Chapter 2: Reluctance; Aka Stubborness
"Friend Robin, is everything the Oh Kay?" the strawberry haired girl questioned in a worried tone. She stood in the doorway to her room, looking down the hallway to see a furious Robin trudging toward her.
He didn't reply, storming past her, leaving a slightly hurt Starfire behind.
"Robin, what is wrong?" she tried once again, eager to help her friend in distress. Her distressed tone made the ebony stop, but he did not turn around as he answered.
"I'm fine Star, just go eat some breakfast."
Starfire felt a bit hurt that her dearest friend would not talk with her, let alone face her. This did not deter her motive, however, and she was now more determined to find out what was wrong with Robin.
"I can clearly see that you are not fine. Please, what is on your mind?" she asked, her tone dripping with determination and a desperation to help her clearly distressed friend.
Robin, on the other hand, didn't mind the girl trying to help him, but really wasn't in the mood for company. All he wanted was to be alone to digest the information that was just given to him.
But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't ignore the beautiful Tameranean behind him. So, albeit a bit begrudgingly, he turned around and faced the girl with what he hoped was a neutral, but calm expression.
"Really Starfire, I'm fine. I just...need to be alone for a little while, okay?"
The alien girl paused, a bit reluctant and suspicious of Robin, but nodded when she recognized the teens pleading look.
Robin nodded slightly in return, turning back to make his way to his room. Where he knew nobody would dare try to interrupt or disturb him. Everyone in the Tower knew that if the Boy Wonder was in his queit space, no one should disturb him. If you didn't want the possibility of getting a bird-a-rang thrown at you, that is. The only exception was Starfire, but the teen could sometimes explode with her, as well.
He stalked back to his room, not as furious as he was before. The teen figured it was because of his little talk with Starfire, as she always had a way of cheering him up, even if it was only her presence.
The thought had a blush creeping up to his cheeks, making him move even faster to get to the blissful isolation.
Finally he saw the familiar door, and after he entered the password, it opened with a familiar hiss. He quickly stepped inside and the door automatically shut behind him. When shut, he leaned back on the metal door and put his face into his hands with an irritable groan.
Why, after such a beautiful start to the day, did the past have to creep up on him? It seemed as if luck would never be on his side.
Robin angrily thought that Slade knew what he was doing. After the failed apprenticeship, he decided to go stir up trouble in other cities, where he knew people of Robins past were located.
The teen knew it was only to grab his attention, too. All he wanted was to be on Robins radar once again, and what better way than to go to the people he once affiliated with?
He had no idea if Slade knew they would call the Titans, but with his enhanced intelligence, there was a very high probability. And that was one of the many reasons he refused to help his former team.
Robin knew that it was Slades way of saying 'let's have a rematch, apprentice', and he refused to indulge the man and his sick games.
Rubbing his face, he lazily walked over to his bed and ungracefully fell down onto the mattress. He face-planted into the comforter, taking a deep breath of the fabric softener he used. Flipping around, he let out his breath in a deep sigh, a slight feeling of longing filling his mind.
The softener he used on his sheets was the exact same as the one Alfred used at the Manor. And while it made him undeniably homesick, it also brought a warming comfort.
He made a slightly irritated huff as he continued to think about his years in the Manor, coming up with her another reason he shouldn't leave Jump and help his old team.
Batman. Or, in civilian identity, Bruce Wayne.
There would be no doubt that if the Titans did help, Batman would also be there to help orchestrate the mission. And frankly, just the thought of facing his ex-mentor brought a queasiness like no other to his stomach.
Robin visibly cringed at he thought of how they left things when he ran away. Or, more accurately, how he left things back home. Bruce did try to talk with him after their fight, after all, and it was Robin who refused to answer his calls. Then, the gash between them only deepend when Batman didn't come after him. It ripped his heart to pieces, but in all honesty, wasn't all that surprising.
He shook his head to rid him of his despaired thoughts, closing his eyes as he continued to sift through his choices.
Robin had no doubt that the Titans were willing to jump at the chance to meet the Young Justice team. It clearly showed by the present teens action when they contacted them. The ebony hated that he had to disappoint them like this, especially Beast Boy, who was really still just a kid.
But, alas, the possible repercussions (not to mention emotional trauma) were just too great a risk. And, as the teams leader and therefore voice, he couldn't risk anyone getting hurt, emotionally or physically.
