April 13, Jump City, Titans Tower
"C'mon, c'mon…" Victor Stone was on the edge of his seat, all his focus on the TV screen in front of him and the baseball game playing on it.
"Radomski winds, he throws, AMI HITS IT! It's going, it's going, it's…GONE! REBELS WIN, REBELS WIN!"
"Yes!" Cyborg shouted, leaping from the couch and pumping his fists. "Let's gooooo!"
"You guys got lucky." A voice spoke from behind him.
"Yeah, yeah, keep talking birdbrain." Victor waved Robin's comment aside. "Believe me, Jump's raising the pennant this year."
"You'll have to get past Gotham first. Which'll never happen." The Boy Wonder responded smugly, folding his arms as he coolly leaned against the counter.
Victor remotely muted the TV and walked around the couch to stride into the Boy Wonder's personal space, arching an eyebrow. "Is that a challenge, chickadee?"
Robin's brow furrowed before he leaned up to get in Cyborg's face. "It's a guarantee, rustbucket. Name the time and place."
"All righty then. Hundred-twenty bucks says that Jump takes it against Gotham. Friday, April 15, Sturmer Stadium, 2:00. Deal?"
"Deal." Robin returned haughtily. "I'll even buy the tickets since I'm about to come into a good sum of money once you lose."
The two boys stewed in a heated silence before Robin stuck his hand out to shake, without taking his eyes from Cyborg's. Without breaking the gaze, Victor took the proffered hand and sealed the deal.
"Um…what are you guys doing?" Garfield spoke out behind them, causing the two boys to turn towards him.
"Gar, who you got for Friday's game?" Vic asked without preamble.
"We're gaming Friday? Well, it, uh, depends on the game, I guess."
"No, man, I'm talking about the Rebels/Knights game. Everyone's been talkin' about it. Who you backing?"
"Is this some kind of cosplay thing?"
"Gar, you do watch baseball, right?" Robin inquired.
"Um, no. I don't watch any sports. Unless wrestling counts. Pro wrestling, not the jockstrap stuff."
Victor and Robin locked eyes, coming to a mutual decision.
"You got money for an extra ticket?"
"For this?" Robin answered. "Absolutely."
"Wait, timeout!" Garfield made the motion with his hands. "I didn't agree to this."
"As team leader, I am ordering you to attend this baseball game and watch Cyborg's team lose." Robin's voice brokered no room for agreement.
"It's America's favorite pastime, bro." Victor implored. "We gotta educate you. Just like the Rebels are gonna educate the Knights with the same old lesson they learn every stinkin' year."
"I told you, things are different this time!"
"Still waiting for proof of that, half-pint!"
The two boys' argument devolved into a back-and-forth war of insults and banter that Garfield decided to remove himself from the situation before almost running headlong into an anxious-looking Starfire.
"Garfield, what is the matter? Why are Victor and Robin shouting at each other?" She asked frantically, gripping his shoulders.
Averting his eyes from her intense ones, he simply answered, "They're taking about some game or whatever."
Her eyes lit up at that as she released him. "A game! How wonderful! How is it played?"
"I have no idea." Garfield shrugged. "Why don't you ask them?"
Deciding to do just that, Starfire floated in between the two boys who only just seemed to notice she was there. "Garfield has informed me that you are debating about a game. Tell me, what is it called?"
"Baseball. It's pretty popular around here." Cyborg explained.
"How is it played?"
"It's…a little complicated." Robin told her. "The basic goal is to score more points than the other team, but…"
"Yes?" She asked eagerly.
"It's better to see it in practice than hear it in theory."
"Would you take me to see it?" She asked innocently.
Sheepishly, Robin rubbed the side of his neck. "Well, Star, we were only planning to take Beast Boy. Kind of a guys only thing, you know what I mean?"
"I see." She said disappointedly before putting her hands on her hips as something occurred to her. "But Garfield does not know how the game works, either. Why is he allowed to participate, but not me?"
Robin seemed to be at a loss for a minute before coming up with a response. "Well, think about it this way, Star. If we brought you and Beast Boy, Raven would be all by herself. Do you really think she would be interested in all this?"
"That would be a no." The Titans' resident empath answered for her as she entered the room, making a beeline for the cupboard where she kept her tea. "It would be nice to have a little quiet around here for once."
"Well, there you go." Robin said, never more grateful for Raven's sudden appearances than right now. "Sorry, Starfire. Maybe next time."
