Disclaimer: Own nothing but the story idea and my soul. And even that's debatable depending on who you talk to.
Emerald Star: This chapter was a little better than the last one when it came to Slade and Robin… but do not fear! Next chapter will be chock full of it! And yes, screwed-up!Robin is delightful, no?
Princess of Mirrors: Strangely enough, I like Terra. I know she betrayed them and all, but like Beast Boy said in 'Aftershock' – she's not evil, just made some bad choices. And Robin is going to be such an evil, sadistic bastard in upcoming chapters that, if that's what floats your boat, you will be on cloud 9 :)
Teno-hikari: Again, I adore Terra so of course she'd be 3-dimensional :) – and I also am secretly in love with Speedy. It makes me sad that he's not in many fics when he and Robin so obviously want to get it on in the back ;-;
ShadowCatMage13: Well it's always a huge compliment when people read my stories even if they don't agree with the subject matter! But I think you'll be happy to know that, no, Terra is not going to be slashed in this fic :)
To everyone else, thanks for the reviews! They keep the juice flowing!
Everyone go check out the prequel to this, "The Rain Goes On" for it to make more sense :)
Rectitude
Chapter Two
Robin narrowed his eyes and scanned the lively club scene, lurking in an abandoned corner. Colorful lights flared and the music pulsated, nearly drowning out all other sounds. The mass of gyrating bodies emitted an air of energized heat and the smoke in the room was almost suffocating.
Spotting his target, Robin took a step forward, halting at the sudden grip on his arms.
"Did you find a new toy to play with, little bird?" The voice's proximity to his ear made him shiver. He felt a pressure against his back and suddenly the zipper of his constricting leather pants was being eased down, a cold hand forcing its way inside.
"Jared Randolph," Robin stated in a surprisingly calm tone. He closed his eyes to enjoy the ministrations the hand was giving as it worked its way lower. "His father owns the largest tungsten mine in the country. Third largest in the world."
"And what are you going to do with this boy?" Robin felt the icy mask rest against his neck and gasped at the sensation, trying not to buck his hips into the palm that was gently messaging him.
"Terra's job," he growled, biting down on his bottom lip to stifle a moan. He held back a whimper when the hand pulled away and redid his pants.
"Now now… let's not blame this on the girl." The tempting hand made its way up Robin's chest slowly. "Sources indicate that this boy also enjoys company of the…" Two fingers rested against Robin's lips, while the others turned his face in the direction of his prey. "Male persuasion."
Robin opened his eyes again to find that Jared had taken to dancing with an attractive boy with blonde hair. Nodding, he pulled away from the cold body that somehow radiated an intense heat, and began his stalk towards the victim.
"And Robin." He stopped at the voice, but didn't turn around. "Remember who you belong to."
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"Oops." Robin chuckled drunkenly as the drink in his hand spilt from the force with which he had bumped into Jared. He smiled sheepishly and raised his hand to his mouth, lapping at the dripping liquid. "Sorry."
"Ah, no problem…" The other boy grinned, immediately turning his attentions to the slender figure before him. The blonde whom he had been dancing with looked offended at the sudden disregard, storming off when Robin simply smirked at him.
"Are you here alone?" Jared wondered, eyes steadily raking up Robin's body. Robin glanced over his shoulder to the shadows where he knew he was being watched, before bringing his gaze back to Jared with a charming smile.
"Yeah."
"That's a shame," Jared murmured, his voice relaying that he thought quite differently, "Then would you care to dance?"
Robin's hip prickled where Jared was suddenly touching him and he knew it was from the glare that Slade was sending the target's hand.
"I'd love to."
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"So… you're a 'Tungsten Heir'?" Robin laughed, leaning against the wall of a secluded corner they had found. Jared allowed himself a chuckle as well and shrugged.
"Not a very glamorous title, I guess. But hey, there's still some action and adventure that comes with it."
"Like what? The rigorous job of deciding exactly how much to put in a light bulb?" Robin smiled and put his hands behind his back, pulling out a ring with a tiny needle sticking out. He inconspicuously slid it onto the middle finger of his right hand.
"Well, for example…" Jared suddenly stood taller, as if the words that would come out next made him even more important. "I'm not even supposed to be out right now. My father would kill me if he knew I was here… My bodyguards are probably looking all over for me."
"Oh, really? Bodyguards? For a tungsten heir?" Robin cocked his head to the side and looked incredulous. Jared grinned and leaned in towards Robin, propping himself up against the wall with his arm.
"Well, not many people know this…but tungsten is the strongest metal known to man."
"Really?"
"Yeah. And it can withstand more heat than anything else."
"Interesting."
