Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own original ideas.
four brindle drive: Thank you for your lovely compliments, however, I can't help feeling that some of the comments were rather rude. You may be under the impression that SladexRobin is disgusting, but to the majority of my readers and I, it's not. Robin enjoys it in my fic where I am the writer and that is that. And I'm sorry that I'm not leaping for joy because I've been redeemed in your eyes. Also, I wasn't planning on adding any SpeedyxStarfire romance into this fic (and I have absolutely no idea where you got that idea from), but if I wanted to, I don't feel I need your permission for it. You have me tempted to do so just because you told me not to.
Raving-Lunatic: Thank you so much! The hardest thing for me is the many dynamics in the story and I'm glad that some people think I'm doing a good job :)
vudupins: Your reviews always make me smile, sweetie :)
Hybridbabe: You are my own slasher creation! I shall call you Squishy and you shall be mine ;) (read: Yes! I have turned another one to the dark side! )
Flick-chan: WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU? - I mean...thank you, love. You're awesome, too :)
Notes: What the hell? I'm updating this? What? It only took me ten months, calm your asses down ;p In all seriousness, though, with Teen Titans starting a new season, I'm hoping to get back into the writing game with it.
Also! Please read the Prequel to this, "The Rain Goes On," for it to make the most sense :)
Rectitude
Chapter Four
Beast Boy sat quietly in the confines of his room, eyes tracing the outlines of the silver, heart-shaped jewelry box he'd kept hidden away ever since Terra had betrayed them. The once shimmering surface had dulled over time and the insides had the faintest traces of rust.
She was back now. Back on their side. The stinging sensation in his chest that came whenever he thought about it made him frown. Shouldn't he be happy?
He was still hurt, still angry. Still wanted to hate her. He wanted so much to hate her. He had been doing a pretty good job of it too.
But now she was back.
And he couldn't hate her. Not anymore. Yet, he couldn't love her like he once had either. He didn't know what to think of her now. Was she really on their side? Or was she merely fooling them again? She seemed sincere.
Sometimes when she came to visit, revealing information on whatever plans Slade had recently thought up, she had bruises lining the side of her face or circling her neck. Beast Boy could always smell the fear and saltiness of freshly cried tears that would radiate off of her. No one ever asked what had happened to her, though. No one ever seemed to care.
Did he?
Frowning, Beast Boy sat up and walked to his door, resting his forehead against the cool metal surface as he composed himself. After a moment of hesitation, he found himself pressing the button to open it.
There was one other person in the Tower who could possibly help him to understand. Growling, he winced as the pain came back to him, clutching his hand tightly to his chest. He hoped he was right.
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Speedy sat up from his position by the window of Robin's old room, looking over at the soft knock on the door. Though he hadn't specifically stated that he wanted to be left alone, he'd assumed that the moody stomping on his way in had announced that fact to the world. Sighing, he stood and made his way to the door, not bothering to replace the mask on his naked face.
"Who is it?" he called through the thick metal, his hand hovering over the 'open' button. There was a soft shuffle on the other side, before he heard Beast Boy shakily announce his presence. Thankful that it wasn't Starfire with another one of her pep talks, Speedy pressed on the button, stepping back to allow the changeling inside.
"What's up?" he wondered politely, ignoring the shocked look on Beast Boy's face upon seeing him without his mask. Beast Boy frowned, eyes traveling down Speedy's body, taking in the civilian clothing.
"Did you just go out?"
Speedy replayed his brief reunion with Robin in his mind, chest hurting at the memory. "Yeah." He stood and went back to the window. "Did you want something?"
Looking sheepish, Beast Boy nodded. "Can I sit down?"
"Sure," Speedy replied, waving vaguely to Robin's old bed. He'd taken up Robin's room after he'd officially moved in with the Titans.
Beast Boy quickly took a seat and nervously scratched his toes against the floor, looking anywhere but at the archer. He was silent except for his slightly ragged breathing.
"Beast Boy, look, if you just came here to hang out, I'm really not in the mo-"
"Tell me I'm not the only one hurting," Beast Boy whimpered so quietly that Speedy had to lean in to hear him. There was silence again as Speedy racked his brain for something to say. If he had inherited any trait from Robin, it'd been his awkwardness in emotional situations.
