The Trouble with Villains and Heroes
Written by Her Royal Highness Princess Kiela S., and the infamous Pirate Crisis Haylo.

Note from Kiela: Sorry for the wait, everyone. It seems like Crisis and I work best when we're face to face, and that's rather problematic considering the distance separating us. On top of that, she's finally had enough of and certain members and/or lurkers, and has left. Not to fear, though! I'm not letting her give up on this story, at least.

Note from Crisis: Uhhh, sorry that it's taken us soooo, extreeemeeely long to write this chapter. Like Kiela has mentioned, the distance between us made us go "Dur. . . soo, what now?" "Eh, let's just go RP." "Cool," or something of the sort. Anyway, enjoy our latest chapter.

The Trouble with Villains and Heroes:
Chapter 3, "Questions, Answers, and Meaningful Conversation"

Spending time with family for dinner is sometimes a lovely way to pass the evening. Unless you spend the whole meal arguing with your older sibling while your father and his girlfriend try to keep the peace, and your best friend does nothing to help– just the opposite, in fact. And when you add five unusual dinner guests to the mix. . . . Well, things get more than a little complicated.

"Cyborg, would you please stop stealing food off of my plate?" Robin snapped, frowning at the other male.

"Hey, man, it's not my fault you chew so slow."

"I simply adore the unique taste of this feast Sharon has prepared for us!" Starfire exclaimed happily, and then shoved another forkful of something into her mouth.

"See, Virgil? At least some people like my cooking," Sharon told her younger brother, pointing her knife in his general direction, though the move had seemed more casually absent minded than dangerous. The boy in question eyed the utensil, before deciding that the table between the two of them would keep him safe.

"I'm just surprised that they haven't keeled over yet," he told her, smirking.

"What did you say?" was the shouted response, and several of the Titans looked at her warily.

"Well, it's true! The stuff you call food would have killed me by now if I hadn't built up an immunity!"

"Now Virgil," Trina tried, but was cut off.

"What? Then why do you– you shouldn't have an excuse to complain about the taste, then!"

"I never said I had a resistance to the taste, now did I?"

"Virgil, don't sass your–" Robert was the next one to attempt an intervention, but he was also cut off, once again by Sharon.

"Oooh! You little–!"

"Besides, I'm not the one with the taste buds of steel. He is." Richie struck a heroic pose, as Virgil gestured at him, holding his fork in the way warriors of old would grip the hilt of a sword to exaggerate their bravery and glamour. He ruined it by grinning.

"It's my Irish heritage showing through," he said, and scooped up another large mouthful of what was supposed to be meatloaf. Beast Boy poked at his portion, frowning.

"I'm a vegetarian! I can't eat this!" he exclaimed, glancing at Sharon apologetically. She blinked at him in surprise.

"Oh, a vegetarian? What's your reason?"

"I'm called Beast Boy for a reason, you know! I've been most of the animals people eat!" he told her, arms waving frantically to emphasize his point. "Do you have any idea what it's like–?" Raven cut him off with a sharp motion of her hand, glaring.

"Will you be quiet if I give you my vegetables?" she asked him, her eyebrow twitching from the angry pulse of a vein in her forehead.

"You'd do that?" Beast Boy gaped at her, obviously not having expected anything of the kind.

"To get you to shut up," Raven answered, her voice resigned, though no longer holding any irritation. The dry tone that reply came in did nothing to dampen the other teen's happiness, and the payment for the green furred boy's silence was deposited on his plate via a bubble of dark energy. After transferring his meatloaf to the girl's plate in exchange, Beast Boy dug into his now completely vegetarian friendly meal vigorously.

Following the pandemonium of dinner, Robert convinced his irritated daughter to take care of the dishes with him and Trina, who had insisted on helping despite protests that she was a guest, in order for his son, and the boy who he had come to accept as a second son, to have time to talk with their fellow superheroes in the family room. As he worked, Robert thought about what had happened so far that night, and sighed mentally.

