Disclaimer: Me no own Teen Titans.
Yes I've decided to continue with the story, and boy, this chapter is long. Too long it seems. If you don't fall asleep reading this and keep you remotely entertained, then I have done my job.
Thank you for your reviews for the first chapter. Many insecurities about it seemed unnecessary after reading your wonderful comments. I hope this and the coming chapters live up to your expectations. (I've hopefully fixed all the "weird" letters that popped up instead of apostrophes in Ch. 1)
The warning of possible yaoi/slash in the future is still in effect!! If not hinted in this chapter already ;… Also, rating may increased to R status… So undecided I am;;
Marked - Act II: Probably
By Cloud Ishida
"A dream is a dream that never changes
A dream is a dream that never changes"
-"get out from the SHELL", L'arc-en-ciel
The silky evening wrapped around the city, and in return, the street lights illuminated the night sky. Clusters of stars lost their glow against the artificial lights into faint glimmers of forgotten memories. Not even the vigorous, synthetic lights could dim every memory.
A star of betrayal is especially resistant.
It was days after Red X, and the daylight came and went with only a word or two exchanged between the Titans--minus their leader. No one has seen Robin all day, but no one except Starfire tried extra hard to look for him. Even then her attempts to soften her words from before were left in the dark.
Robin and Slade similar? Just moments after leaving the dark room, Starfire regretted those words. She realized the power words held as she struggled and persistently learned to understand the complex language of her friends. Perhaps, her regretted words were equal to the yells of the other Titans versus Robin. Perhaps, her comment was the loudest voice of all.
The morning after Starfire initiated a conversation with Robin, though an atmosphere of disconcertion did remain. Gradually he became more relaxed as the conversation continued onto the little things, but a part of her knew, he was still holding back. A part of her still didn't want to acknowledge what happened, and a part of him was still immersed in the mistake he has made and the reason for it.
Starfire wandered around the halls again as she did last few nights, hoping to bump into someone to keep her company for more than a simple hello. Obviously the other Titans wanted to avoid the issue, and they all knew Starfire will speak of it the moment her sad green eyes laid upon them. Normally, if something as emotional as this overwhelmed her, she relied on Robin for explanations and to show her the bright side of things. But now that that one constant pillar has crippled her foundations, who could she turn to?
With no "boundless joy" to motivate her flight, Starfire walked aimlessly until her feet lead her absently to the rooftop. There as the night was high, Raven hovered as she meditated with her dark cloak matching the night sky perfectly.
"Raven?" Stafire squeaked. "I hope I am not disturbing you...?"
A shallow sigh escaped Raven's lips. Her meditating was going so well since the last few days to be interrupted by irreverent questions. "Not anymore." Deciding to quit meditating for the day, she floated back down to the rooftop without betraying a look of annoyance.
"Oh." Starfire managed. She could take hint that she did indeed disturb her. "I am sorry for interrupting but, the others do not seem to want any company and--"
"And you thought me, of all people, would want some?" A dark eyebrow lifted.
Starfire shyly shrugged, "Well, rather, I was not looking for a particular person because anyone will do to initiate some sort of conversation but my feet seem to have a mind of their own and lead me here and well here you are and--"
"Starfire."
The young alien abruptly lifted her head, "Yes?"
"You're babbling." Raven stated matter-of-factly.
"Oh." She managed again.
Crossing her arms, Raven sighed again. This time, it was loud and clear with irritation. "What is it you'd like to ask?"
Fidgeting with her fingers, the taller teen decided to ask outright. She never was this nervous before when talking with Raven. Maybe... Maybe this whole ordeal with her and Robin's relationship has affected her more than she assumed. "I was contemplating...wondering, if you would let me join you in your task of meditation...?" The last rise in intonation sounded more like a squeak than confidence; one of which she was definitely not feeling.
Despite her irritation, Raven was somewhat surprised by the request. "...Promise to be quiet?" She asked with relaxed empathy.
Starfire floated slightly off the floor, Raven's acceptance of her request giving some fuel of joy to fly with. "Oh yes!" Green eyes spotted a dark boot tapping on the floor. A little too loud of a "thank you" she surmised. "I mean to say, I will." she whispered.
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It was the dead of night, just past three o'clock in the morning when Raven decided to stop meditating and head for bed. Starfire decided to return to her room at midnight, thanking Raven for spending time with her (even if it was in silence) for so long.
