1Chapter Five: A Most Unlikely Alliance

"You shot me."

"I wouldn't have had to if you had never came and took my stuff."

"...You still shot me."

"And I'd shoot you again if they didn't have every weapon I have!"

The two glared at each other for a moment, X's eyes narrowing behind his mask. He had regained his composure quickly, and was not happy about being in the same cell as Curly. They weren't exactly on friendly terms after all, but the tower only had one holding area. The one they were currently in.

Then with a sigh, the curly haired rouge looked down, "Alright, I'm sorry about shooting you, happy?"

"Not really, but it didn't actually cause much harm. Still tingles a bit..."

"Ya, that happens. If it turns black and or blue, and you lose feeling in your leg, call a doctor. They may or may not be able to help."

"...Wait, you're kidding right?"

The scientist shrugged, not replying. X looked from the one way mirror and back, trying to get some indication that this particular threat wasn't going to be carried out. Yet he received none. Even so, he just put it out of his mind and started thinking again.

"Why am I here again?"

"You blew up a warehouse and attacked me."

"...Oh ya."

Robin watched the two, shaking his head. Red X, that was a big catch. He clearly wasn't much more than an extremely clever thief, and more in it for the thrill than the money, but a big catch all the same. The best part, he could lead to the biggest catch of all, the capture of the boy wonder's long time nemesis, Slade.

"So, what are you going to do?"

"We can't send him to the Watchtower, but I've already arranged the next best thing. I gave Batman a call, and he's agreed to take him in, there's a safe house that not even Slade will be able to find, much less get in. And even if he did, X can handle himself pretty well, and of course there's Batman himself to consider. He should be fine."

Cyborg nodded, rubbing his chin in thought, "And the other guy?"

"...I haven't quite got a fix on him yet. You have anything?"

"I tried to get into his car, but you are extremely lucky that you and Raven got out before you pulled him out. It's keyed to something he has, and I can't seem to replicate. DNA or some other sensor. I've tried every thing in every way I could think, and no luck. I can barely touch his car."

"What about his coat?"

"It nearly fried Beast Boy when he tried to get into one of the pockets. And all of the stuff from his pants pockets he put into the coat. That's another dead end."

"Great. So this is our mysterious rouge then?"

"Without a doubt. I dunno man... This guy seems a bit unstable and flammable. You saw how he went berserk back there. Missiles, lasers, explosives... And that was just because X stole something."

"He still hasn't said what."

"...Are you worried?"

"Not yet, but I'm getting there. I need to talk to X alone... Ah, who do I trust more? The thief that's eluded us for months and stolen things right from under our nose or a new gunman with an itchy trigger finger?"

"...Well, Curly was gettin' the crap beat out of him when Red X got in close... And Starfire is a lot stronger than X is..."

"Good point. Alright, get some cuffs on him and take him to the common area, be sure that you have the others with you."

"Aren't you worried about X getting away?"

"Yes... But I'm more worried about Curly getting a gun."

So, as Robin began to go over his plans with Red X, Cyborg took their other captive to the living room, putting hand cuffs on his wrists, and from his ankle to the table. The cuffs themselves were magnetic, pretty much impossible to get out of, even for someone like the technologically inclined Curly. So, he slouched down on the soft cushions. Well, more like laid down. His entire body was horizontal, except that he had his head propped against the back of the couch. Classic sloucher position.

Cyborg was right by him, a few seats over, and Raven was in her chair on the other side. Starfire was making some unholy concoction in the kitchen, and Beast Boy was of course playing gamestation (Despite the fact Robin would kill him if he found out).

"You guys suck."

The half-robot titan glanced over, not amused, "Hey, you brought this on yourself when you started your little vendetta against X."

"It's not a vendetta tin-man, he stole something and I want it back."

"What's so special about this generator you keep ranting about?"

"...Why should I tell you?"

"Dang, at least other bad-guys are sociable. What's you're deal?"