Sometimes day-to-day living was too complicated for words, and it seemed like today was one of those days that you would be glad to see over. He'd been having a lot of them since he had found out that 'his boys' were Big Bang powered crime fighters, but he had done all he could to adjust to and be accepting of that fact. But then, he'd had a great deal of experience with dealing with world altering revelations and changes, so he simply figured that the rest of the understanding would just have to come from his natural reserves- and that he would just have to be patient for that time to come.

His struggle to accept that Jean's job as a paramedic would put her in near constant danger, because of all the gang wars that broke out, had been similar, but he had managed it eventually. He just had to tell himself that she had chosen to do it, despite the risks, and that Richie and Virgil were doing the same thing. Even then it was still hard, but he was getting used to having superheroes in the family.

"I still can't believe that you brought Silkie," said Robin, as the seven teen crime fighters settled onto the couch and floor, making themselves comfortable for the long discussion ahead. Beast Boy frowned defensively.

"I already told you why! Besides, it's Star's turn to take care of him, not mine! She's the one who brought him!" he told the caped teen, and Starfire, who was sitting on the sofa with Silkie cradled in her arms, looked up from feeding the mutant moth larva what appeared to be hot pink slime out of a small, dark purple and pink gourd shaped jar.

"I could not leave my little bumgorf all alone!" she exclaimed, with a small frown. "What if he were to become hungry? I would not be a fit k'norfka if I allowed him to starve! Or what if he–"

"We get the idea," Raven interrupted, and Robin sighed, letting his irritation over the subject fade because of how important it was to the alien girl. Virgil mouthed the words 'bumgorf' and 'k'norfka' at Richie, a questioning expression on his face, and the blond responded with 'charge' and 'nanny' respectively. The confused expression cleared away, and seeing this, the super brain turned towards Starfire.

"Okay. Two questions," he told her, holding up two fingers and wiggling them for emphasis. "One." The second finger folded back into his fist as he said this, leaving only the first. "Just what, exactly, is Silkie?" The second finger came back up, as he continued speaking, "And two-"

"What's that pink gunk you're feeding him?" Virgil finished for him, and the genius grinned.

"Yeah, what he said."

Robin answered the first question, launching into a brief, but information packed description of Killer Moth, the purpose for which he had created his mutant moth army, the ensuing battle, and how all of the moths had reverted back to larva form after their 'father' had been defeated. Richie and Virgil listened with interest, and when the Boy Wonder finished, they turned their attention back to Starfire, who began explaining what she was feeding the little creature in her arms.

"This mixture is made of mashed Zorka berries, a deliciously bitter fruit from my home planet Tamaran, and a formula that Robin and Cyborg came up with to prevent Silkie from going through his molting cycle. As long as he ingests a set amount of this substance a day, he will not become compelled to eat everything in sight when lonely or bored," she informed them happily, holding out another spoonful of the pink goop out for the moth larva to eat. As the red haired alien continued to feed her 'little bumgorf,' the others started asking one another questions. After all, they had already decided what they were going to do the next day when they were at the gas station, which Richie assured them would be sufficiently aired out by the time they returned there.

"If I'm wrong, I can always adapt something to get rid of the smell," he had said, and when Cyborg asked if anyone might notice the horrible scent and go investigating, the group at large was told that he had coated the station's walls with a special paint of his own invention to prevent that from happening, just in case of a situation like this one. After that, Beast Boy asked if they had any video games, and he spent the rest of the evening playing a fighter pilot game with Cyborg, while Robin watched.

Raven was sitting in mid air, reading a book that she had found on the shelf in the corner, while Starfire hovered over Virgil and Richie, who were studying for a test that they had the next day. That is to say, the genius was quizzing his dark skinned partner on the subjects he was sure they were going to be tested on, and even a few he wasn't, just to be sure all bases were covered. Predictably, the dreadlocked teen complained several times, though quietly, and without anger, about how his friend's photographic memory allowed him to not cram for his life the eve of an exam.