So it was only be sheer coincidence that Raven happened upon Robin.
An array of grunts and battle cries from a voice too tired to silence them anymore echoed from the exercise room. As if to emphasize the breathing melody, the shadows portrayed by him danced in synchrony under the blaze of the room's florescent lights.
Normally, Raven would have just left Robin alone to his activities. Like the unspoken respect he gave to her need to be alone with privacy in her room to set her thoughts in a somewhat harmonic state. But a lifetime of controlling emotion, Raven was slowly but surly becoming an expert at perceiving other's emotion, whether she liked it or not.
She stood at the doorway, arms crossed with a hard neutral expression on her face. The artificial lights highlighted her face excessively than needed. Her eyes darted to wherever Robin landed and pounced at the heavy sandbag hanging from the ceiling, punching with bare hands. Every movement spoke volumes.
Concentration.
Frustration.
Indignation.
"Shit!" Robin clutched his right wrist as the word seemed to echo through the room. He realized he had put in more weight than he intended into that last punch. Holding the obvious sprained if not broken wrist to his chest, the other hand probed the injured area instinctively.
"Any louder and you would have woken up the others." Raven remarked at Robin's choice of words.
Robin turned on his heels with much more speed than needed. Adrenaline already running high seemed to sky rocket at the sound of a voice at the door way. Just how long was she standing there? More importantly, why didn't he notice anyone watching him? Sneaking up on Robin was a formidable task only one person he knew was able to accomplish without fail, and he was in Gotham. "Raven..." He managed to steady his ragged breathing.
The flash of surprise on Robin's face didn't go past her senses. "Robin."
"Just working out." The young leader blurted before he thought. As if trying to find an excuse for something. "Couldn't sleep?" Whether that was question himself or to her was left to interpretation.
Raven's face stayed neutral, but uncrossed her arms; a sign that what she heard wasn't exactly what she expected. "Catching up on quiet time."
"Catching up? I thought it was too quiet for some time now." Taking a towel with his free hand, Robin wiped the beads of sweat rolling down his forehead. He conveniently left out the reason for the abrupt quietness at the Tower.
She noticed the slight flinch on his lips as he settled his crippled arm to the side, to hide the fact his wrist must be injured. Even as she walked over to him, every precise, graceful step mirrored an illusion of a floating maiden of darkness. "Give me your hand."
A look of puzzlement wrinkled under the mask. "Huh?"
"Your wrist is injured." An arm rose from under the cloak, as if expecting an offering.
The other pursed his lips. "I'm fine."
On a tired night, stubbornness was not something to deal with in a sensitive matter. Without diminishing her glare at him, Raven decided to go straight pushing the sensitive buttons. "If there was an emergency call, do you want to be a liability on a mission?"
Immediately the boy's mouth opened, diving for a quick retort, but stopped with mouth hanging. After years of experiencing her to-the-point attitude personally and as a witness Robin still wasn't one-hundred percent used to it. And right now, the others had the right to mouth him off a little bit more. Though any more below the belt hits would end up with the young leader's pride doing the talking.
Looking from her hand to her eyes and back, Robin gingerly placed his sensitive wrist in the care of the other. Raven raised her other hand and with a whisper, caste her incantation. A black aura slithered from her hand to Robin's, feeling the laces of torn muscles regrouping and connecting themselves around bone beneath the flesh. When the blackness receded, only a dull reminder of faintly blue and purple skin remained.
Robin rubbed his wrist, feeling the sharp pain from before now a lull ache at the pressure of his fingers. "Thanks."
"It'll be bruised for a day or two. Punched any harder and you would have broken it beyond my healing. Though it doesn't seem to be as bad as last time." Raven replaced her arms in the cover of her cloak.
"Hey, I recall that 'last time' was because you slammed me in the wall during training." What should have been defensive words came out as a relaxed nostalgia.
She was still holding the neutral expression, but an edge of relaxation outlined her features. "I did not."
Seeing the reminder of the stress of the past events released from her face, in the back of Robin's mind, he was relieved to know it was not a one sided tension. That the possibility that the others were just as uncomfortable to talk as he was. "Did too. Photographic memory." He tapped the side of his temple.
"It was not that much harder than any other of our training." She quipped in her typical Raven-fashion, but like her relaxed eyes, her voice was casual. "And you said not to hold back."
