Teen Titans
"And if I'm flying solo, at least I'm flying free…" – Elphaba; Defying Gravity; Wicked
"Hey! This isn't your town! Aren't you supposed to be with—?"
"Just moved here," Robin interrupted icily. "And from now on, I work alone."
Alone. Solo. Batman-less. It felt so good…
Regardless, he hurried the job upon seeing that blazing green light go soaring overhead, like an emerald comet; and left the unfortunate burglar trussed up tight and hanging upside down from a lamp post.
Which was so a Batman thing to do.
—
Later still, as the savage, outworldly girl they would come to know very soon as Starfire, princess of the planet Tamaran, threw assorted heavy projectiles in their direction, the Boy Wonder found a masked, enthusiastic, much-younger Beast Boy in his face, saluting fiercely, with a ridiculous grin plastered on his mug.
He sighed inwardly as Beast Boy called him "sir" again; and was also full of inward scorn towards the ex-Doom Patrol member. The wise-cracking demeanor, the stupid-looking mask, and, overall, the notion that Beast Boy didn't seem to take this whole "fighting crooks and evil-doers" thing as seriously as Robin, as Batman's protégé, did, really grated on the Boy Wonder's nerves.
And since, despite his storming out, skulking around in the shadows with Batman was Robin's norm, Beast Boy really was more than he could stand.
Still, he reasoned, with a relieved little smile, at least I'll be rid of him once we sort this crazed girl out. It's not like Batman – it's not like I'm going to be stuck with him forever…
"We're all in this together; and it shows when we stand hand-in-hand – make our dreams come true…" – We're All in This Together; High School Musical
I guess it must be fate; because, really, I didn't come out here to this city to join a team. I made it clear to myself, and I made it clear to these guys, the night we all first met.
And here we all are anyway.
The morning we stood on that deserted island out on the bay, watching the sunrise and becoming properly acquainted with Starfire after helping her to escape her captors, was several months ago now. It's still sharp in my mind, because it was the best I had felt in ages – away from Bruce's shadow and out in the sun to make my own way.
And this is my own way.
Cyborg has contacts. He wasn't kidding when he suggested having a house built out here. He called up some people, called in a few favors. He was vague about it when we asked, but nonetheless, here we are.
Walking for the first time through the silent halls of our brand new headquarters. None of us are saying anything because… well, I guess because we're all so awed. It's all so slick and shiny and with a quality that kind of makes you want to touch everything.
Not like the Batcave, let's say.
We never really discussed becoming a team. It just sort of happened. Cyborg and I designed the communicators, he made them, and it all went on from there. We started hooking up together every time one of us found trouble, via the comm. units, and when, in the end, Cyborg told us he was looking into a "clubhouse", no-one questioned why he would want to do that.
The name of the team wasn't something we really debated either. Cyborg and I talked it over, threw out some ideas, and came up with the "Teen Titans". Raven, Starfire and Beast Boy all liked it and so it stuck.
Between them they decided to give the leadership positions to Cyborg and I, since we're the ones who primarily pulled the team together. I figured maybe Cyborg would want to take over the team in combat, since he's the oldest, but he gave it to me. They'd talked it over, he said, and decided it was best for me to lead.
Nice gesture; and I guess this is my chance to really prove myself. I'm not taking orders anymore, not from anyone, and I know we're going to make a great official team in Jump City's service.
Needless to say, they jumped at our protection offer when we visited the Town Hall the other week. I guess this was one of the major benefits of having me to front the team – permanently having "Batman and…" at the front of your superhero name doesn't do your ego many favors, but it has certain public benefits. They let us right in to see the mayor once they recognized me. I did all the talking, and there was no real debate. It's a simple agreement – we protect the city, they pay our maintenance funds.
Well, we can't all be Bruce Wayne…
Together, we all step into the Operations Center for the first time; and this weird, contagious grin spreads across all of our faces. Even Raven smiles.
Huge window overlooking the bay. Wall-to-wall TV, complete with cable. The new Gamestation system with multi-tap controllers. Bang up-to-date computer mainframe system. Red semi-circular couch.
It's like we've died and gone to teenage superhero heaven.
Beast Boy lets out a pent-up whoop that echoes around the brand new room; Starfire floats a few feet off the floor and laughs happily.
"Guys," Cyborg says with a broad grin, "welcome to Titans Tower."
"I do not understand the nature of this food," Starfire declared, holding up a slice of pizza, speared through with a steak knife. "I find it… most strange."
"This isn't the first time you've had it," Cyborg pointed out through a mouthful of cheese and mushrooms and deep pan base. "We've been to the pizza place before, the five of us."
"You know, the place you wrecked when you first came to Earth," Raven added flatly, daintily biting the point off her own slice.