"Very well." She said, shoulders slumped. "I hope that you all enjoy yourselves." Hopefully turning to Raven, she said, "Perhaps Raven and I shall have a girls only thing!"
With her back turned to the group, Raven rolled her eyes as she blew the steam away from her tea mug.
Like that'll ever happen.
2 days later, Beneath Sturmer Stadium
"Ya know I could get fired for this, Soze? You promise to clear my debt?"
"Yeah, yeah, Ronnie. I'm feelin' merciful today. Now open the damn door."
Sighing but knowing better than to argue, security guard Ronnie Douglas opened the loading dock doors to allow in a flood of men in suits, four of them wheeling in an object covered by a tarp. Knowing the layout beforehand, the men confidently strode into an empty storage area where a TV broadcasting the game was affixed to the wall and a catwalk stretched over their heads.
"Uh, what's that?" Ronnie asked as the cart passed him.
Laying a firm hand on the man's shoulder, the crime boss known as Roberto Soze merely winked with the devil in his eye. "Trust me, Ronnie, you don't wanna know. Let's just say, you don't wanna be here this afternoon. If I were you, I'd catch a 'stomach bug' real quick."
Nodding, Douglas ran off in a panic.
Crime boss Roberto Soze calmly surveyed the scene from the catwalk as his lackeys rolled in their special treat for those in attendance at Sturmer Stadium today. It paid to have the best 'friends' money can buy. The favors it bought you, like sneaking illegal contraband into a stadium, were wonderful.
"Alright, boys. You know what to do. If Yumi don't throw this game, make sure he knows what happens when you try to screw Roberto Soze."
"You sure this is okay, boss?" One of his goons asked. "What if them kids come around?"
"Don't worry, Luca. I got an insurance policy, remember? C'mon out, kid."
An armored figure emerged out of the shadows, having been there the whole time. His ensemble was red and gold, with red goggles concealing his eyes and gauntlets on his wrists.
"Boys, meet the Disruptor. It was nice of that Darhk guy to loan him to us along with the bomb. Not sure what his beef with the mayor is but I don't really care. All I know is McCuistion better pray the hometeam takes a dive. If any Titans come down here, Disruptor here is making sure they don't come out."
Sturmer Stadium, 12:15 PM
"I can't believe you guys put me in this." Garfield grumbled from his place in line.
His friends had dressed him in a half-and-half jersey, one for each team and had adorned his head with a blue-and-yellow baseball cap.
"You're the neutral party, Green Bean. There's no way you were wearing a Knights jersey but you're not really a Rebels fan, either. Not yet, anyway."
"Trust me, Gar. The Knights are gonna make you and the entire baseball world a believer today." Robin promised, glaring at Cyborg.
The trio had secured their tickets and had attempted to remain as inconspicuous as possible which was a little difficult given their status.
Cyborg was garbed in a hilariously huge Rebels jersey with a cap to match and a very stretchy pair of jeans.
Robin wore a Knights Jersey, sans cap, with red and black sneakers and a pair of jeans. He had left the majority of his uniform behind but retained his mask, to his teammates' confusion.
Finally, they made it to the security queue where the metal detectors were.
"All right, guys, phones, keys, wallets, put whatever you got inside the tray and step through." A guard addressed them once it was their turn.
They received curious looks as Robin and Beast Boy dropped their communicators inside before Garfield stepped through first with little fanfare.
Robin followed behind him but set off an alarm.
"What you got, kid?"
"Oh, uh…my belt." He chuckled, pulling up his shirt to reveal his utility belt.
"We're gonna have to ask you to remove any weapons, son."
"Don't you guys recognize me? Robin? Titans leader?"
"I don't care if you're Bruce Wayne. No weapons."
Just as this was said, Cyborg walked through, needing to crouch a little bit to make it through.
The alarms went completely haywire, drawing attention from passerby.
The security was immediately on edge, turning all their focus onto Victor who sighed and put his hands up.
"Guys, I'm kind of a living weapon here. Cyborg? Teen Titans?"
That didn't seem to reassure them as they drew closer before a voice interrupted them. "Hold it!"
The voice belonged to a stocky blonde man flanked by two security guards of his own. Typically, this man was known for his smile and jovial attitude but he definitely wasn't smiling now.
"Mr. Mayor!" The head guard exclaimed, lowering his weapon. "You know these kids?"