'Yeah, just keep telling yourself that to make you feel better, Grayson' his subconscious told him. And he couldn't help but feel that it was right.
He wasn't reluctant to go help Young Justice simply because it could possibly be dangerous. No, his reasons were much more pitiful and selfish than that.
To put it simply; he was scared. Not because he was worried that the Titans and Young Justice wouldn't get along. He was sure that most of them would hit it off instantly.
Instead, he was scared of how his old friends, and more importantly, how Batman would react to him. He had changed a lot over the years, after all. Not just physically, but emotionally as well. His former team had caught a small glimpse of these things from the transition message.
After he left to go solo, he morphed from the joke cracking, mischevious, and sometimes annoying teen to, basically, a mini Batman. He did have a slightly more varied emotional range, however. Not to mention the temper he had harbored through the last year. Robin had absolutely no clue what triggered it, but it hurt all of his relationships, especially his one with Starefire. The smarter and more nefarious villains also twisted his anger to make him sloppy and less careful about his attacks.
Slade used that one on him almost too much.
Robin suppressed a shiver as the man's haunting words seemed to chant in his head. During his time as his apprentice, he was constantly told that he needed to control his temper. In result, it only made him even more furious, much to Slade's delight.
The ebony mentally checked off another reason why it would be a bad idea to help the Young Justice team. Slade was extremely manipulative, and he would no doubt try to anger him after he defeated the other teens.
And releasing his anger like that would only show his weakness, and it was trained into from an early age to never show weakness out in the field. If he were to face Slade, it was guaranteed that the man would humiliate him in front of all of his friends. Robin refused to even entertain the thought of that.
Before he knew it, Robin found himself dozing off as the stress was finally catching up to him. His thoughts continued on this same track as he went in and out of a fitfull sleep, waking everytime the image of his scowling mentor fluttered into the forefront of his mind. The ebony became so lost in sleep and unpleasant thoughts that he became oblivious to the arguing emiting just inches away from the metal door.
"C'mon! What are we gonna say?" Beast Boy asked eagerly and he spared a hopeful glance at the larger teen beside him. Cyborg only gave him a curious downwards look.
"'We'? Oh no, I'M going to try to convince him. There's no way he'd listen to you."
The changlings draw dropped to the ground.
"WHAT!? No way! I'm going to talk with him too!"
"How about both of you shut up and I can do the talking, since there is no way he'd listen to your arguments."
Both boys jumped, startled, and spun around to face the girl who had spoken. They both looked at each other a bit sheepishly, then turned back to the pale empathy in front of them.
"Uh, good idea, Rae. You're better with emotions and stuff after all, right?"
Raven face Beast Boy a hard glare. His eyes widened, and with a small noise of fright, he ran out of the room in the form of a goose. Cyborg stared after him for a moment, before letting loose a small, nervous laugh and following the younger down the hallway.
The girl sighed, a bit in irritation, but mostly in relief. Now that they were gone, she had a much better chance of getting through to her seemingly fearless leader.
She dropped down to the ground and took a hesitant step towards the door. Taking a deep breath to steel herself, she raised her hand. Inches from the door her hand paused, and she questioned whether it was a good idea to disrupt Robin in his room. On any other occasion, the other teen would either not answer the door or say 'go away'. But something deep down told her that Robin needed some consoling, and leaving him alone to his thoughts would only make things worse.
With new resolve, Raven rasped her hand on the door three times, and waited a few seconds. When she was met with silence, she knocked again.
"It's me, Raven." she said, and with how soft her voice was she doubted that the ebony inside even heard her as seconds of silence ticked past.
Then, finally, she heard the springs of a mattress sqeak and the door flew open in front of her. Robin looked at her with a blank and neutral expression, but his façade was easily seen through by the empath. In fact, his emotions seemed almost out of control, going from angry, distressed, to almost sad in a matter of seconds.
"Robin, are you okay?" she asked, and she managed to catch the faintest look of fear and nervousness flash on his face. It was quickly covered up by his neutral mask, however.
"Yeah, just a lot to take in at the moment." his reply almost seemed forced, and Ravens lips creased in a thin line as she continued to further feel his range of constantly changing emotions.
"You don't have to lie to me, you know. It won't get you very far. Maybe it could work with the others, but I can feel that you are far from 'okay'."