Jared stepped closer to Robin. "It is. Major weapons of war could be made from it…. In fact, if my father's supply were to get into the wrong hands…"
"Let me guess. Chaos and mass destruction?" Robin smiled and brought his right hand up to the back of Jared's neck. The other boy grinned at the motion, before his eyes suddenly widened and took on a glazed look. With little more than a tug on Robin's part, Jared fell slack against him and Robin pulled his hand away from Jared's neck, making sure the needle had embedded itself completely in his flesh.
"Good." Robin looked over at Slade's voice and frowned. Slade didn't sound like it had been very good at all. Pushing Jared's limp body off of him, he stepped back as Slade roughly threw the boy over his shoulders. Shaking out his body, Robin hesitantly followed Slade down a dark passageway that was hidden by a stack of large crates. As he turned a corner, he felt the ground tremble and realized that they were walking beneath the Jump City Train Station. His eyes traced the shaking ceiling as the faux-earthquake made him wonder where the hell Terra was for the third time that day.
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Terra shifted uncomfortably in her spot on the couch between Raven and Starfire. She kept her eyes on the floor, trying desperately to ignore the nasty glares Cyborg was sending her and the way Speedy's fingers were rhythmically tapping on his bow, almost as if he were ready to shoot at any given moment.
"Raven, this insane," the archer muttered, finally breaking the tense silence. Starfire nodded ardently, but recoiled at the look the hooded girl sent her.
"You want Robin back, don't you?" Raven replied in a calm voice. "She can help. And even if we can't succeed with saving Robin, with her knowledge of his operations, we can at least defeat Slade."
At the mention of the ex-Titan, Speedy pursed his lips together and sat back; it was a stance that reminded Raven of Robin on those rare occasions when he realized that he was on the losing side of an argument.
"We can't trust her," Cyborg snapped. Raven sighed and folded her arms across her chest, as if to establish an air of authority.
"And we're not going to. She'll be on a strictly need-to-know basis," the Azarathian stated. Cyborg snorted, but looked away - a sign Raven recognized as reluctant defeat. Next to her, Starfire still looked uncertain.
"Are you sure this plan of yours will be of the successful kind?" Star questioned worriedly. She nibbled on her bottom lip and folded her fingers together. Terra couldn't help feeling somewhat offended by the fact that they were talking about her as if she weren't sitting right in front of them.
"No. But it's the only plan we've got."
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Beast Boy sighed as he stepped into the elevator of Titan Tower with four large pizzas in his hands. His favorite food in the world was only minutes away from being consumed and he was still feeling as if he were in the same rut that he had been in for months. Cyborg had even allowed the order to be all veggie just for him, but as much as Beast Boy appreciated it, it hadn't really lifted his mood as much as the half-human probably hoped it would.
"At least he tried, huh?" the changeling muttered to himself as he pressed the button that opened the door to the all-purpose room with his elbow. He briefly thought about changing to a moose of some sort, or even an octopus, to help him balance the food, but thought better of it when the bottom of the coffee table came into view beneath the pizza cartons that were partially blinding him.
"All right guys, the pizza has made its entrance!" He said with mock cheer. Setting the pizza down on the table, he was finally able to study his surroundings. The entire gang was there, sitting on the couch and glaring each other down.
His last observation caught him off guard.
Glaring each other down? Cocking his head to the side, Beast Boy raised an eyebrow at the five on the couch.
Wait a minute…
Five?
Beast Boy's green eyes locked onto a pair of startling blue ones, partially obscured by long, blonde hair.
Brain suddenly going numb, the changeling let out a strangled squeak. The last thought that ran through his mind was that he was glad he had put the pizzas down, before he collapsed into a dead faint.
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"Beast Boy!" Starfire cried out in alarm. Flying to her fallen friend, she hovered over him with wide eyes. "Why has he fallen inexplicably to the ground?"
"He's fine, Star," Raven reassured her, voice neutral. "He's just shocked."
A resounding horn abruptly began to blare as the lights went dim, and crimson illuminated the tower.
"He may be fine, but the Randolph Engineering Plant ain't!" Cyborg yelled over the noise as he pulled up the distress signal on their surveillance screen.
"It's them," Raven announced, looking at the monitor from over Cyborg's shoulder. She glanced at Terra pointedly, frowning when she saw the former Titan watching Beast Boy's limp form.
"Terra," she hissed, causing the blonde to come back to reality. Flushing, Terra nodded and rose to her feet.
"Right," she said as she ran to the door. She hesitated, one foot left inside the room.
"He'll be fine," Raven promised. Nodding, Terra allowed herself another blush and raced out.
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"Where were you?" Terra jumped at the sound of blades slicing through the air, not having a chance to blink before a familiar boomerang embedded itself in the wall mere centimeters from her head.