"Hey, I'm not a bad guy, I'm just not so nice ok? I just want to get my generator back, leave this city, and that's it. I'll be out of your hair and on my merry way. In fact, I would've already had it back and been long gone if it wasn't for goth girl and speech impediment." Curly told him venomously, tossing his head at Raven and Starfire respectively.

The sorceress didn't even look over, "You had a gun in the middle of the mall, what did you expect?"

"I'll tell you what I didn't expect, I didn't expect to be blind sided twice! First you and you're little friend start trying to blow me to kingdom come, then you let X get away. You're lucky you walked away with nothing but a boot in the face."

"Oh yes, thanks for reminding me. I owe you for that."

"Pfft, whatever... Is this all you people do? I'm bored! I'm hungry!"

"Did our new friend-"

"I'm not your friend."

"-Say that he was hungry?"

Raven thought a moment, before smiling sadistically. Cyborg and Beast Boy had to stifle giggles, as they knew what was coming, "Ya Starfire, he did."

"Oh! You must try my Kolorgnuf of Jumborg! It is most delicious!"

"What the heck is-"

However, the rather loud-mouthed rouge regretted talking. Because as he did, Starfire flew over, and shoved a spoonful of her Kolorgnuf of Jumborg into his mouth. It took several seconds for him to realize it was wiggling, several more to realize that it was slimy, and then the overwhelmed senses of his mouth finally got his taste buds to work.

Cyborg suddenly found himself on the receiving end of a mouthful of Tameranian cuisine, which slid slowly down his metallic skin.

"GAH! AH! AH! OH MY...! WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT? CREAM A LA' CRAP!"

"Would you like more?" Starfire asked, beaming.

Spitting and sputtering to try and get the taste out of his mouth, he glared at the alien, "Maybe next time you should try less feces and more mucus. Good lord... That's it, I'm suing you all! Cruel and unusual punishment!"

"Please, what punishment are you speaking of? If you are meaning the bracelets of restraining that you are wearing then I must say that you are much too dangerous to be allowed to walk free."

Currently licking the carpet to try and cover up the taste, he looked up, "I loath you."

Starfire gasped, eyes becoming her smile outshining the sun, "Our new friend loves me!"

You could hear the bones crack as Starfire crushed Curly in a bear hug that could replace a car crusher. The iron vice of her grip was incredible, unbreakable, painful... And painful... And it was of course, painful. So, this was how he was going to meet his end. Not how he had hoped, crushed to death by a bubbly cheerleader with a speech impediment... Oh well, at least she was pretty cute, so things could've been worse...

"Starfire! Let him go!"

"Hmmm? Oh my!"

He came crashing to the floor, sucking in a breath that made the black that had faded around the sides of his vision recede, and he began to feel his body again. He lay on the ground, arms secured by the wrist behind his back, ankle attached to a table, gasping for the oxygen that had been denied to him.

Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven were around him in a second, quite aware of the damage Starfire could do, "Are you alright?"

"Is my head still attached to my body?" He asked, a smile locked on his face in a delirious manner.

"...Yes."

"Really? Odd, I can't tell... Why is the room sideways? Hey! There are like nine of you guys now!"

The titans glared at the Tameranian princess, and Raven spoke, "Starfire, remember that long discussion we had about why you shouldn't hug civilians? That they have bone structures you could easily snap?"

"Hehe... sorry..."

"Hey, now the room is sideways the other way! Awesome!"

"...Just take deep breaths man, there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with you. Just lack of oxygen."

"Man... I haven't gone that out of it since Python kicked me in the head..."

"Who?"

"...Nevermind." He mumbled, managing to somehow get himself back up onto the couch, back in almost the exact position he had been previously. Man, this placed sucked. He had almost been killed twice in three minutes. He hated this entire situation.

"Not even anything to watch on TV..." He sighed under his breath, but loud enough to draw Beast Boy's attention.

"Oh really? Come on, I'll show you some of the best gamestationing in the world!"

