Jinx sighed and smiled at Cyborg, even though she was still disappointed he tricked her and was only pretending so that he could take down the first HIVE academy; the same school where she had trained and where the crush she had on him went sour. He had succeeded which made the truth hurt a little more.
He smiled back politely.
Starfire looked at bumble-bee and Jinx. "What arrangement of seating are you in?"
The two looked confused.
Raven stepped up and explained. "What she mans to ask is where are you sitting?"
Jinx looked at her ticket. "Right where we can hear the best; Middle row in front of the stage deck 7."
Raven looked at her ticket. "Hmm… It seems we are right behind you. Best place really, we can keep our eyes on you."
Jinx sighed. "Look I won't do anything I promise." She pointed to the girl beside her. "I've got a member of Titan's east sitting beside me and you all sitting behind me. What would I do?"
Robin nodded. "Alright. But we're still going to make sure. If you follow your word then the next time we see each…." He stopped as he remembered what had been bugging him the past two weeks.
Raven looked at him. "What's the matter?"
Robin looked at Jinx suspiciously. "Why haven't you done anything? We haven't heard a peep out of any villain since we took you and your two pals in a few days ago. What's your game? What's going on? Is there something going to happen soon?"
Jinx looked, for a second, nervous. "I don't know. I heard a rumor that a really bad mofo is trying to get rid of both super heroes and people like me, and then he plans on getting rid of humanity. I don't have a clue whether it's true or not. But I came here to have fun and to get my mind off things. I assume you're all here for the same purpose."
They all nodded their heads. "Yeah we are." said Robin.
Jinx smiled. "Well then let's party."
The concert opened up with a rock song that had stayed on the top charts since before October, it was now part way through November. The next songs kept the pace of the first then they lead singer announced that the gears would change to some of the bands older songs.
Jinx looked again at Cyborg and smiled widely, she wished they could just forget about the betrayal and do something about their feelings for each other. She had no idea if he still felt the same way she did for him; or even if he ever did.
Garfield and Star were moving closer together throughout the concert.
Raven and Robin smiled at each other but kept it professional for the time being. Neither of them were a big fan of public displays of affection.
After the concert the titans returned to the tower. Since Jinx had behaved herself they let her go to wherever her home was. Bumblebee said goodbye to Cyborg and the others and went back to the Titans east tower.
The five titans went to their respective rooms save for Raven who decided to go up on the roof for a moment.
Robin walked up beside her. He looked at the quiet sky and breathed in the peace that they had been experiencing lately. "Nice night. I wish it could stay like this, don't you?"
Raven looked at him then back out toward the city and sighed. She wrapped her cloak to shield herself from the cold wind. "Yes I do. What a nice break. We're all able to be normal people." The feelings she had started to have for Robin were growing stronger due to the advancing effects of the two drugs mixing, even now, she was feeling attracted to him. Suddenly she felt a strong fear but fear of what, a relationship or losing Robin whatever the fear was she didn't like it. Why was she feeling afraid? She hugged the cloak tighter.
Robin, who could tell something was bothering her, didn't want to touch her but felt compelled to. If for no other reason then she was a friend. He carefully placed his hand on her left shoulder.
She looked over and smiled at him.
Robin smiled back at her. "I like it when you let yourself be happy. You're so pretty when you smile."
Raven looked at Robin confused but then smiled. "It's not easy controlling my emotions. Sometimes I want to just scream at the top of my lungs. Let it all out you know?"
He shrugged. "Well why don't you. It's not that late at night."
She shook her head.
He stared at the city and suddenly yelled at the top of his lungs. "Why the hell do I have to be so good at everything? Why can't I just be me? Just leave me the hell alone!"
A few nearby voices called back to him. "Look who's bothering who asshole!" "Go back to bed you whiney brat." "Let us sleep." "The only thing we want you to be good at is being quiet."
She looked at him oddly and chuckled. "That's why I didn't want to do it."