"I was…out for a walk," she forced out, keeping her eyes on the wall she was facing. Robin, for unknown reasons, sounded angry. She didn't want to anger him further.
"You're lying," he hissed. Terra could almost feel the heat generating off his body as he stepped closer. Soon he was nearly pressed against her. She could smell the sweat and smoke on him and the last scent made her frown. As far as she knew, Robin didn't smoke. And neither did Slade.
"Where were you?" The voice was low, and Terra no longer had to guess that Robin was irritated. He was livid.
"Where were you?" Terra sneered, clenching her fists at her side. Robin had obviously done something out of the ordinary to be so angry, and to practically reek of drugs. He had no business yelling at her when he'd been off doing suspicious things as well.
Her power engulfed her like a golden flame and any stray rock or pebble within a ten-foot radius was lifted and aimed at Robin.
"Bad move," the Boy Wonder snarled, promptly ducking down to avoid the onslaught of stones. Terra barely had a chance to think before she realized that she needed to stop her control over the earth or else she would be attacked with her own weapons in such a confined area. Turning around abruptly, she cast the rocks to the side.
Another boomerang hit the wall. This time, it was so close that it grazed her skin.
"What's your problem?" Terra shouted. She knew better than to move. Situations like these had happened too many times before. It was all a part of living in the dysfunctional family of Slade. While she was secure in the fact that she was nothing to Slade but another soldier, the relationship she had with Robin was less than simple. It confused her more often than not. Sometimes they were like rival siblings; constantly bickering and trying to get the best of each other, but still there to help out when it got bad. Other times, they acted as complete strangers; passing each other in the corridors without acknowledgement and avoiding working together on a mission without a second thought.
During times like these, however, when Robin was inexplicably pissed and Terra was not in the mood to sit back and take it – they were pure enemies.
"I am not-" Robin aimed a punch at Terra's face, which she quickly dodged. Robin didn't seem surprised. Instead, he went in for another attack. "-Slade's-" This time a kick. It was intercepted by one of Terra's stones. "-toy!" Robin's fist cracked the wall where Terra's head had been moments before. Closing his eyes, Robin took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.
Terra rolled her eyes. In the hierarchy of Slade's team, Robin knew his position to be that of the Prince, with Slade as his King. Whereas the logical spot for Terra would seem to be Princess, she was instead left to be the Servant Girl. Cinderella. Nothing of importance. The real "toy." She was never to forget her place and both Slade and Robin were always there to make sure of that. Robin especially. He was a very spoiled little prince.
It was then that Terra noticed the bluish discoloration on his cheek. Her first instinct was to say that Robin had gotten into a fight, but something inside told her she was wrong - it would be a rare day indeed when Robin would allow himself to be hurt in battle. She knew exactly how he'd gotten the mark. The sheer size alone was enough to tell her that an abnormally large fist had been the dealer. Slade's fist.
Terra frowned. Slade only gave Robin bruises when he was angry with the boy. Cuts and bite marks were commonplace with the two, but bruises were a sign that Robin had done something wrong. The thought made Terra pause. Robin never did anything wrong.
The most recent time that Terra could remember Slade furiously dragging Robin off had been when he'd grown unreasonably jealous that Robin had been looking a little "too interested" in what one of their younger, more attractive allies had been saying.
And then Terra realized why Robin was so angry. That day had been the mission to the club to kidnap the Randolph Heir. Using force would have been easy and efficient, but Slade always thought that seduction was the most entertaining way. And as always, it was Terra's job to be the bait. When she'd been informed of the mission, Robin had sarcastically brought up the Heir's supposed liking for both genders. She guessed he really hadn't been saying it just to say it.
Terra couldn't help feeling slight guilt. Especially when she noticed the swollen lip and the angry bump on Robin's forehead that had been poorly covered by the boy's grown out bangs. She lowered her arms from her defensive stance and watched as Robin pummeled the wall. When he had seemed to get it out of his system, all vulnerable emotions were gone as if they were never there.
"Slade's been waiting for you to show up," Robin said coldly. Terra nodded and followed the Boy Wonder to the area that Slade and his androids had taken control of.
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Speedy narrowed his eyes as he landed next to Starfire. It was far too quiet. None of the expected shouting and explosions that usually greeted them at a scene. He motioned for the team to be on guard.
The abrupt whirring sound that caught his attention was all too familiar.
"Titans! Go!" Speedy commanded as he motioned for them to break formation. He grabbed Starfire and pulled her out of the way before the exploding boomerang hit its target, right in the center of where the group had been standing.
There was silence again as the Titans caught their bearings. In the shadows ahead, a lone figure dropped gracefully to the floor.