Robin looked up with a mild surprise of her remembering it. "So I did." Her attempts at making "light" of their talk did not go unnoticed. Raven, the no-bullshit, tell-it-like-it-is member of the team is bantering. If she was willing to take that level, maybe, just maybe, the others didn't hate him after all. "I said a lot of things lately, haven't I?"
"I would think it's more of what you didn't say." Raven countered without the animosity Robin expected since this meeting. But the truth did the job of inviting tension again.
Silence crept in the room like a morning fog suddenly appearing in the cover of night. Sufficient to say, the two were never good at what one would call a "normal" chat. Or hold a conversation long enough to call it a conversation. But then, they also knew what was expected of each other, fighting-wise and socially.
And since it looked as if the leader wasn't about to add anything, Raven decided it would be best to just leave him to his privacy. But taking another glance at his profile, there was an outline of something that was there and not at the same time. Empathy nagged behind her brain sensing part of his attention was caught in another world. It would be so much easier to leave and let him brood. But, that wouldn't be a "friendly" thing to do... Moreover, Starfire might continue to badger her for attention if Robin kept this up. With a mental sigh, she decided to continue their talk. "Though, I do admit, I must have been... distracted, by something to let go that much."
Robin was almost caught off guard at Raven's attempt at resuming small talk. "What?"
"That time we trained." Raven continued. "I guess I lost my temper."
Ever so slightly, Robin smiled despite himself from the memory. "The combination of a Beast Boy and April first does have that effect."
"I don't recall you being caught by his rain of terror."
"It's a perk of being a Robin." Confidence dripped with that statement. But faded from his lips fast. "I guess we have one thing in common."
Raven furled her brow.
"We both have anger issues."
Both? Paranoia and secrecy may be Robin's trademark, but the sorcerer rarely remembered a time when he really lost his temper. The fact he admitted what can be considered a weakness was an alarm on its own. "Robin, are you alright?"
Breaking eye contact, Robin continued to wipe sweat from his brow. "Nothing that a good night's rest won't cure." Lame excuse Robin, he berated himself. Not even Starfire would have believed that lie. "So... How is everyone?" The Teen Wonder reached for his gloves, back turned to his night visitor.
Raven could take the hint. Avoiding issues is one of Robin's many skills. "Why don't you ask them yourself?"
His back slightly curved, shoulders slightly turning inwards, "For once, I'm at a complete loss as to what to say."
That earned him a raised eyebrow from Raven. "Why not just say what you asked me? They are worried about you." Even if they will shut up about it, she mentally added.
"Actually, Starfire and I did talk. Though, I think both of us were avoiding the issue. Kinda more awkward than I expected. Beast Boy seems to be taking everything in ok." Robin turned and gestured that he was heading back to his room. Raven followed out into the hallway, shutting off the lights to the Training Room. "I have to admit, I didn't expect talking to you after what happened to be this pleasant, if at all... No offense intended."
If Raven was a normal girl, or Starfire, she would have smiled. "None taken."
So instead, Robin smiled for the both of them. "Night, Raven." And he headed for his room.
"Goodnight, Robin." Raven walked down the opposite way to her room.
============================================
"Look, let's just drop it." Cyborg rose from his seat. It was suppose to be a relaxing Sunday morning watching the television. Instead, another discussion managed to slip through to his ears. "It's done and over with. End of discussion."
Starfire, ever the diplomat, had a duel role of negotiator and instigator since the event. Every opportunity she received, she would try to communicate with her teammates to help resolve whatever it was that needed resolving. "But Cyborg, I understand that it has only been days since the...incident--but we cannot continue like this if we are to interact efficiently with each other." A pleading tone draped her voice that at first worked with the others when the problem was fresh in their minds, but the discussions constantly ended with everyone worse off than before.
But they were teenagers, no matter how super-powered they may be. When life overwhelms and can't react because of youthful inexperience, what can a teenager do? One answer that permeates the mind is to have time to heal and deal. The tiny break that they needed was something an emotional, naive Starfire could not understand so easily. If something precious as friendship was being threatened, she felt it was a duty to mend what is broken before time corrodes its foundations to the point it would collapse beyond repair. So mature and astute in one way, but ignorant and determined in too many other ways.
"Exactly what is there to resolve? We yelled, we forgave." Cyborg lowered his face closer to Starfire's, almost reaching nose to nose to each other. "You're the one who keeps bringing it up!" Once those words left his mouth, when he saw the hurt in Starfire's eyes, he almost regretted his words. Almost.