He shrugged. "They can deal with it. I needed to let it out myself."
She nodded. "You have been quite stressed lately."
He looked at her and they leaned toward each other and their lips met in the
moonlight. For several moments they cared for nothing else but this moment.
They were content. All the worries and stresses of the day and the week just faded away. They broke the kiss and Raven smiled at him. "Good night Robin. I'll see you in the morning."
Robin smiled back. "Good night Raven. Sleep tight."
She walked down the stairs and passed beast boy who was busy making himself a late night snack. "Hey Rae, you look happier?"
She turned and smiled at him, which was very uncharacteristic of her. "I feel happier. I'm going to bed. Good night Beast boy." She walked out of the room and down the hall toward her room.
Beast boy stared after her confused. When Robin came down after her also in a good mood his confusion grew. "Robin what happened up there?"
Robin shrugged. "Nothing you'd care to hear about."
Beast boy then sighed. "Raven's in a good mood for once. And you're not dead serious as usual. Something's up. Something happened between you two." He thought for a moment then it hit him. "Wait. Did you two kiss? Whoa… that's heavy."
Robin just smirked and walked toward his room. "I'm going to monitor criminal activity on my computer then head to bed. See you in the morning B."
Starfire snuck up behind Garfield and wrapped him in a bear hug.
Garfield was so startled that he dropped the plate on the floor shattering it on impact.
Starfire placed her head on his shoulder. "Thank you for the gift today. I really like it." She kissed him on his right cheek and skipped to her room like a four year old girl after a good day at school.
He stared at the messy floor in a daze. What was happening to Star and why was all her affection suddenly being directed at him. She had always shown more interest in Robin up to now. He rubbed his cheek smiling to himself. "It's not everyday I get kissed by a really cute girl." He whistled to himself as he cleaned the mess up and forgot about eating; opting instead to go to bed.
A dark red bike approached a clearing in the forest and came to a stop. On top of a nearby hill popped up a small red strobe light. It flashed three times them retracted into the hill the hill in front of the bike opened up revealing beast like anchors that kept it secure. The bike rolled down a short metal ramp and parked on a small circle. The circle rotated until the bike was pointing toward the ramp leading outside ready to go out again if needed.
The lights inside the room lit up revealing the bike clearer. It was a newer type of super bike developed for the military for its hit and run teams. The bike was completely modular and had many exchangeable features. It could lay down a spike strip, oil slick, or tire puncturing caltrops. On the right side of the bike was a gun recess for a seven point six two repeating rifle; however it was replaced with a directional EMP lancer instead at the discretion of the driver. The driver is encased by a newly developed closed canopy with support padding that counters to the driver's back. The riders that first tested it coined the term cocoon seat, and it stuck. Despite that it has saved several lives since it has introduction to the public. Every cocoon seat has a small button on the left handle bar nearest to the driver that blows the top should the driver be in immediate danger. The driver navigates via a camera over the headlight, near to wear the windshield would be on a normal bike. If this camera is destroyed the cocoon can be partially retracted to allow the driver to sit up and navigate like a standard model.
The bike also uses a new fuel that uses hydrogen mixed with 2 parts oxygen fed into a hydrostatic engine.
The canopy retracted and an armored male sat up and removed his helmet. His hair fell to just under his ears and was styled in a neat orderly fashion. His eyes were a dark grey; almost as black as tar. His nose flared to the sides slightly and the bridge was straight.
He surveyed the room. "Wow, it's been four years since I was last here. Things haven't changed much at all."
He flipped down the kickstand with his foot and leaned the bike on it. Getting off the bike he sighed. "I wonder how she's doing. I wonder if she's even here." He walked toward a stairway that led into the base proper and headed toward her room.
A girl was listening to music and reading a dark thriller book while lying in bed. A knock came at the door and she jumped slightly, a side effect of being engrossed in a book of that kind. She breathed deeply to calm down, put the book down, and walked over to the door. She opened it and her eyes widened in surprise.