Robin…The pain in his chest was back.
"I…uhm…sorry to bother you," Beast Boy mumbled quickly after a while, apparently deciding that he'd made enough of a fool of himself. Speedy's eyes widened and he made his way to the bed, grabbing Beast Boy's wrist before the changeling could disappear out the door.
"I'm hurting too. A lot," he admitted, trying his hardest to relay his sincerity. Beast Boy visibly relaxed and returned to the bed.
"If he ever came back to you, would you forgive him?" he asked softly, not meeting the archer's eyes. Speedy sighed and frowned, resting his chin on the palm of his hand.
"I think I would. It would hurt too much not to."
"Could you ever trust him again?"
A rueful smile and Speedy's eyes were suddenly on Beast Boy.
"Maybe…. A lot more than you can trust her, at least. He never acted as a spy. At least when he was with us, he was really with us."
By the sinking of Beast Boy's shoulders, Speedy knew he had hit right on target.
"When you see him, does it hurt knowing you can't hold him when you really want to?"
Leaning back on his arms, Speedy stared at his ceiling, debating on how much information he wanted to divulge. It did feel nice to talk about it.
"Whenever I even think about him, it hurts."
"So…I'm not alone?" Beast Boy's eyes finally met Speedy's and he felt a great weight lifted off his shoulders.
"No…. You're not alone."
The now rare smile that Speedy was rewarded with made him pause and grin back, thankful that he wasn't alone either.
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Growling to himself, Slade watched the Randolph Engineering Plant's surveillance tape with a narrowed eye. He froze the image and rewound to the single scene he'd already lost count of how many times he'd watched. Robin stood with that damned archer against the wall, birdarang out and ready to kill, abruptly stopping before his job could be completed.
Slade rewound.
Robin had stopped, hesitated and failed on his mission. The birdarang fell to the ground, the resounding noise echoing his failure.
Slade rewound.
Below him, he heard the cries of anger and rage as Robin took out his frustrations in the workout room on the floor beneath.
Slade rewound, but this time, paused the second before Robin released Speedy from his grip. Typing in a sequence on the control panel, Slade sat back and watched as the image filled every one of his surveillance monitors on the wall.
The image of a face caught between regret and sadness.
Slade's fists clenched in anger, ears catching on to the sound of Robin tearing the punching bag from the ceiling with a particularly violent attack.
Sitting up, Slade tapped his fingers steadily against the console, eyes never leaving his screens.
"My, my, pretty little bird…. What have you gotten yourself into?"
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Struggling to regain his breath, Robin stood stoically over the fallen punching bag, mentally mocking the training tool for being so weak. The pain in his wrist had reached the point where it had become numb and Robin brought the limb to his face, staring detachedly at the odd angle with which the hand connected to the arm. He vaguely remembered the sound of breaking bones when the workout had first started.
A soft sound from behind made Robin whip around, dropping into a ready fighting position.
There was no one there.
Frowning, Robin made his way to the door, eyes searching for any sign of the life that had disrupted him. A faint squeak alerted him to the floor.
Robin fingered the dagger strapped to his workout uniform, watching blankly as the little mouse scurried around his feet, gazing up at him with wide eyes.
It distantly reminded him of a green mouse he had once known…
The horrific shriek brought no feeling to Robin as he released the dagger from his hands, blood splattering against the cement floor.
He wasn't weak.
Loud beeps in his ear brought his consciousness back to the world around him.
"Robin," Slade growled over the communicator, sounding dark and angry, "You have a new mission for me."
"What is it?"
"Until now, we have merely been toying with the Titans…" There was a ominous pause. "I want them dead. All of them. Especially their new leader. You will do whatever it takes."
Robin nodded, a sharp pain that he didn't quite understand filling his chest. Ignoring it, he stared icily at the figure returning his gaze in the mirror.
"Understood."
He wasn't weak.
"And Robin?" Slade's voice now held a dangerous warning. "Don't fail me again."
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On the other side of the door, Terra held back a gasp at Robin's newest set of orders, covering her mouth with her hand. She glanced fearfully down at the poor little mouse that had provided cover for her when she'd accidentally scuffed the floor while spying on him.