In front of the windows, Raven hovered quietly while she meditated; rather she was meditating until the argument began. As the voices in the background grew louder, her concentration became more erratic. The idea of sealing mouths shut with darkness sprinkled her thoughts from time to time but, of course, never acted upon the impulses. But even if in her meditative state the "unhealthy" emotions arose, the discussion has gone sour long enough. She uncrossed her legs and lowered herself to the red carpeted floor with anything but amusement etched into her features. "If you're going through this again, do it outside. Away from me." Raven walked down the stairs, though the way her legs used more pressure than usual, causing mild stomps to resound across the carpeted floor.
A sound of gears grinding echoed as Cyborg turned his head to the group's obligatory goth, "Last time I checked, this isn't your room." He lifted his chin up in defiance.
"It's not a matter of whose room it is." Raven arrived between the mechanic and the emerald-eyed lady, arms crossed to cage her annoyance. "We have been through this over and over again." She directed her words to Cyborg, "And we end up with not talking to one another for the rest of the day." Next she turned her eyes to the tallest female Titan. "Just say what you want to say now and be done with it."
No one noticed Beast Boy just arriving into the grand room to catch the sight of a "healthy dose of discussion" through his blurry, sleep-filled eyes. He raised a hand to his forehead, gently massaging away the morning headache that now intensified by the all too familiar conversation. It wasn't that they all pretended it never happened, but what was there to say when the things that needed to be said were spoken. How far can you string along a delicate subject before the thread breaks from the strain?
"See?" Cyborg mocked. "Even Raven's on my side on this." A smile creeping to his lips.
"And as for you," Raven turned her stare to Cyborg, "talk to Robin."
His eyes unconsciously widened by the demand, "What?!"
If she was any other person, Raven would have thought all this talking around the subject was laughable. Or the image of Raven the counselor was the joke that would make anyone think the world is finally coming to an end. "Even on the night we were yelling at Robin, you were the first to leave, and frankly too quiet to be normal. It was obvious you didn't say what you wanted and still haven't." The normally stoic attitude was making too much sense.
"And who made YOU the team psychologist?!" Cyborg yelled.
"Since you were taking your frustration in your garage, and on us."
It sounded as if gears were working overdrive in Cyborg's head. Who was she to tell him what to do? He said what he said and that should be the end of it. And yet...
Metal shoulders dipping into defeat, though Cyborg didn't notice it himself.
Nothing to say. What is there to say?
On the sidelines of the fight, Beast Boy, with his arms crossed behind his back, observed the verbal action. He opened his mouth but closed it with a chomp of his teeth. A snide remark at this particular moment wouldn't be such a good idea. Instead he silently watched, not wanting to add more wood to the fire, but mostly because no one noticed his presence yet. Feeling a stomach growl coming on, and seeing most of the group gathered, the changeling exited the room to collect their leader and make them all a breakfast that will either lighten them up or shut them up.
============================================
"Hey Robin! You want some break--" Much to Beast Boy's surprise, no one was in the Training Room. "--fast?... Funny, he always trains the first thing in the morning..." Assuming that he must be sleeping in, which he noted was unusual, Beast Boy headed for the Boy Wonder's room.
From an outsider's point of view, one would get the impression that Beast Boy forgave and forgot about Red X. And that was fine by him. He knew for himself that he didn't forget, nor completely forgave, but dwelling on what have been and what should be wasn't how he wanted to live his teen life. What happened can't be erased, so what else can you do but to work with what you have in order to rise above mistakes? Though, he was guilty of not always following his own rule, but then, no one was perfect as his experiences as a Titan obviously pointed out.
Besides, Robin learned his lesson; no way would it ever happen again. Robin's crazy, not stupid.
Upon arriving at Robin's door, Beast Boy knocked with a morning greeting, "Yo, Robin! It's BB. You better roll your butt out of bed if you want my scrambled tofu specialty."
No reply.
"Dude I know it's Sunday but if I can grudgingly get up so can you."
Again no reply.
This time he pounded on the door as loud as he could and after a solid minute, there was still no reply. So he combined both tactics. He continued to bombard the door with his fist and yelling over the noise, "You know I'll keep doing this 'till you wake up. It works on Cy, and it'll work on--"
Suddenly the doors slid open and Beast Boy caught his arm to a halt before he dealt Robin a blow to the head. "Morning to you too." Robin greeted with a grumble.