"Is it that easy to replace me?" Robin's voice echoed tauntingly. The silhouette leapt into the air and disappeared.
"Robin, no one has replaced-" Speedy placed a hand on Starfire's arm to silence her plea.
"He's toying with us, Starfire. Don't let him get to you."
"Hm. Speedy." The name was uttered in a contemplative tone. It seemed to have come from all directions.
"Robin." The archer raised his bow and closed his eyes, listening for any sound that could pinpoint the hidden boy's location. A light scratching sound from straight ahead made him pull the arrow back and ready it for release.
"Don't miss." The voice was right next to his ear. Snapping his eyes open, he pointed his arrow to where he thought the owner of the voice would be, when he suddenly realized that in the time that his eyes had been closed, the lights had gone out.
What's his game? Speedy wondered as he cautiously lowered his bow. Did he just lure them there to play with them for his own sick amusement? No…The scanners had clearly shown that Slade was there too. But then –
Speedy froze. Slade.
Robin was merely a distraction.
"Titans! Forget about Robin! Go find Slade and stop him!"
"But-" Speedy was relieved to hear that Starfire had not moved from her place beside him. Putting a hand on her shoulder, he gently pushed her forward.
"Starfire, go. I've got Robin."
"You will not-"
"I won't hurt him," he said softly. Through the darkness, he could almost see the skepticism on the redhead's face, before she took off to follow the rest of the team.
He was left in silence again.
"How sweet. You'll hold back so I won't get hurt." Robin's voice was far away again.
"Robin." The lights flashed on just in time for Speedy to see Robin's fist as it impacted with his jaw.
"I wish I could say the same for you." Robin aimed a kick at Speedy's withdrawn form, looking surprised when the archer was able to evade it.
Gritting his teeth, Speedy grabbed another arrow and positioned it on his bow. A rapid sweep of Robin's leg threw off his balance and caused him to fall to the ground. His bow landed at Robin's feet.
Speedy felt his stomach drop as the former Titan picked up the bow and inspected it.
"If I remember correctly…" Robin drawled, finger tracing the bow's length almost seductively. "The weakest point is…here." With a sadistic smirk, Robin cleanly snapped the bow over his knee.
"No!" Speedy watched helplessly as his only weapon was cast brokenly to the side.
"Get up," Robin hissed in disgust. He put his hands up in a stance that announced his readiness to fight. "I've had a bad day."
"I'm not here for you to take it out on," Speedy muttered as he jumped to his feet. Despite his words, he too got ready for the oncoming battle. "But you always did anyway."
"Aren't you proud?" Robin threw the first punch, kneeing Speedy's exposed stomach when the archer raised his arms to block the attack. "I've become everything you hated in me."
"I never hated anything about you," Speedy wheezed out, gripping his injured abdomen. He never was very skilled when it came to physical combat. Especially when his opponent was Robin.
"Liar," Robin snarled, sending a kick to Speedy's jaw. He smirked when he heard the satisfying crack of breaking bones.
Speedy let out a low groan of pain as he sunk to the floor, trying to speak through his hurt. All that came out was messy blood splatter and a weak gurgle.
"Get up!" Robin grabbed the archer roughly by the collar and lifted him to his feet. Lip curling in disdain, he shoved Speedy away from him. "Fight me."
Speedy shook his head.
"Fight me!" Robin threw a punch to Speedy's chest, scowling when the other boy simply let himself get abused. Screaming in frustration, Robin advanced with another attack. He kept his fists moving, each assault hitting its target. Mind clouded by rage and aggravation, he barely registered the fact that the only thing holding Speedy up was the speed of his punches.
A loud grunt escaped Robin's lips as he rapidly swung his leg into Speedy, sending the archer flying into a nearby column. Moaning in pain, Speedy forced his eyes to stay open as he watched Robin stalk over to him. He heard a strange click, and before he could register what was happening, he was being held up by Robin's hand gripping his collar and one of the Boy Wonder's bladed boomerangs was aimed at his neck. The razor glimmered in the light.
"Robin." Speedy immediately saw how the other boy tensed at the voice in his communicator. The silence proved to be just enough for the archer to hear exactly what was being said over the disk in Robin's ear. "We've gotten what we came for."
"Fine," Robin hissed, hand tightening around his boomerang. "I'll be right there."
Speedy closed his eyes tightly, preparing himself for what he knew was going to come.
He's going to kill me…He thought with a strange calm. Images of himself and the boy who held his life in his hands filled his mind. Only, it wasn't this boy. It was another boy from another life.
A resounding clang brought Speedy out of his thoughts and it was then that he realized the released hold on him. Opening his eyes, Speedy looked around the room in confusion.
Robin was gone.
TBC