if he did want to start dating me, I keep thinking that I'm just the silver medal, the consolation prize. No girl wants to feel like that."
"I'm sorry," Robin said. "I can't imagine how hard that must be."
"You were pining after Starfire for a long time. You probably understand how that feels at least."
"Yeah, it definitely sucks. Terra's made her choice, though, and I believe that choice is for good. With enough distance, maybe Beast Boy will be less hung up on her. Try not to count him out just yet."
"Fine." Raven took a bite of her pizza, and Robin felt the connection between the two of them terminate. He took that to mean that the conversation was over. Raven seemed to be less bristly now, but Robin was certain that she was still swept up in her inner thoughts.
As the team began to finish their food, Beast Boy started talking.
"It would have been great if Terra could have been with us," he said.
Robin could already feel Raven bristling a bit. Beast Boy, although he was sitting on her other side, didn't seem to notice.
"Terra made her choice, man," Cyborg said. "I'm sure you guys can still stay in touch."
"Yeah, but it's not gonna be the same without her," Beast Boy said.
Raven took a slow sip of her iced tea and set it back down gingerly on the table.
"Do you ever think maybe it might not be all bad?" Raven asked.
"What are you getting at?" Beast Boy asked.
Robin sensed danger about where this conversation was going, but he remained quiet and listened.
"She wasn't the most emotionally stable person," Raven said. "We offered to help her control her powers, and look who she turned to. I'm sure she wouldn't make the mistake of trusting him again, but her lack of control could have been a liability to the team."
"You never saw what we all saw in her," Beast Boy said. "You were the last person to start trusting her, and even then I knew you only did it 'cause you felt you had to."
"Easy, you two," Robin said. "We're not here to rehash the past."
"Easy for you to say," Beast Boy yelled. "You didn't trust her either. You held out almost as much as she did." He pointed an angry finger at Raven.
"I had to do what was best for the team," Robin said. "It was my responsibility to keep everybody safe."
"Where does all this fighting come from?" Starfire asked. "One moment we were enjoying the pizza, and now we are all shouting at each other."
"Star's right," Cyborg said. "Where is all this coming from?"
"It's nothing," Raven said. "Forget I said anything."
"No, no," Beast Boy said, now getting off his seat and hunching over the table. "Let's get this all out in the open. Why'd you have to do it, Raven?"
"What are you talking about?" Raven asked.
"Earlier, in my room, you said you were interested in me. You ever think about how weird that is for me?"
"That's not fair," Raven said. Her voice was still low, but it was starting to sound more intense. "I waited weeks to tell you how I felt, and only after I was positive that she was gone and that your leg was healed."
"Well, you still put me in a weird position," Beast Boy said. "I love Terra, and I...um, I really like you, too, and I thought that was gonna be okay, because I didn't think you liked me back and I was pretty sure Terra did. But now she's gone, and you come on to me, and now I have no idea what to do."
"Do you have any idea," Raven said, now getting out of her seat and staring daggers at Beast Boy, "how long it took for me to realize how I was feeling? I couldn't trust any of my emotions because of the prophecy and my father. Once we defeated him once and for all, I finally realized how I felt, and I would have told you about it then. But then the Doom Patrol came along, and we had to deal with the Brotherhood of Evil, and we were traveling the world for months to deal with that threat, and not even a week after we came back home we found out Terra was alive, and I knew I had no chance in Azarath to pry you away from her. I've been sitting on these feelings for years, so don't tell me that you don't know what to do."
"Beast Boy, Raven, that's enough!" Robin shouted. The Titans looked around and noticed that the other patrons of the restaurant were looking at them. Robin let out a sigh. "Clearly there are a lot of unresolved feelings here. I thought we could resolve this out here civilly, but it's getting out of hand and we're drawing unwanted attention." Robin cast a glance at the other patrons, and even though they couldn't see his eyes behind his mask, they could tell he was glaring at them. "I think it would be best for us to go back to the tower and deal with this as a team."
At exactly that moment, their communicators started vibrating and blinking red.
"Really? Now?" Robin asked. He opened the communicator to read the alert. "Oh no."
"What's happening?" Cyborg asked.
"Red X," Robin said. "He's broken into an abandoned manufacturing plant."
"What would a guy like him be doing there?" Cyborg asked.
"I don't know, but we need to move. Let's go."
Raven, Starfire, and Beast Boy brought Robin, Jinx, and Cyborg to the ground, and once everyone piled into the T-Car, Cyborg took off towards the source of the distress signal. Raven had taken the shotgun seat, so Starfire, Robin, Beast Boy, and Jinx were crammed into the back.
"Clearly this car wasn't made for six," Jinx said.
"Sorry, babe," Cyborg said. "I made it even before Ter—well, before I knew we'd have six members on the team."
On the way, Robin took an opportunity to mutter into Beast Boy's ear.
"I understand that things between you and Terra haven't been easy," Robin said, "but Raven and I shared a connection earlier. She's feeling vulnerable, and it would be better for you and everyone else if you tread more carefully."
"I don't think she needs you to defend her," Beast Boy said. "She can take care of herself."
"I'm not saying this for her sake. I'm saying this for the entire team. You'll have time to work this out with her, but I can't afford to lose morale from anybody. Can you promise me that you two will work out whatever has sprung up between you?"
"Yeah, yeah, it'll be fine. It won't get in the way."
"Okay. Thank you."
Beast Boy grunted and crossed his arms in front of him. Robin scowled, but he knew that was the best he was going to get from him for now. The important thing now was to stop Red X, not try to mediate the squabbling of his teammates.