"This is the first time we've ordered it, though." Beast Boy leaned back on the couch happily. "Here, at our Titans Tower."
"Pizza is pizza," Cyborg said. "This isn't the first time she's had it."
"Oh, but I have always found it strange," Starfire put in earnestly. "It is most delicious, do not misunderstand me, friends, but I never mentioned how strange I found it before now."
"Because "glorba worms" are so totally normal," Raven muttered.
"What do you find strange about it, Star?" Robin asked finally, after debating whether or not to get involved.
"Well…"
Starfire brandished the knife in the air; the hot slice of pizza, which had been flagging on its perch due to the melted cheese, finally slid off. It was snatched up by Cyborg before it hit the table's surface, but Starfire didn't seem to notice, her attention now fixed on Robin – she hadn't even noticed that he had backed off quite a fair bit due to the fact that she was actually brandishing the knife in his face.
"On this planet, the eating etiquette is quite different from that of Tamaran. You insist on using these metal eating utensils, even for things which seem quite impossible to consume with the aid of them."
"Star, forks weren't invented to eat soup with," Cyborg said pleasantly.
Starfire cocked her head, puzzled; and he waved his hand, motioning to her to forget it.
"Okay, but… uh, it's just basic table manners," Robin explained. "I know it must be hard for you, since it's different to your planet, but—"
"No, you see," Starfire interrupted hurriedly, holding up a fork (at which Robin shrank back a little more, since it had gone dangerously close to his eye), "this dish perplexes me, for as you can see…"
She pronged a fresh slice and held it up, where it drooped pathetically, dripping cheese.
"…It is quite possible to consume it using these strange eating tools, and yet, despite all your Earthly rules of eating etiquette, you eat it with your hands."
She sounded really quite distressed; even as the boys blinked at her, nonplussed, and Raven raised a violet eyebrow.
"You know, Starfire," Robin said finally, "you can eat it any way you want to."
"You can use a pitchfork, if you want," Beast Boy snorted.
Again, Starfire displayed signs of not understanding; and there was a strange, confused silence between the five of them for a moment or two.
And then, suddenly, Cyborg and Beast Boy burst out into peals of glorious, helpless laughter. Starfire obviously didn't get the joke – not that there even was a joke, really – but giggled anyway, pulled in by them.
"I love this town, I love this team," Beast Boy gasped out. "God, I love this tower!"
—
Raven, who found the word "love" to be an optimistic piece of lexis – and, being what she was, therefore didn't use it much – looked up, grimly amused.
They'd all found their niche here; all outcasts, or younger superheroes, in the cases of Robin and Beast Boy, looking to get away from what had shaped them, so that they could all have a chance to shape themselves.
Raven Roth was a natural observer, perhaps because there were a lot of things she was forbidden to do herself; and had already evaluated her new friends. They all seemed like good people to her, and she liked them; Beast Boy was irritating, but she wouldn't have said she disliked him, as such.
Robin interested her the most, however; and it was not because of his reasonably high-profile status. He had, she noted, become the centerpiece of the team, possibly for that reason; Beast Boy and Cyborg had known of him before they had met him, and so there was a little awe, even from Cyborg, about them in his presence. The same obviously didn't apply to Starfire, being an alien, but nonetheless she had taken a definite shine to him. Even at this early stage, Raven suspected it was a sexual interest as well as her desire to be his friend.
She felt a little sorry for Starfire, because she knew, from her empathic ability to read people, that she was going to have an uphill battle where Robin was concerned.
She'd read him as a person who was, in principle, pure of heart; a natural leader, with a strong sense of justice and a courageous and kind-hearted nature. Good superhero material, even at only fifteen. But she also sensed in him the danger to obsess, a headstrong and impulsive temperament, and immovable pride; and perhaps even the flaw by which he could be seduced by darkness. Here was a boy who would, by his heroic nature, sacrifice to benefit others – but his pride would never allow him to ask for help, even when it could easily be given.
Dangerous combination, Raven thought warily as she looked at him across the coffee table.
He had a vague little smile on his face, which was slightly wistful, and aimed in Starfire's direction. Raven could foresee problems here, since, while it was obvious to her that the Boy Wonder had taken an equal liking to the alien princess, his pride would most likely never let him admit it.
Ironic, really, that Beast Boy had mentioned love; since maybe they had all found new things to love these days.
But Raven was an observer; and so she sat back beneath her hood and watched the world – and the Teen Titans – the way she always did.
Heh. My take on the events after Go! Thankyou as always to: Guardian of Azarath, Stargirl7, Nonasuki-chan, LoopyLouise123 and ChalakChalak.
Next: Slade.
:D