So Curly watched. In fact, everyone watched, even Raven though she faked looking at the book. Sad, he seemed to have totally forgotten the fact that he had a zero out of two hundred and fifty three record against her... Granted, she was reading his mind, but that was only at the beginning. For a while, she actually enjoyed the challenge... Something new after all...

But even she was mildly impressed with this display. Cyborg's eyes widened at it. He definitely needed to start playing more, Beast Boy had progressed rapidly, perhaps even past the half-robot member of the titans. Starfire was dazzled, mostly because the lights on the screen were flashing in bright and intriguing colors.

It was an arcade style third person shooter, with a sort of fighting game feel to it. Beast Boy kicked, punched, and shot his way through horde after horde of unnamed pawns, leaving a bloody trail of destruction and mayhem that would've been hard for anything to compare. Dozens, hundreds fell against the unstoppable force of nature that was Beast Boy.

And this lasted for five minutes, until he had cleared the entire level, and when his rating came up, Cyborg started cheering, "Aw ya! Now that was awesome!"

97- Let the bullets fly!

Beast Boy smirked, leaning back with his hands behind his head, glancing over confidently, "Thank you, thank you, I'll be here all week. So what do you think of that?"

Curly was silent. But after some consideration, he stated simply, "You suck."

They were all stunned, especially the changling. Until finally, in a fit of anger, yelled, "Do you think you can do better?"

"With my hands behind my back."

"Ya right."

"No, seriously, give me the controller."

"I'm not giving you the controller."

"Come on, give it to me."

"No."

"Chicken."

"Dude, I am not letting you have anything."

"Colonel Sanders would cook you extra crispy."

"That is so wrong!"

"Fine, if you're that scared I'll beat you." Curly said, when Beast Boy tossed him the controller, glaring. Grinning, the teen had to fumble for several minutes to get the controller into a position that he could play with while also being able to see. It was difficult, as his hands were still strapped behind his back. But he did manage it, and the game started.

His fingers were a blur, his brow furrowed in concentration. Sweat popped out of his forehead, and he bit his tongue in concentration. It wasn't that hard of a game, it was virtually impossible to actually get a low score, but doing it with your hands behind your back wasn't exactly easy. But he was managing. In fact, he was more than managing.

He was kicking butt!

It was over in less that two minutes. Beast Boy and Cyborg's jaws were all the way to the floor, while Curly was hopping up and down yelling things.

99- All hail the master!

"Dude..."

"...What? This is the only mission I ever play on this game. I got 100 once."

"But that's like, next to impossible!"

"Heh, that's why I said once."

"Have you ever played Ultimate Super Metal Omega Racing XYZ 4?"

"...No."

"Uh-uh, Cyborg, get that other controller. We are so racing!"

"Aw ya! That's what I'm talking about!"

Teen Titans!

"...So, I'm going to go to Batman's hideout and lay low."

"Pretty much, ya."

"...Well, considering the alternative, not a bad option. Ok."

"I'll have everything arranged by tomorrow. You'll stay here tonight, we have a few spare rooms we've added on."

"...And you don't think I'll try to escape?"

"Call it leverage, I can give very loud 'hints' about your disclosure of information."

"For a good guy, you're very cruel."

"I've learned from the master. Come on, now I have to interview this Curly guy. What kind of a name is that?"

"This from a guy called Robin?"

The two walked out, a mutual agreement reached. There was little danger of Red X doing anything now, it would only cause himself to be put into more danger. Witness protection type thing, you get the idea.

They made their way to the common room. But when the came to the doorway, Robin saw something he did not want to see.

Cyborg and Beast Boy playing game station, doing their usual yelling and taunting. However, between them, was Curly. Free of his restraints and playing right along with them. A very large vein appeared on Robin's forehead suddenly, and the room temperature dropped ten degrees.

They whirled, Curly giving off a cry of surprise. He fumbled, getting the restraints back on his hands and sitting as if nothing was happening, the two titans playing it cool as well. However, this was not enough. No where near enough.

"YOU LET HIM OUT OF HIS CUFFS?"