"They're the Teen Titans. At least most of them." Warmly smiling at the boys, he moved to shake each of their hands in turn. "Good to see you, gentlemen. Girls weren't interested?"
"Not their thing." Robin said quickly.
Looking back at security, the mayor said, "The boys are with me, guys. It wouldn't hurt to have a little extra protection today."
A little embarrassed, security let them all go and preceded to resume business as usual.
"Thanks, Mayor McCuistion." Cyborg said gratefully. "I hadn't even considered something like that happening."
"It's no problem, Cyborg. It's the least I could do after all you kids have done for the city. How about I return the favor? How would you boys like to sit in the skybox with me?"
"Mr. Mayor, we couldn't possibly…" Robin started.
"Yes!" Beast Boy said excitedly.
"Sir, you totally have my vote for the next election." Victor grinned.
"I appreciate that." The Mayor laughed. "Now what are we waiting for? We'd better load up on snacks and hot dogs. My treat." Noting Robin's expression, the Mayor put a hand on his shoulder to guide him along. "It's okay to let your guard down every once in a while, son. What's the worst that could happen? Aside from the Knights losing, that is?" He smirked at the Boy Wonder's gear.
Robin laughed before nodding in agreement. "You're right. Today's gonna be a good day."
Titans Tower
Excitedly, Starfire huffed out anexcited breath as she finally discovered the channel that was airing the baseball game. Anxiously, she scanned the crowd for any sign of her friends but the gathering was truly massive. The camera panned to the skybox where a few familiar faces waved to the crowd.
"Today our esteemed Mayor McCuistion is attending the big game along with a trio of special guests: Robin, Cyborg, and Beast Boy of the Teen Titans!"
Starfire squealed with delight as she watched her friends wave to the capacity crowd, grinning ear-to-ear.
"Raven, come look! Our friends are on the television!"
Raven groaned from her place at the kitchen counter. She had been hoping to get her tea and get out as quietly as she had come in but no such luck. She hadn't even known Starfire had seen her.
She cast her eyes to the television, suppressing a smile at the boys' infectious glee.
Leaning over the back of the couch, the redheaded girl happily wiggled in place. "You must partake in the pastime with me. Cyborg says it is America's favorite!"
"No offense, Starfire, but I don't really care much for what America likes. I'd like to go back to my room with nice, steaming mug of tea and enjoy this rare opportunity for peace and quiet."
The princess was put out for only a moment before raising a finger into the air. "I offer a proposal, Raven."
The empath waved a hand, drolly saying, "This ought to be good."
"You shall sit and watch the game with me until you have run out of tea. Afterwards, I shall leave you to the peace and quiet."
Raven opened her mouth to say no but the older girl's pleading expression wore her down. "Fine. But only until I run out of tea."
Starfire shifted over to allow the other girl to sit down as an awkward silence overtook them while Raven blew on her tea, silently willing it to cool fast so she could get out of here.
"So…" Starfire ventured. "Do you enjoy sports, Raven?"
"No."
OUT! The umpire on the TV shouted.
"…I see." The Tamaranean spoke quietly. "Are there are any games or sports in Azarath?"
Raven sipped her tea before responding. "The culture doesn't really lend itself to anything like that. Most of our time is spent in meditation, prayer, and knowledge-seeking. Sports and games were never presented to me save for the occasional game of chess."
The older girl processed this for a moment before saying, "On Tamaran, games were an integral part of our culture. I often participated in war games in preparation for battle when we were older. My sister and I particularly enjoyed solar lance jousting."
"That sounds dangerous." Raven put in, taking another gulp of tea. "How is it any different from human jousting?"
"Rather than use solid material, the lances are comprised of light energy that dissolve upon contact."
"Efficient."
"Indeed." Seeing that the empath's tea was nearly gone, Starfire asked, "What was a typical day like for you back home?"
Downing the last of her beverage, Raven paused thoughtfully before speaking. "I would wake up by sunrise. Freshen up. Report to Mistress Azar for morning meditation. Break for breakfast. After that, I might go and learn a few spells. Nothing too serious. After lunch, I'd have an hour or two to myself to read. Maybe fit in a game of chess with my mother. In the evening, I would meditate again, eat dinner, say my prayers, and go to sleep soon after sundown. I never deviated much from that schedule, if ever."
"Did you not have a group of friends with you?"