They arrived shortly at the manufacturing plant. The sun had long since set, which made it hard to see very far ahead. What they could see was a large dump truck that was full of old, metallic piping. The truck was running.
"Should we split up and try to locate the Red X?" Starfire asked.
"No," Robin said. "This plant hasn't been used in years. I think Red X confiscated this truck and is using it to haul scrap metal out of here. I'm not sure why, but if we wait here, I'm sure he'll come to us, and then we can take him by surprise."
"Don't be too sure of that," came a voice. The team started to look around to try to identify where it had come from. Suddenly, out of the shadows, a red band came whipping directly towards Jinx. When it connected, it wrapped around her body, pinning her arms to her sides. Another red band wrapped around her legs, and she lost balance and fell to the ground.
The rest of the team turned towards where the bands had come from. Starfire threw starbolts out into the distance, and for a moment they could see a figure in front of them. When Cyborg shined his light at the area, the figure was gone.
"Where did he…?" Raven started to ask, but a red band flew at her and latched onto her mouth. She was gagged and unable to talk, let alone recite the mantra she normally used to unleash her more powerful attacks. She tried pulling the band off of her, but it had latched on too tightly.
"Where are you?" Robin cried. After a few moments of silence, he felt someone tap him on the shoulder. Before Robin could turn around, he was sucker punched in the lip. He staggered backwards but managed to keep his footing. When he tried to counter, he was not able to find Red X.
"You've detained Jinx and silenced Raven. I know you're using Zynothium weapons against us. How did you get them?"
For a few seconds, more silence, then another red band came flying out, this time latching onto Starfire's eyes.
"I have been blinded!" Starfire yelled. She tried yanking the band off of her, but like Raven, also couldn't make it budge an inch.
"Come on now, bird brain," said Red X. "If I told you how I came across these weapons, it would ruin the surprise."
"What surprise?" Robin asked. "What are you planning?"
Another band latched onto Cyborg's back and started to electrocute him. Cyborg screamed as the attack drained his power supply. His levels fell too low, and his system completely shut down. Cyborg's human eye closed and he collapsed face first on the ground.
"This is stupid," Beast Boy said. He turned into a bat and tried to use sonar to find where Red X was lurking in the shadows. Shortly afterward, a larger red band wrapped itself completely around Beast Boy. He morphed back into human form, but the band had wrapped itself around his entire body, mummifying him.
"Were you able to locate Red X?" Robin asked.
"I was about to, but this thing he wrapped me in won't let me transform." To demonstrate, Beast Boy tried turning back into a bat, but he screamed in pain until he stopped trying to transform.
"You couldn't possibly have figured out all this yourself," Robin said. "Who's helping you?"
There was no response except for a faint chuckle from the distance. Desperate, Robin threw three of his exploding discs in the general direction of the voice. They exploded in a flash of light, but Red X was nowhere to be found.
"You have no idea what you're dealing with," Red X said. "I've been practicing for months for this encounter."
"Show yourself!" Robin cried. "Come out and fight me like a real man!"
"Not a chance, egghead," Red X said. "I have my orders. The only way you're making it out of here is with me, tied up in the back of this truck."
"This has to be Slade's doing," Robin said. "No one else could have trained you to take us out this easily."
"It's funny that you believe that," Red X said. Robin threw another disc in the direction of his voice, but he was still nowhere to be seen. "Slade didn't train me for this. I took you out using my own skills, skills that I've been practicing long before Slade was even in the picture."
"Before Slade...what are you talking about?"
"You have no idea who I actually am, do you?" Red X asked. "I guess you never really cared to find out, either. It was always the Dick Grayson show with you. Your little circus act made you and your family the center of attention. And just when it went all up in flames, who took you in as your mentor?"
Robin was panicked. No one was supposed to know about that, so he was bewildered about how Red X had seemed to find this out. He had to at least remain calm on the outside, though, at least until he could figure out where Red X was hiding. "Hiding in the shadows is a cowardly move. Why don't you take me on man to man?"
"You know why I'm lurking in the shadows. It's how he taught you to fight. Hide in the dark, make your enemies fear you, take them out at a distance."
"That's not who I am anymore," Robin said.
"Let me guess. You were tired of playing second fiddle to him, so you went across the country to get as far away from him as possible. Now you have your own team of misfits. How do you think he took it when you left?"
Robin was jerking his head back and forth, desperately trying to find where Red X was hiding.
"He replaced you, Robin. He thought he could find someone easier to control. He was able to find somebody else, but he ran into the same problem. His replacement was too rebellious, too reckless. His replacement got himself kidnapped on one particularly reckless night, and what did he do? He found another replacement, a third Robin. You would think he would have learned from his mistakes, but I'm glad I don't work for him anymore."
"You were a Robin?" Robin asked. He was finding Red X's ramblings harder to follow. In fact, his vision was starting to blur, and then he started to cough. His eyes then caught on the ground a small canister that was emitting a gaseous substance. Robin looked around, and he realized that his other teammates had already been knocked out. He coughed harder, collapsing to the ground, and just before he passed out completely, Robin finally saw Red X walking towards him. The last thing he remembered before everything faded to black is Red X lifting his chin up so that he could see him face to face.
Hello, FFN readers! I don't usually leave author's notes here, but this one's important. Some IRL things have gotten in the way of my usual writing schedule, which is why this chapter's coming out today and not Saturday like usual. That means that for now, the story is on hiatus. I'm hoping the hiatus will be brief and that I can start posting regularly again soon. I realize with my track record that this usually doesn't bode well, but I'm still having a blast writing this story and I absolutely do intend to return to it soon. Thank you to everyone who has read loyally so far. I really appreciate it.