"Well you took your sweet time! I've been banging on your door for..." Beast Boy almost lost his train of thought from the figure before him. Sweat pasted hair against forehead, skin almost pale white; rapid breathes signaling that he was catching his breath. "Uh, are you ok? You don't look so good..." And have a bad, bad case of bed hair.
Robin straightened his slouched back, realizing that his hand was resting on the wall to support his weight. "I'm fine. What did you want?"
Morning person we are not, Beast Boy acknowledged to himself. "Came by to see if you wanted brunch and since you weren't in the Training Room as usual--"
"I'm not hungry." With an abrupt turn Robin headed back towards the bed.
Now Beast Boy's brain was about to explode. "C'mon this is totally unlike you!" He caught the doors before they completely shut, shifting through as a snake and reverted back behind the taller teen who was already lying in bed. "I know people mope around after these things happen but get over it! Everyone is either yelling their freakin' heads off, ignoring each other, or just plain evading everything!" An accusing finger pointed at the boy lying in bed emphasized the last statement. And despite the mask, the green teen knew the other's eyes were still open. In fact, he looked as if he didn't sleep much at all.
Slowly, Robin sat up from the bed, ungloved hands holding onto the blanket. The faint blue discoloration of his wrist was accentuated against the white cover. Drying sweat and the slight shaking of his shoulders betrayed his shallow, rapid breaths he was trying to hide. "What do you mean yelling?"
Good, the changeling thought, at least he's talking back. "Right now it's Round 15 of Star versus Cy. Star's pretty much in the mother-hen mode. Or bratty little sister." The changeling smiled to show the last remark was meant as affection than complaining, but the Titans' leader didn't even notice. Too preoccupied with something else.
Slowly Robin's heart returned to regular beats though the images of an ungrateful night still lingered in his mind. Dark landscape, a moonless night, the chase, the fight--and the laugh.
That laugh.
Robin felt a shift on his bed but didn't bother to see Beast Boy had sat at the edge, eyes with concern than many didn't get to witness. "Dude... Robin, you're kinda freaking me out with the silent angst thing. I mean, more than usual." He tilted his head lower to catch the other's face under the bangs. "Look we may have been harsh on you about Red X but you know why we said what we--"
"That's not--" He cut himself short. Absently, Robin brushed his fingers passed the still bruised wrist, "It's just a dream." He whispered as if to convince himself.
"Dream?" Dark green eyes followed the other's fingers to catch the bruise. "Dude what happened with your wrist?"
"Nothing." was the empty reply.
Allocating his observations since he entered the room, Beast Boy hypothesized in his head. "Did you have a nightmare?" When Robin didn't answer, the shorter Titan continued to probe, see how far he could go because Robin looked like he needed a push. "Must have been something bad if you're this freaked."
Robin looked up with a glare that could be felt despite the mask, "I am NOT freaked out."
Sighing, Beast Boy crossed his arms, "Right, tell that to the mirror." Maybe, pushing right now wasn't the best for anyone. "Hey, if you wanna talk about it..." He let the offer hang in the air; it was up to Robin to take it.
"Thanks." With a breath of all too easy a defeat, Robin politely accepted the offer. Whether he would use it was another matter from the look of doubt shouting from Beast Boy's face. "Really, thanks. I'll think about it."
Although he knew Robin would never follow through to use his offer, there was nothing he can do now but make things worse if he kept walking into a stubborn wall. "Good. But I do have a request." Beast Boy stood up and scratched the back of his head. "You'd better talk to Cyborg cause the chance he'll come talk to you is nil at the moment."
As if miming the other teen's gesture, Robin rubbed the back of his neck, "I don't think he wants to see me." Cyborg was too much a quiet giant when everyone expected him to be the loudest of them all.
"You wanted to take down Slade on your own but that didn't make it right." Seeing hands clenching the sheets tighter, Beast Boy gave himself a mental slap. Bad choice of referencing Beastie Boy. "Ya know what I mean. Now c'mon!"
"What? Talk to him now?"
"No. Eat now." He flashed his green grin, "You're hungry aren't ya? And it's been a while since we all ate together."
And it was that moment when Robin's stomach commanded loudly for him to get off his ass and feed, not even remembering when the last time he ate. "Uh, maybe a bite or two would be a good idea." Flipping the blanket aside, he stretched his legs out of bed. "Though, are you sure the others won't mind?"