Robins face turned downcast, and he said nothing in response. He let out a large sigh as his shoulders hunched together in an almost defeated look.
"Do you want to talk?" Raven asked carefully, not really sure what she was doing anymore. She only knocked on his door because his emotions were making her distracted, after all. Plus, she wasn't exactly a people person, and she definitely wasn't one to console people.
The ebony was quiet for a moment, before he stepped aside from the doorway. Raven took this as an 'okay'to enter his room, and she quickly stepped inside, the door automatically shutting behind her.
Robin moved to his bed without a sound, sitting on the edge and burying his head in his hands. Raven paused for a moment, unsure of what to do, and settled on going to sit next to him. She sat down next to him, close enough that she was almost involuntarily flinching from the sudden tenseness that caused through the other teens body,
"Robin?" she asked, leaving the rest of her question unspoken. But luckily Robin seemed to understand what she wanted. He let loose a sigh, bringing his hands up into his hair, gripping the raven strands.
"I'm...I'm scared, Raven. Of what would happen if we did go..." he muttered softly, Raven having to lean in to hear the whole sentence. She gave him a slightly worried and pitied look.
Raven may not have been in the room throughout the whole communication, but she managed to pick up what was happening through Cyborg and Beast Boys annoying chatter as they were walking towards Robins room. She knew that all of the teens feelings were completely justified. Him, out of everyone, had every reason to be scared of Slade.
"Slade won't be able to get to you, you'll have your previous team and us to back you up. If he wants to get to you, he'll have to go through all of us." she reassured him, but to her confusion, Robin shook his head slightly.
"It's not that. Sure, I'm hesitant to go up against him, but the thing I am most afraid of is...is..." he couldn't finish his sentence, but he didn't need to. Raven already knew what he meant.
"Robin, they will still accept you. You may have changed, but it's still you. And if they can't see that, then they were never your friends in the first place."
"Batman." he whispered, and Raven was a but taken aback by the name. That name specifically was Taboo anywhere near the Boy Wonder, anytime the man was mentioned a scowl would form on Robins face. And, if it was a person who mentioned him, they would be attacked by at least three bird-a-rangs. Beast Boy would know.
"You're afraid what he will think?" Robin nodded his head at this, and Raven lifted her hand and put a comforting hand on the ebony's shoulder. "Don't be." she said simply, and Robin gave her a curious glance through his mask.
"Why shouldn't I be? With the way we left things, I wouldn't be suprised if he even acknowledged me anymore." Raven sighed at his response, and gave his shoulder a small squeeze.
"Well, from what I gathered he's like your father, if he isn't actually. And any father would be ecstatic to see their son again after two years. Even if things between them were a bit rocky. And if we go, and we do see him, you don't have to talk with him if he doesn't initiate any conversation. We can just work on the mission, and then we'll be back in Jump in no time."
Robin perked up slightly at this, and gave the girl a small, grateful smile. But just as soon as it was there, it turned into a frown.
"That's true, but I'm still reluctant to go, you know." Raven was the one who found her lips curling into a smirk at this.
"No, you're just too stubborn to let bygones be bygones." she stated matter-of-factly, and the ebony beside her couldn't help but let out a small laugh at her proclamation.
"Yeah, I guess I am pretty stubborn sometimes." he admitted, his look softening into one of gratitude. "Thanks, Raven. I know that your not much of a people person. I was honestly expecting Starfire, not you. But, this was nice."
Raven released her grip on his shoulder and stood up from the bed, Robin following suit and they looked at each other with warm smiles.
"It was no problem." she stated simply before walking back over to the door. It opened with a 'hiss', and she stepped out of the room.
"And Raven?" Robins voice said as she was about to step further away. She looked back and rose an inquisitive eyebrow. "Better start packing."
With one last look, the door to Robins room slid shut, and Raven started to make her way to her own room to do exactly what her leader said.
The Young Justice base was across the country, after all, and she knew she would definitely need extra meditation things if she was to be stuck on a jet with the two most annoying members of the team.
Well? How 'bout it? Like it so far? I know not much happened in this chapter, but it was necessary for some of the plot. Also, it may seem like I was going into some RobRae territory, but there will be no ships in this book besides Artemis and Wally, who are a completely confirmed couple. I just like to think Robin and Raven have a really close relationship with all of their secrets and their sorta distant attitude towards most things.
Well, that's all! See Ya!