Emotions

Don't own Titans. Robin is clever, no?

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Chapter 4

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'Everyone leads me everywhere,' Robin thought with a dismal sigh. 'I never lead the way… it's always someone else… what kind of leader am I?' A wrenching sob escaped his lips.

"Gee, I'm so glad I'm helping YOU, cry baby…" Gizmo grumbled.

"Shut up and keep on moving," Robin snapped.

Gizmo continued to mumble under his breath, but did as he was told. Robin, after all, was only a few steps behind him, and keeping a watchful- though tear-stained- eye on his every movement. Cyborg was still crushing Jinx. Mammoth was one big bruise, and walked in front of Starfire, head down, looking defeated. Starfire had a vicious smile on her face.

Robin hadn't really taken the time to collect Beast Boy before they set out. Now he wished that he had. After all, if this biochemist- or whatever he was- had the antidote on hand, he was probably going to need all of them to make it work.

And where was Raven? Usually when she abandoned them, she didn't stay away for so long… she had probably left because she hated him… everyone hated him- Robin was now crying freely. Gizmo, Jinx, and Starfire all looked disgusted. Starfire, especially- oh, he did not want Starfire to think any less of him- Robin began sobbing hysterically.

"I should be the leader," Starfire grumbled.

"Wrong," Raven giggled, appearing from the shadows alongside them, "you are the least likely to serve adequately as the leader of this team," she ducked as a starbolt went flying past her head.

Just behind Raven came Beast Boy, looking ashamed. His hands and feet had been wrapped in bandages.  "You… you… you found Beast Boy!" Robin sobbed. He was such a horrible leader! He had lost Beast Boy and hadn't bothered to go find him and now Raven had done what he *should* have done from the start!

"You guys left Beast Boy trying to clean the underside of a moving bus…"

Robin's wailing increased ten-fold.

"…and it was a good thing that that bus was approaching a stop sign when…" Raven stopped her giggling tirade, for a minute, "please stop crying, it is disturbing, me," Raven said, and proved that by laughing.

"You're all a bunch of lunatics!" Jinx screamed, struggling against Cyborg's grip.

"No, we're all a bunch of friends!" Cyborg exclaimed cheerfully, giving Jinx a warm and loving snuggle that nearly popped her eyes out of her head.

Raven was staring at them all, her lips pressed together, whimpering laughs escaping against her will. "Where is it that we are going?" She asked between clenched teeth.

There followed a very long pause, in which Robin sobbed, Cyborg grinned cheerfully, Jinx struggled to breath, and Starfire grabbed Beast Boy by the front of his shirt and began to shake him. Mammoth still looked downcast.

"We're going to find a way to reverse this whole virus thing," Gizmo said, in annoyance, when no one else spoke.

Her restraint apparently over run, Raven suddenly fell over, clutching at her stomach and rolling on the ground, laughing hysterically. Unlike the last few times, however, she didn't seem to be able to stop herself. They all stared at her for a few minutes… "This isn't a good sign," Jinx said, somewhat fearfully, when Raven did not stop laughing at her face began to turn slightly red.

"This virus probably gets worse the longer it has effect," Robin sniffled, with a glance over at the widely-grinning Cyborg- and at Jinx. "It may actually become permanent."

Jinx began squirming. "Promise not to try and run away?" Robin whimpered.

"I never was going to try to in the first place! Just make this out-dated microwave let go of me!" Jinx shouted.

"Cyborg- put her down. Anyway, you need to carry Raven," Robin whimpered, with a glance over at Raven, who was still laughing hysterically- and trying to breathe at the same time. Why did SHE get to be so happy? HE wanted to be as happy as SHE was.

"We're going to take that lunatic along with us?" Starfire hissed. She was strangling Beast Boy. Beast Boy had obviously forgotten he could change forms.

"Starfire, DROP," Robin commanded, managing to make his voice slightly less shaky. He couldn't bear to think of what would happen if the entire team was stuck this way… he'd be even more miserable then that he was now… not that he didn't DESERVE to be miserable…

Robin began wailing again. Jinx fell into step alongside Mammoth. "This day SUCKS," she mumbled.


Mammoth nodded miserably.

Gizmo continued down the path, every few minutes casting glances behind him. Robin was still sobbing. Cyborg had a huge grin on his face and was occasionally laughing along with the now incoherent Raven. Mammoth and Jinx both looked downcast- Starfire marched behind them, a militant look of pride on her face at having subdued her enemies. Beast Boy darted all over, spraying various things with his cans of Lysol.

Robin didn't want to be the leader of this particular team.

Gizmo led them to a series of buildings built up along the edge of the river. "It's in there…" he said, pointing to a complex ringed in barbed wire. A few armed guards stared suspiciously at the teens. Robin cautiously approached the fence.

"Hello," he whimpered, trying to keep his voice steady, "it's very important that we talk to… to…" he glanced over towards Gizmo. "what was this guys name again?"

"What are you talking about?" Gizmo demanded.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about!" Robin whirled completely around to face Gizmo, tears streaming down his face.

Gizmo thought about it for a few minutes. "Actually… no… wait! I know! Er…"


"Don't play games with Robin!" Starfire screamed, grabbing the small genius by the front of his shirt and shaking him wildly.

A few more guards had come up. Cyborg waved at them. "Hi!" He said happily.

Raven continued laughing hysterically.

"I'm not playing games, I… I really don't…" Gizmo said helplessly.

"How could he have gotten affected already?" Jinx asked, an edge of panic in her voice. "He was just touched!"


"Oh! I know this one! The more advanced the disease, the more contagious it is!" Gizmo exclaimed.

"What's the name of the doctor?" Robin demanded through tears and clenched teeth.

"I don't remember!" Gizmo shouted.

"We're doomed… we're doomed, we're doomed!" Jinx exclaimed, running in circles around Mammoth. Mammoth was staring at his teammates in obvious surprise.

"Guys…" he began.

"Panicking isn't going to help anything!" Robin cried.


Beast Boy looked horrified. "Dust! You're stirring up dust! Dust! Stop it! Stop! Stop! Stop!"

Cyborg began to sing a happy song. Raven was still laughing. Starfire began screaming insults at Mammoth, who just stared at her, obviously not impressed. During this tangled mass of confusion, a short and unimpressively garbed man approached, standing just on the other side of the gate.

"Ah… I can see my emotion virus works better than even *I* would have guessed," he said.

Immediately all activity stopped- except for Raven and Cyborg- both of whom now seemed beyond reach. Raven continued laughing hysterically, gasping for air between each laugh, and Cyborg still sang his happy little tune.


"So you're the one who made this virus!" Robin exclaimed, darting up to the fence, a birdarang clasped in his hand and tears falling freely down his face.

The doctor smiled somewhat reassuringly. "Yes, yes, I am the one… and I have an antidote. Worry not- you and all your friends will be restored within a few days time. Come with me," he said.

The fence opened and one by one the Teen Titans filed inside.

~~End part 4~~