"I told them they could." Raven said, turning the page of her book.

"You what?"

"Come on Robin, he's unarmed and surrounded by four superheroes. Not only that, but it's pretty clear that he couldn't make it past one of us without his weapons, and to get those he would not only have to get past us but through tower security, then through two feet of solid titanium into the vault. Does any of this strike you as likely?"

Robin deflated under that glare. Not even he was one to question the sorceress's logic. But he warned her, "Alright, no harm done. But do not make a habit of disobeying my orders Raven."

"I don't plan to."

"Um... Can I take these off now?"

"Go ahead."

Cyborg slipped the handcuffs off of him again, and removing the one off his ankle, which they had left on just in case. He jumped into the air, glad to be free.

"Now, you have some explaining to do."

It was if someone had created a storm right over Curly's head. He stopped in mid-motion, before slumping over, "Come on!"

"You don't have a choice."

"...Fine."

"I have dozens of things I want to ask, but it all comes back to one thing. What is so special about this generator you keep ranting about? And I expect a real answer. There will be... pain if you refuse."

"...Crap, alright. I hate you... What is so special about this generator he says. It's a work of art, my best invention to date. It's taken five years, but I have done it. It has the highest energy output possible. More than I've ever heard of. Or, it will... I'm still working on it..."

"That doesn't tell me anything."

"...Fine. It's A D.E.G. Dark Energy Generator."

Cyborg and Robin's eyebrows shot up, "Go on."

"The most energy that something can give off is equal to the mass of the object times the speed of light squared. EMC2."

"Right."

"But, it has been confirmed that the universe is only made up of a third of the amount of matter predicted. Therefor, it must exist as energy. Dark energy. Do you follow?"

"Ya."

"So inside of every atom of matter, there is an amount of energy inside of it that doesn't interact with the physical atom itself, dark energy. I figured out a way to tap into that energy."

Cyborg was on his feet, amazed, "But that's impossible! How did you?"

"It wasn't easy. It started as an accident, when I started working with a new element. When I passed an electrical current, instead of fading from one end to the other it increased. By passing electricity through it, you create a sort of attraction field that draws dark energy in and transforms it into electrical energy. So, it can produce double EMC2 for the amount of Omegnesium used in the generator itself."

"...Does it work though?"

Curly, who had been beaming in pride, faltered. He looked at the ground, embarrassed, "Um... not yet?"

"What do you mean 'not yet'?"

"Hey, I'm working on it ok! But it's not as easy as it sounds! Messing with dark energy, do something wrong and who knows what could happen!"

"Do you think someone else could figure out how to use it?" Robin asked, very worried now.

"I don't think so... I made the stupid thing and I don't really know how exactly it works. It just sort of, does... But not. Let's just say that it has problems that happen when you use it over long periods. That's why I shot him, why I'm so determined to get it back."

"Hmmm... Alright, I propose that we join forces then."

Curly froze, eye twitching. A look of horror spread across his entire being, "Hey now, uh-uh. No can do bird-boy, I don't work with a team."

"You do now, I'll show you to you're room."

"You've got to be kidding! Just let me leave for the sake of all that is holy! I don't want to stay in your structurally unsound, alphabetically inclined clubhouse!"

"To bad, you're going to."

"...Give me the keys to my car and give me my stuff back."

"That's not going to happen."

"Wha? You suck, I'm being held against my will, forced to eat crap, nearly crushed to death..."

"Dude, give him his stuff back, it's not like he's going to run away or anything. He needs us to get Slade."

Robin gaped at the changeling, who had commenced absently twiddling his thumbs, "Beast Boy... Sometimes your logic is impressive. Alright, you can have your stuff back."

"Alright!"

"BUT, if one, and I mean ONE thing happens then you will be down so fast you won't have time to blink. Is that clear?"

"Hehe... Very..." He said, uncomfortably.

"Ok then, I'll take you to the safe, then to your room."

"...Ok, I so want to ask... No, I won't."

"Ask what?"