Moving as slowly as possible towards the staircase, Terra broke into a run as soon as she was sure she couldn't be heard.
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"He's going to kill you!" Terra shouted as soon as she stepped into Titan Tower, growing angry with the skeptical glances she was being thrown.
"Slade's been trying that shit for ages and it still hasn't worked," Cyborg replied in irritation, still not happy with the random appearances of Terra. "Don't think this time will be any different."
"No! Robin!" she tried again, looking to Raven for support. Raven merely shrugged.
"He wouldn't. He tried to kill Speedy and failed. It'll be the same for us."
"But he's different!" Terra retorted desperately, "I saw him today! He…he doesn't care anymore! It's like he snapped!"
"Robin will always care!" Starfire inserted angrily, standing from her spot on the couch. "He will always care about us, even if he has the evil washing of the brain!"
"But-"
"How do we even know we can trust you? I've had about enough of you acting like since we let you back in the Tower, you're a part of the team again," Cyborg hiss. "Maybe this is all a part of Slade's plan, to get us worked up over nothing and then hit us when we finally relax."
"No! This is real!"
"And why do you even care? Are you hoping that if you help us save the world and defeat Slade, we'll welcome you back with open arms?"
"I-" Terra snapped her mouth shut, trying to force down the flush that threatened to cover her entire being. Cyborg had hit it right on the mark. That had been exactly what she had been hoping for.
But she also cared about them. They had been the only friends she'd ever had and even if they wanted nothing to do with her, she still couldn't help but care. Why couldn't they see that? Why were they so stubborn? She growled.
"I…fine! Get sliced into a million pieces!" she shouted, stomping her foot in anger. "No skin off my back!" Whirling around, Terra stormed out nearly as fast as she had run in, mumbling curses beneath her breath.
It was all she could do to hope that Raven had been right when she had said that Robin-
"Terra."
She froze at the voice, a strange tightening sensation reaching her chest. Turning slowly, Terra brought her gaze to Beast Boy's.
"What do you want? Come to tell me how I shouldn't come back with anymore lies?"
There seemed to be a great battle going on inside of Beast Boy, but his eyes were filled with a determination she had never seen before.
"I…believe you," he said at last, straightening himself to stand at his full height. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Terra noticed that Beast Boy had grown taller than her since the last time they had really been together, filling out with the muscles he had lacked before. The changes had also been accompanied by a deeper voice and more defined facial features. Not for the first time, Terra wondered if she even knew this boy - no, this man - standing before her.
Blushing, Terra mentally kicked herself. Now was not the time.
"You believe me?" she returned skeptically, keeping her gaze anywhere but on the changeling.
"As much as it hurts to say so, we do," another voice added. Terra's eyes widened as she took in the sight of Speedy standing assuredly next to Beast Boy. His eyes were filled with the same conviction as his teammate.
"We know Robin, we know what he's capable of. The others haven't been as hurt by this as much as we have. They still want to see behind their rose-colored glasses."
Ignoring the pain in her chest when Speedy included Beast Boy in his mention of victims, she bit her lip and looked down, not quite sure what to think.
"So…you're going to protect the others?" she wondered. She looked up when she heard Speedy sigh.
"They're not going to accept it if they don't want it."
"So we're going to protect you instead," Beast Boy added, taking a step forward, suddenly looking dangerous. He let out a growl, staring at a point over Terra's shoulder. Speedy looked at him in confusion.
"Help me?" She took several steps back, feeling afraid. "How? I'm not the one who needs it."
"At the moment? Yes, you are," Beast Boy hissed, abruptly morphing into a wolf and leaping towards Terra. The girl cried out and tried to run, whimpering as she fell to the ground beneath the beast. A familiar whirring sound piercing the air overhead, however, silenced her pleas.
Beast Boy had been saving her.
The fear came back when she realized who he had been saving her from.
"I always knew you were weak," Robin's voice echoed darkly throughout the surrounding forest.