"Dude, less thinking, more listening." Beast Boy rounded behind Robin and pushed him out the bedroom into the hallway. "Just be your Robin self and everything will go as usual."
Robin took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly, releasing some of the memories of the images of the past few nights. "Making your infamous tofu omelette?"
Wiggling his eyebrows, Beast Boy marched ahead, "Is that an order for the Chef de la Short 'n Handsome?"
Smirking, Robin followed behind, "Wouldn't be a bad way to start the day."
============================================
Robin found himself before the doors to the garage shop in the afternoon, with a little bit less weight burdening his shoulders, but still feeling the pressure.
Brunch went more smoothly than he or anyone imagined, though that could be in thanks to Beast Boy's influence. Starfire also participated in softening the mood, offering a seat beside her to Robin and initiating in talks that would try to include him to the group conversations.
It started off silent, with Beast Boy busy cracking tofu. As expected, Starfire wholeheartedly greeted him, Raven nodded his presence, and Cyborg... Well, a normal "hey" was his good morning.
But all five eventually talked as if normality returned, with the usual jokes and usual mock arguments. But the presence of dead air between Cyborg and Robin was always present.
Soon after finishing his meal, the half-human left for the gym. The others stayed behind to help Robin clean and dry the dishes. It was his day to wash the dishes after all.
During this time Beast Boy though it was a good idea to point out that their leader should talk to Cyborg now lest they drag him over to talk. Starfire supported the suggestion, and even Raven (in another rare occurrence), agreed with Beast Boy.
So here he was standing at the doors of the garage where Cyborg was there working on his on-going project, the T-Car.
And avoiding.
Not that Robin was innocent of doing that either. Swallowing excessive pride, Robin knocked on the large doors.
When there was no reply, Robin took a chance and entered without permission and walked towards Cyborg working under the car. He stood several steps away as if establishing a danger zone. "Hey."
Tools that rang out the music of metal against metal stopped, and slowly Cyborg rolled out to sit up towards his visitor. "Hey."
Well, at least I have his attention, Robin mocked himself. Now how to continue after establishing contact was another hurdle to overcome. "You want any help?"
"No, I've finished up anyways." Standing up straight, Cyborg grabbed an already dirty towel to wipe away the oil smothering his hands. Conveniently his back was turned to his shorter teammate.
Mimicking his movements earlier in the day, Robin rubbed the back of his neck as the awkward atmosphere was thick enough to suffocate. Fights between he and Cyborg were nothing new. Sometimes immature, sometimes serious, but always resolved by the end of the day. So neither one having little to no experience in this type of situation was a major determent to two strong-headed Titans locking horns.
"I wanted to say... I'm sorry for--"
"Damn right you should be sorry." A statement made to be yelled came out almost barely audible too the other. "What you did was a paranoid, self-righteous, stupid, arrogant, devious plan you have ever concocted." The pressure from holding those words finally spat out like missiles.
Despite the tension of emotionally not knowing how to act and react, Robin hypothesized Cyborg's reaction with logic beforehand. But logic was worthless in the face of live emotion. "What I did was a mistake." His voice solidified into a shaky determination. "And I don't intend to do it again."
Then things were quiet again as the each were absorbing what they heard, or perhaps, what they didn't' hear. "Ya know, it got me thinking. Most likely, that wasn't the worse of what you can think up, is it?"
Silence answered for Robin.
Sighing in defeat, Cyborg threw the towel over his shoulder, landing gently onto a rack with precision. "Right, dumb question."
For minutes stretching like hours, the two stood in the florescent lit room. Robin shifted his gaze to the floor, taking in the scene of motor oil mimicking an array of Rorschach Tests among the loose screws and tools.
Funny how all the blobs look like bats.
Crinkling his brow, he peeked up at Cyborg, who was busy with his own avoidance of eye to eye contact, staring up at the ceiling. From the expression on his face, anger was still one of the top influences of his speech at the moment. As if feeling the peek on him, the half-mechanical teen caught the other's eyes behind the mask but refused to turn away. Robin averted the eye-lock for the both of them, and continued his analyzing of the blots.
Definitely look like bats.
It was a rare site very few, even the Titans witness, if they were nosy enough. It was a scene between a child caught red-handed committing a cruel prank and his guardian considering the appropriate punishment. The child holding his head in shame, the adult looking on with disappointment. It would be amusing if the situation was actually funny. As the unofficial big brother of the group, there are times when even Cyborg could, and would, speak out a reprimand on the leader when necessary. Right now, the fact that Robin was under his thumb, showing actually humility was a punishment Cyborg knew was effective against the Boy Wonder. Damaging pride equated to breaking an arm.