"Nevermind, nevermind."

Raven looked up, curious as to what Professor Curly was going to say. So curious about it and other things, she reached out and tried to pry the thought from his mind. But she was almost knocked back by the sheer barrier that blocked her out. He glanced at her, smirking widely at her failed attempt. She calmed herself quickly, pondering this. There was more to him than met the eye, obviously...

"Raven, do you believe that our new friend will be like... Terra?"

"...I don't think so. But if he is, he picked the wrong team to betray, I can say that much."

With a swirl of her cape, she exited the common room, intent on talking to their new visitor later. Very intent. Because, it wasn't every day that someone could simply shut her out like that, not that totally. She was curious how. And why.

A few hours later, Curly heard a familiar clicking of doors locking and vents being tightened. He chuckled, glad to be back in his familiar coat, and to have his pockets full of his items again. It felt like he was himself again, and it felt good. He eased down onto the bed, kicking his boots off and tossing them into a corner.

"Don't get to comfortable, we have to talk."

The curly haired teen screamed, jumping completely off the bed onto the floor, looking up at the sorceress who was hovering over him, "...Don't, do, that."

"Why are you so skilled at blocking my mental abilities?"

He blinked, then shrugged, a weak smile on his lips, "Let's say I've had practice. And no, I really don't want to go into it. I've led a short, yet eventful life so far."

"Fair enough. But I warn you now, and I suggest you listen. We have entered into a temporary alliance. If you betray our trust, in the slightest manner, you will know what pain is."

Backing away, he looked up in sheer terror as Raven seemed to grow, her voice becoming dark and demonic. She returned to normal, and pulled back her hood. He was relieved to see a small, half smile on her face, "However, you'll find that we can be good friends."

"...That was scary."

"You haven't seen scary."

Raven dissapeared, leaving a freaked out and traumatized teen laying on the floor, quite unsure if he was supposed to feel comforted or the opposite. He decided that a nice, long bout of praying would be good about now, considering that he was sure he had seen four eyes under that hood. Four, red, angry eyes.

"What have I got myself into this time? Ok, first thing in the morning, tune the car... I need to get my mind straightened out... Man... I should've just let them have the stupid generator... It's causing me way more trouble than it could possibly be worth... Let's see... I could be out of the state in ten minutes... Hmmm... Pfft, screw that..." He pondered a bit more, throwing his coat over onto a small table, then kicking back on the bed again. Things had started out so simple, but now he was treading his way through a snake basket. Honestly, he didn't trust Red X (Duh), and these 'Titans' weren't exactly higher on his list. So far they had done nothing but attack him, torture him, and hold him here against his will.

Real strong base for a friendship.

"How do I know that they'll let me keep the D.E.G.? They may take it themselves, or give it to the government or something... Why did I even tell them about it? Oh ya, super strong red-head chick... Man, that sucked... The green dude and tin-man seem pretty cool though. That Robin guy is an uptight jerk though. And as for goth girl... I have no idea... Crap, I'm talking to myself again... Sleep, sounds, good..."

TEEN TITANS!

Cyborg yawned, stretching his metallic arms high above his head as he walked down the halls. He was up extra early, he wanted to finish working on the T-Car. If he started now, he should be able to get finished before anything happened that day. Hopefully... Starfire was nice and all, but he preferred to have his life in his own hands. Not hanging several hundred feet from someone else's.

Hey punched a button, and the door to the garage opened. He strode in, grabbing his box of tools and walking over to his car, laying down on one of those little rolly things. As he slid underneath the vehicle, he heard over to the side.

"'Morning tin-man."

"Good morn...ing..." The half-robot's eyes bulged, and he slid back out from under his car, jaw gaping.

Curly sat, cup of coffee in hand, on the hood of his own sleek, streamlined car. There were tools scattered around already, showing that he had been at work far longer than Cyborg had been awake. He pointed, yelling, "How did you get out of your room!"

"Oh come on! Give me some credit! That lock took me a while to pick though, nice job."