"Leave her alone," Beast Boy snarled as soon as he had changed back into his human form. Terra closed her eyes and screamed in her head for Beast Boy to run and forget about her. Selfishness, however, prevented the words from coming out. She wanted Beast Boy to stay, to protect her. To hold her like he was doing now.
She winced as tears began to form behind her closed lids. God, she was worthless.
"Once a traitor, always a traitor." Stepping out of the shadows, Robin stalked towards them with a severity they had never seen in him before. Reaching into his belt, he pulled out what looked to be a small remote control. Speedy frowned, momentarily dropping his guard.
"What are you-" He paused when he noticed that Robin's eyes weren't on them, but on the Tower. Crying out in understanding, he turned just in time to witness Robin's finger press down on a green button. "DON'T-"
"They should have listened to her."
The explosion came without warning - an immense heat followed by a deafening roar. Speedy threw himself atop his fallen comrades, closing his eyes and bracing himself for the coming onslaught of burning debris. He felt a slight jerk, heard a soft "oof!" from beneath, and the pain never came. Snapping open his eyes, Speedy found himself staring into Terra's frightened eyes, a great shadow looming above them. Speedy looked over his shoulder, eyes widening at the giant sea turtle that stood protecting them.
Letting out a painful moan, Beast Boy struggled to keep himself standing. It wasn't until the last ember scorched his shell that he finally allowed himself to return back to human form, collapsing on top of Speedy in exhaustion.
"We need to get out of here…" Speedy hissed, gently moving Beast Boy's limp figure to the ground beside them. He looked expectantly at Terra.
"Right." She nodded, a golden glow surrounding her as the earth they knelt on cracked, shifting so that it could be removed from the earth.
"Watch out!" Speedy shouted suddenly, diving on top of Terra as he let out a cry of pain. Cursing, Speedy brought his hand to his side, yanking out the bladed birdarang weakly. Swaying with sudden dizziness, he glanced at the blades, noticing with confusion the green powder they were coated with.
"Poison!" Terra shrieked, helping him sit up in a panic. Speedy blinked at her in uncertainty, his mind becoming hazy. He could see Terra's mouth moving, but there weren't any words coming out.
"Speedy!" Terra couldn't keep the fear out of her voice as the archer's eyes grew glassy and dim. A twig cracked nearby and Terra's head shot up, paling as she watched Robin draw near.
She had never been more afraid of him.
"Robin, please…" she begged, on the verge of tears. His silence chilled her bones.
In one last effort, Terra focused all of her powers into digging up the earth around them, creating a violent dust storm. Gathering both Beast Boy and Speedy near, she finished what she had started, breaking the slab of rock free from the ground as she guided the piece of earth into the air.
"If only I could get us past those pines…" she whimpered, finding their source of temporary salvation. Glancing below at the ground, she let out a gasp when she realized Robin was no longer there. Whirling around, her eyes scanned the surrounding area.
"Robin…" There was a hissing sound and Terra nearly missed the sight of the exploding disc soaring towards them. Hastily, she tried to maneuver herself out of range, failing as the disc caught the corner of the rock.
"SPEEDY!" she screamed as the impact caused the unconscious Titan to slip from the boulder and plummet to the ground. Holding Beast Boy's limp form close, she dived down in a desperate attempt to save the archer.
The next exploding disc caught her unaware.
Pain enflamed her body for the briefest of instants, searing her skin and burning her insides. A flash of green passed before her line of vision and she heard the wind howl.
Then, consciousness left her.
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Speedy groaned as he shifted in his position against the wall, wincing at the sharp pain that sparked from his side whenever he moved. He tried to reach for the wound to give some comfort, frowning when he realized he couldn't.
"What…?" Groggily, he opened his eyes, succumbing to the wave of dizziness that fell over him. "Jesus…" When he felt that the spell had passed, he gingerly sat up, eyes carefully evaluating the situation.
He was chained to the wall of what looked to be an abandoned prison cell; blood splattered against the walls and floor, causing bile to rise up his throat. He grunted and struggled to pull free from his binds, knowing full well in the back of his thoughts that it was in vain
The slamming of a door a few rooms off caused Speedy to freeze, listening for any other sort of life through the silence. His stomach dropped as he heard the soft sounds of footsteps approaching.
Someone was coming.
TBC