The young man standing at the door smiled at her. "Hey girl how's it been?"
Her eyes filled with tears and she threw herself at him.
He caught her and wrapped her in his arms.
She dug her head into his chest and looked up at him. "I missed you so much, I'm so happy to see you."
He leaned over and kissed her on the head. "I missed you too Vypra. Four years without you was just horrible, but I had things to do, I promise that next time I go anywhere I'll take you with me."
She kissed him on the neck. "I don't care why you left just don't do it again."
He nodded. "Not on my life. You mean too much to me."
She smiled and stayed in his arms several minutes longer.
He removed his arms from around her waist and wiped the tears out of her eyes while caressing her face. "No more tears. I'm back and I'm not going anywhere." He looked around her room. "You've done some different things with your room since I left, it looks good. It's no longer so dark. Neither are you for that matter."
She smiled and nodded. "While you were gone I did a lot of thinking of how I act toward people. I decided to be happier, paint the wall with a brighter color, and start putting up more cheerful décor."
He looked at her with admiration. "I'm glad. I never have understood why people who choose the gothic lifestyle can't also be happy."
She wrapped her arm around his and leaned on it. "Stereotypical expectations I guess."
He looked toward the hallway. "Where are the other guys?"
She shrugged. "I think they went to hang out with each other. Nothing was happing today so they had the day off."
He stroked her hair. "And you didn't go. Why?"
She shrugged. "I didn't care to go to the movies with them. Nothing that appeals to me is showing." She let his arm go. "Are you hungry? You want me to make you something to eat?"
He shook his head. "I'll make it myself. The kitchen is still in the same place, right?"
She nodded. "It is."
He kissed her gently on the lips and walked toward the kitchen. After making something to eat he headed toward the lounge and sat on the couch to enjoy the silence.
Vypra walked into the lounge, saw him sitting on the couch and joined him.
They chatted about what happened during his time away.
The girl was chattering away about how cool the movie and the guys were listening and offering their own input about it. She turned around and saw the back of a young man's head. He was sitting alone on the couch. A familiar scent filled the room as she got closer to the boy. She fell silent and a grin appeared on her face. "I know that smell." She ran around the side of the couch and ambushed the boy, "Gavin! It is you." and gave him a friendly peck on the cheek. "You're back." She then hugged him around the neck.
The two guys that walked in with her rushed to her side. The tallest one slapped Gavin on the back. "So you decided to come back, Gavin, my man. What took you so long?"
Gavin woke up Vypra who was lying on his lap. "Hon, the guys are back."
Vypra woke up and looked up seeing the others. "Hey guys. How was the movie?"
The others dragged chairs up to the couch and sat down. The girl, a brunette green eyed cutie, shrugged. "It was cool, but nothing compared to Gavin coming back. It's been four years, that's too long to be without a friend."
Gavin smiled at her. "I missed you too freshy. I see you're as cute as ever."
Freyha blushed. "Stop it Griss. You're embarrassing me." She patted him on the leg anyway. "But thanks."
Hamberg picked up the remote and was about to turn on the TV when his alert beepers went off.
The other beepers soon followed.
Vin sighed. "Let's move folks. Gavin you still got your bike?"
Gavin nodded.
Vin smiled. "Good. Bring it along."
Vypra quickly wiped away the sleep in her eyes and rushed to get dressed. She emerged in her navy blue half armored outfit. She smiled at Gavin and followed him. "I'm glad they gave me a bike too."
When Gavin and her got to the underground garage she pulled out a bike painted in the exact color as her outfit. "Let's go kick some ass."
Gavin smiled at her, nodded, and mounted his bike. He leaned forward and the canopy closed over him.
Vypra did the same and the canopy of her bike also closed over her.
The two bikes sped up the ramp as the door to the outside was opening.
When the door detected they had left it closed and locked itself.