AN: A little more fluff, then it's back to the action. Who's behind all of this madness, anyway?
Disclaimer: No sóc amo dels Teen Titans, i jo no faig diners amb això.
CHAPTER 5
Having conveyed her gratitude to the elderly shopkeeper and her granddaughter, Raven said her goodbyes and allowed Beast Boy to lead her once more on a winding journey through the streets of Barcelona. They traveled for another ten minutes or so, sharing a companionable silence punctuated by observations in a gravelly tenor, before coming to a halt in front of a small cafe.
"So, Raven," he began, a hand on her arm, "This place is vegetarian, but it's supposed to be great even for people who like meat. I know you've said you don't do the whole vegetarian thing, but... Can we please try it?"
Just as she was about to open her mouth, a wicked thought occurred to her. "You know this means you'll owe me," she said, trying as hard as she could to keep her expression neutral.
The green boy grimaced, tugging at his right earlobe. After a moment, he acquiesced. "Sure."
Nodding, Raven gestured for him to lead the way.
The cafe was sparsely but lovingly decorated, earth tones abounding. The waiter's eyes widened at the pair, but he quickly composed himself and greeted them in stumbling English, inviting them to take a seat anywhere. The two of them chose a small table in the corner, Garfield tucking himself into the space with a clear view of the entire room. She knew he felt most relaxed with his back to a wall, and it didn't much matter to her; it was all but impossible to sneak up on an empath.
Thirty minutes later, Beast Boy was sampling his first order of authentic Spanish tombet, while Raven had opted for palak paneer. As the comforting aroma hit her nostrils, she couldn't help a smile. "Palak paneer is one of my favorite foods," she said, the fork nearly at her mouth. "It was one of the few Earth dishes my mother could successfully replicate on Azarath, and cooking it always made her happy. Whenever our house smelled like palak paneer, it felt like good memories being relived."
Beast Boy had frozen mid-chew, a mouthful of red peppers and eggplant hanging from his gaping mouth.
"That's not a very charming look, Garfield," Raven said, then took her first bite. The flavor of one of her few happy childhood memories hit her as her teammate's confusion swirled around her. It was a heavenly combination.
After a loud gulp and a moment of sputtering, Garfield regained the ability to form words. "But you... what... you said you don't like vegetarian food!"
The sorceress smirked. "I never said that. The most I've ever said is that I don't eat fake meat. You just made a false assumption. And that means you still owe me."
"I... uh..." Beast Boy deflated, but there was a tiny smile on his face. "You got me good, Rae. So what do I owe you?"
She noted the nickname, but chose to let it pass without remark this time. "I know you have Jump's vegetarian cuisine down to a science. When we get back, you're taking me out for palak paneer."
For the second time, the changeling's jaw dropped. His emotions thrashed around her, confusion and hope and a myriad of other traces. "Are you asking me on a date, Raven?"
The empath's eyes bulged as the implications of her own words hit her. "No!" She shouted, more out of surprise than anything else, and instantly regretted it as his emotions snapped and turned into jagged shards of self-loathing.
"Heh, yeah. Kinda figured," he said, and she could feel an odd burning sensation as his emotions dulled, like wounds being cauterized. "It just... from the wording... had to make sure, y'know?"
"Gar, I..." she began, but her words were cut off as their communicators went off in unison. Before they could even reach the devices where they lay on the table, Robin's voice came through in stereo along with the static of rushing wind.
"Titans! Trouble in Parc de la Ciutadella! Starfire and I are in pursuit of the same criminals from this morning. Raven, locate Cyborg and Beast Boy, then teleport to our location. We'll need everyone for this."
Within seconds, Beast Boy had opened a compartment on his belt and fished out a pair of 20-Euro notes. Slapping them on the table, he fiddled with his communicator. "Got a lock on Cy. Ready when you are, Raven."
The empath chewed her lip. "Garfield, about us..."
The green boy flashed her that smile that hurt so badly. "It's okay. Really. Let's go kick some butt."
In a matter of seconds, they had Cyborg in tow and were hurtling once more through the nothingness between dimensions. They emerged twenty feet in the air to avoid civilians, and were nearly vaporized in a crossfire of energy weapons and starbolts. Only a protective bubble from Raven saved their lives.
The three villains from earlier were focusing their attacks on Starfire, and the combined assault had taken a visible toll on the princess. Dark brown burn marks ran along her sides like a tiger's stripes, evidence of too-near misses and some grazes. The girl bobbed in the air, exhausted from flight but unwilling to return to the ground and risk civilians behind her being hit. She continued to launch starbolts at her attackers, though they came more slowly than usual, as though formed with great effort.
Incensed at the sight of her friend's injuries, Raven formed a spear of black energy and plunged it through the nearest assailant's dominant shoulder, causing the rifle he held to drop to the ground. The criminal made no sound, though, and in place of a gushing wound, there was a sparking mess of electronics. "They're robots!" Cyborg yelled. Having fought all manner of mechanical enemies before, they adjusted their strategy without a word.
Freed of the Titans' restriction on lethal force, the fight was no-holds-barred.
Beast Boy tapped Raven's shoulder and nodded. Without a word, the sorceress floated them directly over one of the attackers and ejected the shapeshifter from the bubble. In the split second before he hit the ground, he gained well over five tons in mass, and the foot of an African elephant landed directly on the damaged robot, removing it from the fight permanently. The other two whirled to face him, only to be held in place by a pair of black talons as bursts of green and blue removed their heads. The smoking machinery toppled over and lay still.
The glow surrounding Starfire's hands faded, and her eyes rolled up and closed as she plummeted to the ground. Beast Boy was underneath her in an instant, a green gorilla catching her as gently as could be expected with a three-story fall.
Cyborg and Raven floated down to join them, the half-demon's eyes already glowing as she scanned her friend's body for injuries. Apart from the burns and exhaustion, the Tamaranean was just fine, and the former were rapidly fading as Raven absorbed the pain into herself.
When the healing was done, Beast Boy laid Starfire on a nearby patch of grass alongside a pond. The redhead's face contorted in distress, and she mumbled in Tamaranean. The only word they recognized was "Robin".
"Speaking of whom," Raven remarked, "Where did our fearless leader run off to this time?"
Shifting to a bloodhound, Garfield sniffed the air. He stiffened, then reverted to his human form. "Slade," he whispered.
—
AN: I know Slade is an overdone villain, but really, he's the only one from the cartoon not chilling out long-term in France, and this story will tie in with his appearance in the final episode.