"You whipped our butts pretty bad."
Slowly, Robin raised his head. He figured it would be best not to reply to that particular statement.
"And you just happened to calculate an exact flaw in each of us."
Or to that one.
"Let me guess. Contingency plan, am I right?"
Damnit Cyborg, say something that I'll be able to respond to, Robin snapped in his head. As apologetic he may be, sleepless nights and restless days shortened his endurance for patience. And Cyborg repeating facts of un-debatable truth wasn't helping.
"You used us, attacked us, and humiliated us, all to get to Slade." Cyborg crossed his arms. "Now how do you expect us to give you one-hundred and one percent trust in you again?"
Oh that was it. Humility was lost by the utterance of that statement. "I was NOT working for Slade! I did it for the team!" Hands curled into rock-like fists and Robin was impervious to their shaking from the sudden bolt of anger raging for release. "I understand that you want to yell at me and belittle me, but THAT is more than out of line!"
Whatever residue of anger and resentment fluttered away by the outburst. Cyborg didn't know what he was taken by surprise more: the emotionally charged bomb of a self-defense being displayed, or the Freudian slip. Though, he realized, his own wording wasn't helpful either. "I didn't say that you were working for him." He saw the flinch in Robin's posture, obviously realizing what he just said and his unfounded anger towards his friend. "Now that question really needs answering. Trust is a fragile thing, Robin. And as it pains me to say this, you took advantage of it, no matter how good your intentions were."
Robin unconsciously pulled his left leg back, to steady himself from the blind-siding remark.
Trust is easy to destroy...
The remarks too much like what he had the displeasure of hearing from that all too-confident voice.
Trust is easy to destroy...
His voice echoed inside his head, rebounding off the walls of his skull. Just as the image of himself under that half black, half bronze mask in his dreams wouldn't leave him alone.
And that laugh.
Robin felt his blood run cold. His body slouched low enough for the rolled edges of his cape to float down to cover his shoulders and upper arms completely, but fists still remained stone.
A sign of defiance.
Cyborg looked on with confusion and concern. If there was one aspect of the Titan leader that no one else on the team could come close to mastering, self brooding would be it. Raven might have a chance, but it was casually natural for her. Robin took it a new level, to a form of art.
The young leader felt a touch of cold metal but an aura of warmth on his shoulder. He didn't even notice when the taller Titan approached to stand in front of him. Robin didn't want to admit it. It was getting to him. The dream that should only be a dream was getting to him.
"You alright?" Cyborg asked.
An unexpected grunt of amusement answered back without looking up, fists relaxing. "Why does everyone keep asking me that?"
"Well, I guess the fact we are asking is a reason in itself." Cyborg waited for an explanation, which was a stupid thing to do considering this is Robin. "So, are you alright?"
"……probably."
The taller Titan stood still by the unexpected response. "Probably?"
Robin didn't go further than that because for the first time in a long time, he wasn't quite sure of himself. If he was going back to brooding, Cyborg couldn't break down that wall. He had to wait for Robin to open the door for him.
Patting the shoulder once, Cyborg turned and took a seat on some flat, discarded scrap metal. He flexed his arm, clasping and unclasping a fist as if testing out a product. His arm responded semi-smoothly, with moments of awkward stops and jerky movements from his hand to his arm. "Stupid arm. Been glitched up since... well you know."
Finally raising his head, Robin slowly walked over to Cyborg, watching the arm move smoothly enough only to hit speed bumps in mid-air. And he knew exactly whose fault that was. He could apologize again, though that wasn't enough. It was a start but never a finisher in fixing friendships. Hacking into a person was something not so easily forgivable. Instead, Robin chose a method he knew best.
Action. "I could help out..."
Letting the offer simmer in Robin's sweat, Cyborg cracked a smile and pointed a thumb to his back.
The masked leader returned the smile. Taking a seat behind the half-human, the compartment on Cyborg's back slid open exposing the sensitive circuitry that was part of the core of him. Gloved fingers gingerly probed for the possible source of the problem in the order Red X systematically shut down.
Fingers feathering through the wires were a tickle on Cyborg's nerves. Robin was the only other Titan with enough extensive knowledge of his machine-half, second only to Cyborg himself. Raven, co-working with the Titan leader on computer works, was quickly becoming an expert with enough knowledge to at least fix the basics of Cyborg's hardware that night.