"My mother was the only one even remotely close to my age range. I was lucky to be acknowledged much, if at all, by anyone else."
"That is horrible, Raven. And I am sure it is not true."
"Let's just say that not everyone appreciated me getting…special treatment."
"And why was that?"
Despite the question not being asked unkindly, Raven's defenses were still raised. "It doesn't really matter. Anyway, I'm out of tea. Which means this conversation is over."
Raven stood up and began floating away when Starfire's voice stopped her. "I understand, you know."
Raven's blood ran cold before she turned. "You do?"
"Our situations are not so different."
"Somehow I doubt that." Raven murmured.
"The special treatment? The isolation? A set schedule? As a princess of Tamaran, these things were not unfamiliar to me."
"Really?" Raven queried, surprised and relieved at the same time.
"Mm." The older girl nodded. "I, too, was always learning and studying to take on my parents' duties one day. My siblings and I did not have much of a life outside of the palace. At least not one that wasn't carefully monitored and controlled. You can imagine there were not too many children running around our home. Perhaps that is why my siblings and I were so tightly-knit." She paused wistfully before continuing, "Combat training and tutoring were daily parts of my life and treated as equally important. The former came more easily than the latter."
Starfire chuckled at that and Raven couldn't help but join in before adding, "I have the opposite problem. I was taught to avoid violence at all costs. Absorbing knowledge and reading was my escape from my reality."
"Combat was my own from the political pressures that were to be inevitable due to my status. I suppose we are polar opposites."
Eyeing the game on TV, Raven spoke slowly. "Well…Cyborg and Robin root for different teams. One's dark-skinned, one's light. One tall and one short. One's warm and one's cold. But they're still friends. Still Titans. So maybe polar opposites can still attract."
The empath wore a small smile that her friend couldn't help but return. "I believe so."
A comfortable silence fell over the two girls as they turned their attention back to the baseball game.
"Bethany Snow on the scene here. The weather is gorgeous and appears to be a perfect day for baseball. Rebels fans are chomping at the bit for Yumi Izuki to have a big day as…"
In the background, the Titanesses' attention was captured by a strange-looking man in the background. He didn't appear to be a mascot for either team but was wearing an armored suit. He moved swiftly as if trying to avoid being seen but the few seconds he was visible were enough to put the two on edge. If Bethany Snow or anyone else on the scene had noticed him, they didn't let on.
"That's odd." Raven mused. "I'm no expert on sports but why do I get the feeling that guy's not supposed to be there?"
"Agreed." Starfire rose to her feet. "We should alert the boys."
"No." Raven cut in. "For all we know, this could be nothing. Neither one of us is from around here. I don't want to alarm them for nothing. We can go check this out ourselves." Extending a hand to her friend, she declared, "Let's go."
Accepting the hand, Starfire was enveloped in a shadow the shape of a raven before finding herself blinking in the sunshine outside of Sturmer Stadium where Bethany Snow and her crew had been moments before.
Starfire turned in wonder to her friend to find her with her eyes closed, intensely concentrating and blocking out the noise inside the stadium.
The Tamaranean remained respectfully silent when a security guard appeared and raced in their direction. "Hey, you two can't be here!"
Starfire put a hand on the man's chest and stopped him completely cold, making him grunt in surprise. "Sir, we do not have time for this. My friend senses danger here."
As if on cue, the empath audibly gasped as she appeared to have sensed something. "Underneath. Someone's down there. I sense evil intent."
"How will we get down there?" Starfire asked, all business, ignoring the apoplectic security guard who began radioing for reinforcements.
"Like this."
Starfire suppressed a shiver as her friend grabbed her arm and transported the both of them through the pavement underneath their feet to the lower levels of the stadium below.
The gray girl put a finger to her lips to signal quiet before poking her head around the corner to a storage area where a cluster of men were gathered, dressed in classic suits and pistols holstered to their sides.
Most of their attention was fixated on a TV affixed to the wall that was broadcasting the game that could be heard going on above their heads.
"Game's lookin' tight, fellas." The man who appeared to be in charge spoke. "Let's hope Yumi does his part down the stretch." Patting a large covered object next to him, he finished, "Or else it's bombs away."
That's what I must've been sensing, Raven realized.
Over her shoulder, she felt a gust of air and she looked on in horror as Starfire leapt into the fray without hesitation, unleashing a flurry of starbolts on the confused men.