After a while, Robert came out to tell them all what time it was, and to invite the Titans to stay the night. Hesitant to impose, the five visiting heroes held a quick conference, and decided to accept the invitation on the grounds that they didn't have anywhere else to stay. It was at this time Trina said her goodbyes, thanking Sharon for dinner, Robert for having her over, and the crime fighters for doing what they did, thus helping out the police force. She thanked Dakota's own especially, pulling the two surprised boys into a hug as the family walked her to the door.

"Now I know why you didn't want me to search your backpack," she teased Virgil– causing him to flush and grin in embarrassment– and then bid everyone a good night. Sharon went upstairs, muttering something about an essay for one of her college classes, and Robert followed, shaking his head at the world in general. Those remaining in the family room looked at each other, shrugged, and resumed what they had previously been doing for a few minuets more before turning in for the night.

The next morning found Starfire and Raven sharing Virgil's room, which he had given up to them so that they could have some privacy. Cyborg had sat down against the wall in the family room that couldn't be seen from either the front door, or the kitchen door, thereby providing himself with an escape route in case someone dropped by unexpectedly. He usually plugged himself into his system recharger over night, but he'd had to make due with the wall plug and an adapter.

Robin was laying on the right side of the couch, and he was somehow managing to sprawl out and curl up at the same time. The sofa had originally been split into three sections to sleep on, but some time during the night, that had changed to a division by half; the left side of the piece of furniture was now occupied by both Richie and Virgil, the two of them having shifted into the same space in an unconscious attempt to make themselves more comfortable. Beast Boy had taken the easy way out, changing into a kitten and curling up on the back of the sofa, where he wouldn't have to fight the other teens for a place to sleep.

Sharon's eyebrows lifted as she took in the sight of the family room, her lips turning upward at the corners in a small smile as she noticed the way her brother and his friend were curled together, and shook her head. Walking down the stairs and into the kitchen as quietly as she could, the young woman set about making breakfast for nine people, as Robert didn't have to go in to the Community Center until much later that morning, and would therefore be present during their first meal of the day for once in a long, long while.

Robin, hearing Sharon's movement despite all of her best efforts to the contrary, woke himself up and went to help her out, but only after sweeping the room with a quick glance that served as a head count; they were essentially in 'the field,' after all, and Robin wasn't about to take any chances while he was sharing a house with civilians.

As the smell of cooking food filled the house, the other occupants began to stir as well. The green kitten that was Beast Boy sat up, stretching his back, and made the mistake of returning to his normal form while still half asleep. As a result, he tipped off of the relatively thin edge he had been perched on, and crashed into the ground behind the couch. The sound woke Virgil and Richie, who peered blearily over the back of the sofa at the unfortunate furred boy, and brought Raven and Starfire literally flying down the stairs to see what had happened. Cyborg, who had woken up shortly after Robin, stuck his head out of the kitchen door, but before he could ask, Raven spoke.

"Beast Boy," she said in answer to the cybernetic teen's questioning look, and that was all the explanation that was needed; Cyborg disappeared back into the kitchen, and the morning continued without further incident. Breakfast was as sedate as could be expected, with as many teenagers as there were in the room, all crowded together, and, afterwards, Robert left for the Community Center, followed shortly afterwards by Virgil and Richie as they headed off to school. This left the Titans at a loss as to what to do with themselves for the day, but Sharon offered up the shower, because the superheroes were still shedding small amounts of the white powder that had, in part, brought them to the house in the first place.

Raven was the first to make use of the invitation, after which she borrowed one of the older girl's less colorful outfits to wear in lieu of her still dirty cloak and leotard. The rather somber teen had been having a difficult time convincing Sharon that, no, she did not want to wear that pink shirt and pants, but in the end everything was worked out, and nothing had been blown up or broken. Starfire was the second to shower, emerging wearing the outfit that Raven had rejected. Cyborg decided to wash up as well, if only to prevent the fine powder from finding its way into his circuitry, and he did so while Robin followed Sharon's orders to raid Virgil's closet, and the young woman herself was showing Starfire the different ways she could style her own hair.