"Forgot to mention, you're an asshole for glitching me in the first place." Cyborg smirked.
Robin relaxing his shoulders took the bait. "Being a teen, I'd say it's a prerogative to be an ass sometimes." He found the possible problem near the surface of the circuit board, and proceeded to fix what he broke.
"Remind me to go prerogative on your ass as payback." Cyborg could already feel the tiny changes tingling in his arm.
This time, the young leader grinned with amusement for amusement's sake. Something he hasn't done for days now. And just as soon as he remembered the past few days, the rain cloud stormed over his head again.
There was something eating away at his brain that needed to be said. As a leader, and as a friend.
"If it happens again..." Robin started. He could feel his patient tense up as he continued to manipulate the wires. "I mean, if any one of us crosses the line--"
"That is not gonna happen." The flat reply urged for cessation of the direction this was going.
But it had to be said. The image of green gloves grasping Slade's collar compelled him to say it. The disturbing image of stone monuments lying in ruins warned him to prepare the others. And his face under that mask sealed his decision. As a leader, it was his burden to establish definitive rules for the benefit of the team. At least, that's what he was told on the last night Red X made an appearance. "If that happens..."
"Look I don't want to hear any more of your damn contingency plans!"
"Cyborg… Please…..."
Brown lips froze in their retort by something he never, ever, expected from the most prideful, arrogant, competitive person he'd ever met.
A plea.
"If it happens again, do whatever it takes."
Lost in their thoughts, neither realized the slithering of gas flooding the room, and the rest of the tower.
============================================
Running and flapping, flapping and running in an endless loop.
A chase lasting a lifetime in this world where all things are nothing and everything.
Where the establishment of predator and prey yields no fruit; where only the chase is the satiating nourishment.
They hunt each other for an eternity, cross each other in fractions of a moment.
Finally, the Songbird and the Raptor reach the four pillars as their final battle ground.
Both beating their wings with the desperation to conquest the other. Talons clash in fury as the lighter songbird used all his momentum, all his weight to take down the towering Raptor.
Bit by bit the pillars caught in the crossfire were chiseled to the ground by the Songbird singing its battle cries. The Raptor weaved and countered as if dancing with the smaller bird in a deadly courtship.
With one ear-screeching shriek, the Songbird storms the raptor and claws him to the ground. Small but muscular wings spread out in the air above the pinned bird claiming victory.
A costly victory.
The pillars lying in ruins stunned the Songbird; his nest-siblings nothing but dust and whatever was left bearing his claw marks.
A mass siblicide.
Renewed anger and hate fueling him, the Songbird wrapped his claws around the Raptor's neck, a wing thrashing off the mask to reveal...
No... NO! Not again!!!
The cruel shrieks of the Raptor echoed throughout the empty night, cackling in delight.
The Songbird was beating his wings frantically, as if escaping a claustrophobic cage but the Raptor wouldn't let him go. The larger talons gripped the frail bird and flipped him on his back. Sharp claws digging into the flesh of the young bird, the Raptor now spread its own wings casting a shadow over his prize.
As the frantic Songbird's resistance waned under the pain of the talons, all he could hear was the chirp of his captor. Something so soft and delicate that did not befit the monstrous bird.
"You are mine."
============================================
Robin gasped for air in pure panic, gulping air as if it was his last. Disoriented, he tried to wipe the sweat from his brow when he realized his arms were restrained on the resting arms of an odd chair.
Failing to free himself, he looked to his side to see the other Titans groggily waking up from their naps. One by one they noticed their unique restraints and finding their struggles futile.
A thick British accented voice called Robin's attention to an orange-haired man, a suit jacket patterned like the British flag and a simple cane.
All Robin could think of at this moment was, Whaaaa?!
A/N: THAT was too long. Took me a long time to write it all up ::dies::
In case it wasn't obvious, the orange-haired chap is Mad Mod. That last line by Robin pretty much summed up my reaction to that episode. Pure PWP entertainment :)
And nope, I won't be covering that episode in the next chapter. I'm desperate to go into Slade/Robin interaction ASAP :)
To Starfire fans out there, I decided not to have a section focused on her and Robin interaction because the show itself is just littered with it. No need to go through what the show already does well.
Lastly, if you've made it this far, a review would be appreciated ::begs::