With her back turned, a goon whipped out his pistol and fired on her but Raven had the presence of mind to put up a defensive wall to protect her friend before using it to pancake her would-be assailant.
A bullet grazed Raven's cloak and she gasped as she melted into the ground before appearing behind her attacker and using a psychic tendril to toss him into a pile of equipment.
She took a deep breath before turning to find the coast clear and Starfire holding up the man in charge with one hand, a starbolt in her other.
"Surrender!" The girl barked threateningly, her eyes glowing fiercely. "You have lost."
"I ain't lost nothing, sweetie." Soze sneered. "Those mooks were just cannon fodder. You think I didn't count on you brats getting involved? The game's changed. So I brought along a little insurance policy."
Watching his eyes dart over her shoulder, Starfire dropped him and instinctively turned to fire her starbolt into the shadows, narrowly missing Raven.
To both girls' surprise, the energy blast bounced right back and slammed its owner in the chest, knocking her off her feet as Soze laughed in the background.
"Disruptor, get rid of these two little girls! I'm in such a good mood, I'll pay you full price for taking out only two Titans."
Rather than reply, the Disruptor silently stepped out from his hiding place and turned his red gaze on Raven, waiting for her to make the first move.
Fine, then. Raven gritted her teeth and levitated a stack of equipment boxes, thrusting her hands forth to send them flying his way.
To her shock, the boxes stopped once they got close, suspended in mid-air.
"Anti-gravity field." The Disruptor cheekily explained before sending them back Raven's way.
The empath frantically avoided most of them before one caught her in the back, knocking her down and making her feel woozy.
Meanwhile, Starfire rose from her prone position and fired a two-handed blast that Disruptor curved to the side before rounding it back towards her. She ducked before angrily flying towards the villain, fist cocked back.
The Disruptor chuckled before raising a hand to stop her in her tracks. "When are you gonna learn, alien? You can't touch me."
Using his other hand, he lifted the dizzy Raven before using his power to slam them both back against the wall, powerless.
"Now, if you'll excuse us, ladies, there's a game going on." He said smugly.
Sturmer Stadium Skybox
"C'mon, son, don't be so glum! There's a game going on!"
Robin snapped out of his thoughts to spare the Mayor a polite smile. "Sorry. I've just got a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. I can't explain it."
"I know what you mean."
"You do?"
Taking a breath to compose himself, the Mayor leaned back in his chair. "Earlier this week, some man appeared in my office. He told me about some organization of his that would 'revolutionize the world'. He wanted my help but I've been in the political game long enough to know who I can and can't trust. I didn't like the look of him. I turned him down and he didn't seem to take it all that well. Haven't heard anything since but I swear when he was in the room, the temperature dropped ten degrees."
Robin's brow furrowed with interest. "What did this man look like?"
"White hair, dark suit. His voice was oily but his eyes made him look like he'd seen more than I have."
"I think I might know-" Robin began before the PA system interrupted him with a message telling the crowd to get loud.
"No sense worrying about it now, son. We're missing the show!" The mayor called over the noise.
Despite his reservations, Robin decided to let it go for now and turned his attention down to home plate as the announcer began to ramp up the crowd.
"Alright, folks, it's the bottom of the 9th! Make some noise for YUUUUMIIII!"
The crowd went predictably nuts as their infamous closer stepped up to the plate. Nobody noticed his hands shaking or the trepidation in his trek to the pitcher's mound.
He couldn't shake a cold feeling slipping down his spine. All week, he'd been threatened by Boss Soze and his people about throwing the game if it came down to a situation just like this. Yumi had been praying the game wouldn't be so close, but in this rivalry, it always was. All he had to do here was strike the batter out twice to make it believable and then whiff on the last pitch. Simple.
Winding up with all his anger and frustration, he threw a dart straight to the umpire's hand.
"STRIKE ONE!"
Cursing his agent for getting him in deep with the mob in the first place, he pitched another heater as if Soze would be on the receiving end.
"STRIKE TWO!"
There was an excited wave going through the crowd. Looking at the fans, their children, and even the Titans on the Jumbotron, Yumi felt sick to his stomach. There were all counting on him. He may not have been a superhero but this was the one thing he knew how to do to brighten up someone else's day.
Squeezing his eyes shut, Yumi roared and flung the ball with all his might.
"STRIKE THREE! OUT!"