By the time Robin had taken his turn in the bathroom, Raven had finished the thick book she had started the night before, and Starfire's long, pink-red hair had been pulled into a loose ponytail from about the ears up, leaving the rest of her locks to hang free. The alien girl was thoroughly enjoying her new look, and the instant the now costume free martial artist came out of the steam filled room at the end of the hall, he was graced with an unexpected flying hug that knocked him backwards.

"Robin!" Starfire exclaimed joyously, upon impact, and the surprised Boy Wonder only had enough time to get out half of a questioning word before he was released. "Look! Sharon was kind enough to show me many styles of the hair!" To emphasize this statement, the cheerful girl turned in the air once, slowly enough that Robin, who was now dressed in a plain red long sleeved shirt and a pair of baggy, worn blue jeans, was able to see every change to her appearance.

"You look. . . . nice, Star," he managed. "But out of costume, my name is Dick." Starfire only smiled at him.

"You will always be Robin to me, Robin," she told him in the soft, even tone that she reserved only for when she was speaking seriously with him, a fact that did not escape Robin's notice, though he understandably had problems figuring out how to deal with it, having spent a number of his formative years bearing witness to the less than perfect relationships that Gotham's Night Terror frequently found himself in.

Sharon watched the two younger teens interacting, with a small, slightly amused smile. Usually this expression was directed at Richie and Virgil, during their more. . . . ambiguous moment, but Starfire and Robin really were too cute for words when they strayed into their own little world. Shaking her head, the nineteen-year-old went back into her room, more than happy to stay there and fine-tune the essay she had due later that day, when her classes actually started.

The Hawkins' relatively small house just wasn't made to be inhabited by so many people at once, and the place was beyond overcrowded, so when Robin continued past her room on his way to tell Beast Boy that the bathroom was free– the green furred boy had a tendency to shed whole fistfuls of hair at a time, so he was forced to wash last– Sharon didn't budge from her desk.

The day wore on, and, while trusting the Titans to do their very best not to destroy the house, she was reluctant to leave for Dakota University when no one else would be there. In the end, though, she had no choice, and by the time Virgil returned home, his blond friend in tow, everyone had found things to do that wouldn't pose any threat of damaging the walls or furniture.

Cyborg and Beast Boy were once again immersed in a video game, while Raven was meditating in a corner, and Starfire was once again practicing her Tamaranian folk dance. Robin was simultaneously working on a small mechanical device, the parts of which were spread out over the coffee table, and keeping an eye Silkie, who was napping on one of the arms of the couch.

Blinking, the two metahumans found themselves a place to sit, and tried to relax as much as they could. It was Friday, and while they were used to sacrificing most of their free time to patrols, this was different; it would be much more embarrassing to mess up on their own turf, in front of superhero peers of the same age, rather than the older ones, who know that experience can only come with time.

Eventually the hour that they had agreed upon arrived, and the first group, which consisted of Robin– now going by the alias of John– and a hologram disguised Cyborg, left the Hawkins' house via Raven's shadow teleportation spell. They headed off as quickly as they could, while still avoiding unwanted attention, and made it to their destination about a minute ahead of schedule. The two of them split up and went to the two locations that they had deemed the most likely to yield any useful information, at least in their search sector.

Two and a half hours later, both of the undercover Titans rendezvoused at their starting point, having found nothing worthwhile. They slumped angrily back towards the Hawkins' residence, steaming in silence, passing a cheaper, copycat establishment based off of Starbucks on the way. Normally, nothing there would have drawn their attention, but Robin's sharp ears– long used to straining names and key phrases out of the background noise at parties– caught a reference to Virgil. Slowing down, he signaled to Cyborg, and the two of them found places to stand nearby where they could listen without drawing attention to themselves.

"What about Virgil and Richie?" The speaker was a black girl, with shoulder length hair. She was wearing a pair of well fitting jeans, and redish-orange shirt with a flower on the front. Another girl, with long brown hair, green eyes, and sensible clothes, sat across from her.