"How did you get in here?"

"Door was open."

"Why haven't you escaped?"

"Tried." Curly told him, pointing over his shoulder to the door to the outside. Looking over, Cyborg saw that it was charred, slightly melted, and looked slightly buckled.

"After I shot it half a dozen times I decided that I was just going to work on my car."

"Why didn't you just go out a window or something."

Almost choking, he motioned to the car he was sitting on, "And leave this work of art here? Are you insane?"

Blinking several times, the metallic titan grinned and stood up, "We have ourselves another car lover eh?"

"You know it."

"Mind if I take a look?"

"Only if I get to look at your's."

"You've got yourself a deal."

Considering the benefits and costs of this, Curly hopped off the hood and pressed a button. The alarm beeped off, and he opened up the hood. Cyborg walked over, eyes glistening in excitement.

"Main power source, a magnetic fusion battery that drives these two motors, which in turn are amplified by a kinetic enhancer, and after that the motion is used to turn the wheels. Top speed clocked in at just shy of 300 miles an hour, working on braking that though."

"Whoa."

"The generator replenishes itself by drawing in atoms from the air, using a small hydrogen tank to provide that first fusion reaction to get the process started. That has to be changed about once every fifty years or something, I don't really know. Also, for back up it can run off a standard battery, or the motors are compatible with standard gasoline. Get's 28 miles to the gallon on highway. Useful, you know, price of gas and all."

"Right, right."

"Now for the cool stuff." Curly told him with a grin, closing the hood and punching another button on a small remote. The trunk opened up, and the boosters deployed. Cyborg was drooling.

"Twin fusion turbo jets, which in essence propel the car by creating what in is in effect a small version of the sun and shooting it out the back. Fueled in the same manner as the actual engine, these use the energy produced at face value, so none of it lost in the conversion to kinetic energy. Sadly, there are some heating problems I'm having trouble sorting out... Anyway, at full power I've got pretty darn close to mach speed in this car. And finally, the thing I'm most proud of."

Hitting a third button, the car wheels turned sideways, the hub-caps flat to the ground. There was a humming sound, and the car magically lifted above the floor several feet.

"Anti-gravity hover and limited flight capabilities. Power supplied by of course, the ever popular process of nuclear fusion, these let me go over whatever I wish. Water, lava, land mines, and other sorts of nasty traps. The skin of the car is a metal of my own making, stronger than titanium, yet slightly lighter. And though it doesn't look like it, a half an inch of it everywhere. I would put money, though I don't particularly want to try, that this car could take a point blank cannon shot. Windows are your standard high-end non shattering plastics, bullet proof to every weapon known to man, and of course tinted to avoid glare. Also, the windshield serves as a HUD if need be."

"Dude, what kind of weapons do you have on this?"

"Um... Two lasers come out the sides, there are some automatic shotgun turrets that will pop out and destroy approaching missiles... Not a lot really, no more room. So then, are you going to show me your car?"

Cyborg nodded, a smirk on his face, "I've got some stuff you'll like..."

A few hours later, Robin, Starfire, and Raven were eating breakfast. Beast Boy was asleep, sprawled across his section of table. It was at that moment Starfire realized, "Friends, where is Cyborg? He and Beast Boy did not do the fighting over the break of fast this morning."

"Actually, that's a good question. Where is Cyborg? He was supposed to take X and Curly their meals... CURLY!"

The Titans were off in a flash, Raven dragging Beast Boy along half-asleep and grumbling. Robin got to the lab-coat wearing teen and kicked the door in, to find it empty. He growled, before running over to X's room.

Opening that door, he heard the shower running from the room's private bathroom. Quickly running through his head all of the possibilities, he slammed the door shut and locked it again.

Red X peeked out from the other side of the bed, blushing madly. He stood up, with nothing but a towel around his waist, "Do these people know what common courtesy is? Sheesh, next time they'll bust through the wall while I'm in the shower..."