The crowd roared its approval as the stadium shook and Yumi couldn't help but smile as his teammates mobbed him.
Damn Soze and whatever he had cooked up. No way he was taking this from him.
….
The roar of the crowd above had been enough to stir the unconscious Raven from her slumber. She moved to stand up before a firm grip on her arm stopped her from rising. Her gaze darted to Starfire who appeared to be playing possum as Disruptor's back was turned.
"Our individual efforts are not enough to overcome him." Starfire whispered. "It appears we will have to work together to defeat him. I would welcome any ideas."
"I think I've got one." Raven whispered, beginning to explain.
Across the room, Boss Soze roared and knocked over his ashtray. "That bum didn't throw the game! Light it up!" Soze roared as his goons had begun to stir as well.
One of them clumsily raced over and activated the bomb with a countdown of 5 minutes.
"Now, let's clear out!" Soze commanded. "Disruptor, finish them however you like and expect your payment soon."
With that, the crime boss raced out behind his men, intent on getting clear of the blast radius.
Cracking his knuckles, Disruptor wheeled back to the girls. "Sorry, ladies, this has been fun but I've gotta make this quick."
"Agreed." Starfire said, quickly jumping into a defensive position, green energy engulfing her hands.
"Sweetheart, you've tried that, remember? And it doesn't look your friend is in any position to help you."
The redhead smirked at that. "I would not be so sure about that." Looking over her shoulder, she ordered, "Now!"
Raven leapt up and stretched out a hand just as Starfire let loose her starbolt.
Disruptor lifted up his defenses as expected but Raven had summoned a portal that absorbed her friend's starbolt.
Unbeknownst to their enemy, Raven's portal opened up behind him at point-blank range and the starbolt popped out, right on target.
Disruptor roared in agony before collapsing, smoke coming off of him.
"Looks can be deceiving." Raven said simply before smiling at her friend. "Nice work."
"You as well." Starfire smiled back before growing serious once more. "What shall we do about the bomb? It indicates we have 3 minutes remaining."
"There's no time to get help. I can't lock on to Cyborg's aura with all those people up there. And neither of us are experts." Raven spoke frantically. "Maybe I can call him and have him talk us through it."
Taking out her communicator to do just that, she growled in frustration when the attempt failed. "He must have left it off." Trying another time, she only grew more agitated. "Robin, too. The one time I actually want to talk to him and of course, he's unavailable." She sighed, as she knew there was one more option.
…
"Raven?" Garfield answered, finger to his ear. "What do you want?"
All he could hear on her end was anxious chatter, none of which was incomprehensible.
"Look, Raven, I can't hear you over all of this noise. Game's almost over, we'll talk soon."
"Gar, get over here! We're up at bat!" Victor called excitedly.
"Gotta go!" Gar hung up, racing over to join the others at the window.
…
"Urghhh!" Raven roared, the light fixtures above them flickering with her rage as she tried not to shatter her communicator. "IDIOT!"
Eyeing the timer nearing the minute mark, Starfire came to a decision. "Then only one option remains." Pointing to the unconscious Disruptor, Starfire said, "Get him and yourself to safety, Raven."
"What are you going to do? Punch it to death?"
Starfire smiled wryly. "If only."
With that, she hefted the device in one hand before flying straight up and carving a path through the ceiling with a continuous starbolt beam.
"Starfire, wait!" Raven called out.
Despite her well of panic, she followed orders and levitated Disruptor's limp body, teleporting the two of them above ground in front of some very confused security guards.
"Take him." She ordered without preamble.
Creating a disc of black energy, Raven hopped on and floated above the stadium, trying to get a glimpse of Starfire, with no luck.
"C'mon, Starfire, where are you?"
Thousands of feet above, the alien girl was zooming, leaving a sonic boom in her wake as she climbed ever higher to dispose of the bomb.
Finally feeling she was at a safe distance, Starfire glanced at the timer.
5…4….3…2…
….
BOOM!
The sound of fireworks was a delightfully pleasant sound to all except a sulking Robin who knew his wallet was about to be a hundred dollars lighter.
"What do they put in those fireworks anyway? I could feel the impact shake the press box." Cyborg wondered aloud.
"Only the best for our Rebels." The Mayor laughed.
"WOO-HOO!"
Everyone in the skybox turned towards the changeling in the room who shrunk into himself as if just realizing he'd been heard.
