Jinx half-heartedly stirred the Coke in front of her with her straw, the sound of the clinking ice barely audible over the pounding music. She had been one of the good guys, a Titan, for a few years now, but she still felt out of place at events like these. Other Titans didn't trust her, and she didn't really blame them. She had been the leader of the Hive before a much younger Wally helped her see the error of her ways and she became an honorary member. But she could tell that even her unwillingness to tie herself down to one of the five official teams made everyone wary. As if she wasn't truly dedicated to The Good Cause. That's why she wasn't drinking tonight. She wanted to make sure she stayed in full control of herself. Make sure the alcohol didn't cause any bad luck. Her name was Jinx after all.
The music changed to a similar sounding upbeat song, and the couples on the dance floor kept grinding on each other.
She sighed as she pushed her glass to the side, the condensation leaving a trail of water on the bar. This night really could use some booze. She placed her head in her hands, the monotony of the club boring her.
A giggle nearby drew her attention. Jinx lazily looked up to the source of the noise to see something she never thought would happen. Raven, and a drunk Raven at that, was grinding on Wally. Jinx stared, wide-eyed, at the spectacle. Raven, queen of staying home, was out of the Tower and, to be honest, making a fool of herself. She was moving her hips offbeat, grasping Wally's wrists for support like she'd fall without them. Jinx guessed that she probably would.
Jinx picked up her Coke and took a sip, glad she had decided not to drink tonight. She had a very strong feeling her friend was going to need help later none of these heroes could provide.
The song changed to a slower one, and the dancing couples drew themselves into their partners' arms. Wally whispered something in Raven's ear, then led her to a table that had opened up.
Jinx sighed. She knew she shouldn't care. He was a good guy after all; he'd never do anything bad. But she also knew Raven had a bit of a, well, temper. Jinx stood up, bringing her now watered down drink with her. She found a high table close to the booth the duo had picked. She wanted to keep a close eye on them. She'd be damage control if things got out of hand. She settled down and continued watching the people dancing, but keeping her attention focused on the flirting couple not far away.
~0~0~
Beast Boy stood at the bathroom sink, straightening his clothes in the mirror. The girl - Hannah, Haley, Kylie, he couldn't remember - had left the bathroom first, not wanting to draw even more attention to the promiscuous activities that had gone down in the end stall. He washed his hands then ran a wet hand through his tousled hair. Despite the fun he had just had, and based by the blonde's exclamations, it must have been fun, he still felt something was off. Beast Boy placed his hands on the edge of the counter and leaned forward towards his reflection. He stared at his eyes, looking for any inclination as to why he felt like there was something missing.
"What's wrong with me?" he asked as he shook his head. He plastered a smile on his face. "I can have any girl I want, whenever I want. It's every superhero's dream, right?" He splashed his face with water then dried his hands.
The club's music got louder as he opened the door to the bathroom and walked out. He strolled up to the bar and leaned against it.
"Yo, bartender!" He waved the man over. "Could I have another gin and tonic?"
The bartender nodded and left to mix the drink.
Beast Boy turned and rested his elbows against the edge of the bar, leaning back on it. He noticed Jinx wasn't sitting at the corner of the bar anymore. Maybe she finally got the courage to mingle, Beast Boy thought. He hoped so. Although the girl had a bad past, being a criminal and all, he thought she was cool. Her past made her a really great addition to the team, and she was a great friend when she visited.
"Gin and tonic, sir," the bartender said, placing the glass next to Beast Boy's right elbow.
Beast Boy nodded to the man and picked up his drink. He took a swig as he scanned the club, looking for someone to dance with, something - someone - to do. Most of the non-Titans in the bar seemed really drunk at this point, and Beast Boy's interest faded. He didn't mind hooking up as much as he did, but he refused to do so with anyone who wasn't sober. Only creeps did that.
He sighed, accepting that, for now, the one hook up was it for the night. He glanced around the club again to place his friends. Star had Robin on the dance floor, naturally. He chuckled at how uncomfortable his leader looked as his tipsy, scantily clad, alien girlfriend left very little to the imagination about their sex life. His eyes roamed again until the found Roy, Speedy. He was very unsuccessfully to pick up a brunette next to him.
"Roy's never going to get a girl like that," he laughed to himself as the archer stumbled against the girl when trying to brush his hand against hers.
Beast Boy's eyes roamed until they landed on Jinx. The pink-haired Titan was dressed in high-waisted, blue denim shorts, a white The Breakfast Club crop top, and combat boots. Beast Boy never understood the appeal of crop tops; they left very little to the imagination, and he liked working for those views. Jinx was nursing her drink, which Beast Boy doubted contained any alcohol. She never drank at these get togethers.