"Well, I've been observing them closely for the last few months," replied the other girl. "And. . . . Well, let's just say I've seen some pretty suspicious things. Like, they'll suddenly have to leave class for whatever nonsense reason and then they never come back. Not to mention the fact that their excuses when they blow us off are utter crud." Hearing this both of the Titans shared wide eyed, dismayed looks, fearing that she was onto their new allies' secret identities.

"I know! It still annoys me when they do that, but at least they're predictable about it." The black girl stirred her coffee as if it were at fault for her friends' perceived unreliability; the other girl most likely agreed with her, if harassed expressions were anything to go by. The two of them were silent for a while, attending their drinks, but then the brunette took up the conversation again.

"Anyway, I got to thinking about that time they were fighting. You remember. Our freshman year, a few months after you transferred?"

"Of course I remember, Frieda. Both of them were moping around for that entire week. I think I told Richie that he looked like he had swallowed a lemon, and Virgil was walking around like someone had died. What about it?" Frieda took a drink of her coffee, and stared at the cup as she lowered it, contemplating how to best put her revelation into words.

"It just made me think about how close the two of them are," she said finally. "It's like they're two halves of a whole. They can't function normally unless they know the other part is there to support them." The black girl smiled fondly, and the expression brightened her face.

"I noticed that, too."

"Well. . . ." the brunette hesitated, fiddling with a corner of her paper napkin. At last, she said, "I think you should ask Owen out."

"What? Why?" The black girl was obviously thrown by the sudden change in topic.

"Obviously Virgil isn't interested, at least not anymore." Frieda replied. "He hasn't tried to make a move since he took you to that B2K concert, and that was three years ago. Move on, girl. He already has."

"I haven't heard about him dating anyone. . . ."

"Daisy, you're not stupid. You wouldn't have been at the Vanmoor Institute if you were. He's been with Richie since the middle of sophomore year." Cyborg almost knocked over a small sign advertising a new, fancy desert that the café had just started to stock; Robin had to force his mouth closed after it had fallen open in shock. Daisy stared at her friend, eyes wide with surprise and disbelief.

"Are you sure? Has either of them said anything. . . ?"

"Nothing concrete– yet. But. . . . Swear that you won't breath a word of this anywhere near school?" Frieda looked serious now, her face hard with determination; she wouldn't say another word if her friend didn't think she could keep this secret. Daisy nodded, biting her lip anxiously. "Late in our eighth grade year I asked Richie out, because I thought he was cute in that geeky way of his. He turned me down, and– well, you know me– I had to know why. Eventually I pried it out of him: he cracked after two weeks, and told me that he was gay."

"But," Daisy argued weakly, "Virgil's only ever looked at girls. . . ."

"He hasn't been looking at anyone lately. You know as well as I do that he's the kind of person to stay faithful to whoever he's with." Daisy smiled a little, and fiddled with her coffee cup.

"You're right about that."

"The only reason I bring this up is because the other day, when I was staying after school to meet the newspaper deadline, I saw something," Frieda explained. "I was walking by the advanced science labs, the ones with the big glass windows? I don't know what they were doing there, but Richie was talking about something in that really excited way that he uses when he and Virgil are discussing the latest issues of their comics. I couldn't hear what he was saying, but Virgil was watching him with that smitten look he gets when he thinks no one is looking." Daisy sighed, slumping against the curved edge of the back of her metal chair.

"I guess that's it, then. I'd figured he'd had his eye on someone else for a while, but I never thought. . . . Well, at least they go well together." She frowned a little, straightened, and took a drink of her coffee mix. "Still, I'm going to have to give them a hard time when they finally come out and tell us." Frieda laughed, glad that her friend was on her way back to her old self.

"So will I."

On that note, Cyborg and Robin decided that they had best get back and report to the others, and they hurried away as casually as they could.

Ending Note from Kiela: And so we resume our snail's pace of once chapter roughly once a year. I feel so proud.

Ending Note from Crisis: Dude, what's with your sarcasm? It's breaking my heart, Kiela! My cold, imaginary heart!