"I just…like fireworks." He shrugged nonchalantly.
"Whatever you say, B." Victor smirked.
…
Raven's senses were overwhelmed for a moment by the simultaneous explosion of the bomb and the release of the fireworks but quickly refocused her attention on finding Starfire.
Squinting into the heavens, she saw a figure falling rapidly.
"Starfire!"
Launching herself in her direction, Raven followed the estimated trajectory and was able to catch and cushion her friend with a slide of dark energy that deposited her harmlessly to the ground.
"Starfire, are you all right?" Raven asked panickily.
With a groan, the girl began to stir and Raven helped her up to a sitting position.
"You know I could have just teleported that, right?" Raven asked her.
"You were already weakened from the battle and I know continued usage of your powers drains you. I thought it safer if I took the brunt of the blast. Besides, I was not certain of the range of your powers and the bomb would only fall once it exited your portal. I was able to launch it away and achieve the requisite distance in the time remaining."
Raven blinked for a moment. "That's…very well-thought-out, Starfire. Thanks."
The girl grinned weakly before saying, "I am not a total airhead, as they say."
"No." Raven agreed. "No, you're not. You ready to get out of here?"
"Totally." Starfire said, standing to her feet. "That is the Earth expression, yes?"
"Totally." Raven smirked. "C'mon. I've got an ice pack calling my name."
With that, the two Titanesses ascended and took flight in the direction of Titans Tower, feeling a lot lighter than they'd been all day.
Titans Tower
"Pony up the cash, Bird Brain!" Cyborg crowed in delight as the boys entered the OPS Room. "Once again, the Rebels own the Knights!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, keep your shirt on." Robin grumbled, forking the cash over.
Noticing the girls lounging in the living room, Victor broke off from the others to address them, grinning ear-to-ear. "You ladies missed out on all the excitement! You should come along next time!"
"Absolutely not!" Starfire proclaimed emphatically, standing up from the couch. "Your Earth games are most horrible."
On that note, the girl stalked off toward her quarters without so much as a backward glance.
The boys turned their gazes to Raven, silently asking for an explanation.
"Let's just say we've had enough excitement for one day." She said simply, floating up and following after Starfire.
Thoroughly confused, the guys' focus turned to the TV that was still on, covering the Rebels' big win before abruptly switching over to a special broadcast from the Snow Report.
"We are getting reports that the two Titanesses' Starfire and Raven apparently halted a bomb threat at today's festivities. I don't think it's a stretch to say these dangerous activities may have occurred due to the Teen Titans' presence at the game today."
The feed cut to a rather unflattering image of the boys. Garfield was snorting soda out of his nose, Victor had his head thrown back like a werewolf in heat, and Robin had his hands clutched to his head as if he was Macaulay Culkin.
The boys had the decency to look embarrassed before the image shifted to one of Starfire laying a hand on a security guard while Raven had her eyes shut in what appeared to be annoyance.
Bethany looked disgusted at the images before continuing on. "Rather than work with the local authorities, the two girls seem to spit in the face of authority in a move I hope our youth don't seek to emulate much in the same vein as I hope they don't sit idly by in a crisis like the rest of the Titans. This especially isn't a good look after Cyborg exacerbated the situation with Dean James two weeks ago by engaging him in his reckless games. At any rate, the Titans cleaned up a mess they may had a hand in and for that, I suppose we owe them a measure of gratitude."
There was a pregnant pause before Garfield spoke up.
"Man, what was I thinking? I shoulda stayed home. That's…" He jerked his thumb in the direction the girls had gone. "…what I call exciting." Gar said as he retreated towards his room.
Robin and Cyborg remained in stunned silence before the changeling poked his head back around the corner. "So when's the next game?"
The End
A/N: Hey guys! I bet you didn't expect me to update this fast. Truthfully, neither did I. But God encouraged me and I wanted to get another chapter posted by Halloween night to celebrate the one-year anniversary of this story. By the grace of God, I have been able to write and share this story with you all and your encouragement and support has meant so much. I never imagined this story would get this much attention but I stepped out on faith and here we are. Special thanks to The Dimensional Reader, ME1905, TREBOR.E, Raven862, and taping the stars for following and favoriting the story. Shoutout to derekctomlinson, The Dimensional Reader, Rollerparty, Eris, and FireShifter for reviewing the last chapter. Once again, thank you all for reading. Happy Halloween and God Bless!
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