Why has she moved? Beast Boy asked himself. He didn't think he'd ever seen her leave the bar before. Then he noticed she kept glancing over her shoulder, and he followed her gaze. What he saw made his jaw drop.
Raven was at the club. And, based on her actions, she was insanely drunk. But her being drunk wasn't what shocked him the most - he had made her plenty of pina coladas back at the tower for game nights. It wasn't even the fact that she was out, in public, surrounded by emotions he knew her empath self would be flooded by. He was most shocked by the fact that she was practically in Wally's lap, making out with the speedster. She always seemed so reserved, holding her emotions in check all the time. But here she was, playing tonsil hockey with another Titan while his hands explored more of her than Beast Boy thought anyone had ever touched.
Beast Boy felt anger rise up in him as Wally's hands brushed Raven's bare skin through the openings in the side of her dress. Nobody should touch Raven that way. Nobody but… The changeling shook his head. Where had that come from? He asked himself. He didn't have any feelings for her, and she definitely felt nothing towards him. Her constant nagging and sarcasm said as much. He had no reason to be so… possessive of his teammate.
He chugged the rest of his drink, then signalled to the bartender for another. His eyes drifted to the entrance. Another group of what looked like sorority girls walked in. The night was still young. Maybe Beast Boy had another chance after all. He picked up his refreshed drink and walked over to the group, a flirty smile on his lips.
~0~0~
"Sorry, but I don't dance," Jinx said to the beer-smelling frat boy in front of her.
"Aw, c'mon, babe! It's just one dance." The guy grabbed Jinx's arm. "One dance can't hurt."
Jinx jerked her arm away from him. "Get off me."
The frat boy reached for Jinx again, but a hand caught his wrist and held him.
"She said no," Wally said from behind Jinx. "No means no. Now scram."
The drunk man puffed up his chest and saddled up to Wally. "The fuck you going to do about it?"
Wally not so subtly flashed his Titans communicator. "Take a wild guess."
Jinx flashed a not-so-sweet smile as the guy finally took the hint and back off to his group of rowdy friends. Then she turned to Wally. "I had that under control."
"I know you did," Wally responded. "But I figured it couldn't hurt to help speed things along. No pun intended."
Jinx rolled her eyes. "Yeah. Thanks." She glanced back at the booth Wally had come from. Raven was still sitting there, admiring the ice in a glass of water. When she noticed Jinx looking her way, she smiled giddly and waved.
"She's the one who sent me," Wally said. "Something about girls having each other's backs or something."
Jinx narrowed her eyes at Wally, then looked back at Raven. "Mind if I join you guys? I'm getting tired of fighting off creeps."
"Sure." Wally and Jinx walked over to the booth.
Jinx slid in beside Raven, forcing Wally to sit opposite them. She didn't care who her ex shacked up with, but after the make out session he had with Raven, she wanted to make sure nothing else happened tonight.
"Jinx!" Raven slurred, snaring Jinx in a bear hug. "How're you?"
The pink-haired sorceress slowly peeled the empath's arms off her. "Pretty good. How are you doing? Getting enough water?"
Raven responded by making a show of picking up the glass she had been ogling earlier and taking a huge sip. "Lots of water!" Suddenly, her face paled, something Jinx didn't even know was possible, and her eyebrows scrunched together. "I don't feel so good."
Jinx immediately knew what was about to happen. "Hey, I got this from here," she said to Wally as she pulled Raven out of the booth. The empath was insanely drunk. Why'd Wally let her keep drinking? Jinx thought to herself. "Why don't you go play pool with Roy."
Wally shrugged. "Yeah, I guess it is time to get her home, and I'm not exactly in a state to drive either." He slid out from his side of the booth. "See ya. And Raven, I had a wonderful time." He sauntered away.
Raven's hand went up to her mouth, and Jinx dragged her to the bathroom as fast as she could. The two burst into a stall, and just in time. Raven sank to the floor and was sick. Jinx held the empath's purple hair out of the back and rubbed her back.
After a few minutes, Raven's convulsions stopped and she slowly sat up. She gave Jinx a small smile. "Thanks." Her voice was raspy from the all heaving.
"It's quite alright, babe," Jinx responded, leading Raven to the sink to clean up.
"I wanna go home," Raven whimpered, looking at Jinx. Her face was clammy and she had a strand of hair stuck to her cheek.
Jinx brushed the hair behind Raven's ear. "Of course, sweetie. Let's go home."