Robin ran for the garage, the others right on his heels. Curly would've wanted to get his car... Cyborg said that he wanted to get up early and finish up... So maybe they ran into each other there?

Opening the door, staff drawn he was ready for anything. Except for the pulse of bass that knocked him completely off his feet that burst from the doorway. The music was deafening, the bass was enough to make your clothes vibrate.

"I say, doncha know?"

"You say, you don't know."

"I say, take me out!"

(Franz Ferdinand, Take Me Out)

Robin, Raven, and Starfire pressed their hands to their ears in an effort to block the noise out. Beast Boy almost screamed and turned into the first deaf animal he could think of. The Boy Wonder looked into the garage to try and figure out what was going on, expecting to see some sort of fight going on.

But as it turned out, Curly and Cyborg were just working on their cars. They had somehow hooked the two stereos together, opened their doors, and turned everything all the way up. They weren't fighting, they were having a party!"

Robin screamed at the top of his lunges, but wasn't heard. Raven, taking the initiative, teleported into the cars, and quickly found the off button.

"...AT MUSIC OFF OR SO HELP ME I'LL-, oh..."

Curly rolled out from under his vehicle, "Hey, that was a good song!"

"Listen to it, quietly."

"I don't take orders from you goth girl."

"Dude, listen to her. If you want to be on any of our good sides, be on her's." Cyborg told him, quietly.

"...Fine, we'll turn it down. Turn the little nob left would you? My hands are all covered in grease."

Raven did so, and then pressed play. The music recommenced at a much more bearable volume. She floated over to a chair at the other end of the room and sat down, preparing to watch Robin's reaction.

"Cyborg..."

"Ya? Oh, crap."

"WHY IS CURLY NOT IN HIS ROOM?"

"I got cramped so I picked the lock."

"THEN WHY DIDN'T YOU CONTACT US AND GET HIM BACK IN THE ROOM!"

"I dunno, we both kinda figured that you'd be a bit cranky at five in the morning." Cyborg said with a shrug.

There was steam pouring off of Robin's body. He glared down at the two, who were working on their car's without a care in the world. He was about to start a long and loud lecture, one that would involve much pain and suffering.

But Curly stifled a giggle, then rolled out from under his car, pointing, "Ok, I got to ask. Bird boy, what in the world is with the Peter Pan tights?"

The room froze. Beast Boy's, Cyborg's, and even Raven's jaw dropped. Despite this, nothing turned black and exploded. She was in too much shock for her powers to work at any level. Robin glared at the grease covered teen. His face turned red, he mouthed words silently, his entire body went rigid.

Then everyone started laughing. Tools were surrounded in auras and started circuling around the room at increasing fast rates. Beast Boy was crying, Cyborg was dying, and Raven was having to put a hand on the wall for balance. Good thing her powers weren't as destructive when triggered by happiness as the others... The tower would've been long gone instead of just some tools.

"Please, friends, what is so humorous?"

"THEY. ARE. NOT. TIGHTS!"

"Did they come with a tutu?"

That was it. Robin snapped, you could see it on his face. With a feral roar of rage, he dived at Curly, who screamed and rolled back under the car. Robin hit the bumper head first, and fell back with a cry of pain. Starfire was at his side in a second, and Raven came over (Back under control, but still laughing on the inside. It took a lot to get Timid to laugh. It took more to get Rage. Both of them were busting their guts right then.), to see how much damage was done.

"Jeez' man, can you not take a joke?"

Robin sat up and glared. Beast Boy was rolling on the floor. Raven was trying to keep a grin down. Cyborg wasn't even trying to control it. Starfire just looked around with that sweet, confused look.

The half-robot took a breath, and managed to say, "Dude, that was the best thing I've heard this month."

"Month? That's the best of the year!" Beast Boy yelled, laughing some more.

"...I'm going to pay for that later aren't I?"

Raven nodded, taking a glance at Robin's face, which was still closer to Starfire's hair in color than normal skin, "You can bet on it."

"Darn... Oh well, it was worth it. So, what's for lunch?"