Blanket Disclaimer: Poison Tonic LX does not own the Teen Titans or any characters therein. Don't sue her, please, because if you do I won't have a home anymore…-Ralph, the muse
"Your real name's Caleb Dawson, then?" The Sorceress asked.
He glared at her. "Don't call me that. Ever." He snapped. "I haven't been him in a long time—for all I care Caleb Dawson died eight years ago."
"But I believe that Caleb Dawson is a nice name, Friend Rush." The Dolt protested.
He snorted. "Caleb Dawson was a nobody. He came from nowhere and he was on his way to going nowhere. I dropped him when Tandi and Kylan died and you're going to drop him now."
"So…are they part of why you became a superhero, then?" The Kid asked almost tentatively.
Another snort. "Not hardly." He twirled his straw around in his drink, a sad expression in his eyes as he sighed deeply. "Not hardly."
"…Why?" The Original asked softly.
"It's…complicated." He decided, jaw setting as his lips pulled into a frown. The swirling of the straw became a jerky, agitated movement. "And I don't want to talk about my past anymore."
Cyborg cleared his throat, taking everyone's attention away from the obviously uncomfortable ex(?)-thief. "Y'know, I heard there's a kickin' new videogame coming out." He said.
"Oh! The one with the guys and the robots and the lasers and stuff?" The Comic Relief jumped onto the new point in the conversation, which had been taking an uncomfortable turn.
"That's the one." Cyborg agreed with a nod (how did they keep up with this?). "Why don't we go check the game store after the pizza's done and see if they've got it in yet?"
"That is a wondrous idea, Friend Cyborg!" The Dolt gushed.
"Because we don't have enough video games already." The Sorceress agreed sarcastically.
"Dude, you can never have enough video games." The Comic Relief said as if what she had implied with her statement was the craziest thing he'd ever heard.
"Why don't Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Starfire go look at the game? I really need to investigate those clones some more…" The Kid began, looking over at the Original. "You'll be helping me with that, by the way."
He rolled his eyes as the Original blinked.
"So…if I said I was going to train, would that get me out of it?" The Original asked slowly.
"No." The Kid snapped.
The Original grimaced but nodded acquiescently, looking down at his plate almost huffily.
"And I have some meditation to catch up on." The Sorceress spoke up.
"And I really feel like burning something." He stated, more seriousness in his remark than they were comfortable with. They stared at him, and he immediately went on the defensive. "I won't actually do it, I was just saying I feel like it…"
"Ah…Beast Boy, you and Star check out the game. I'd like to talk to Red for a while." Cyborg said decidedly, in a tone that brooked no room for arguments.
"Alright." The Comic Relief said, pushing away his empty plate. "Let's go then! C'mon, Star!"
"I am coming, Friend Beast Boy!" The Dolt chirped, and they disappeared down the street.
"We're all headed back to the Tower?" The Kid asked as everyone else headed toward the T-car.
"Actually, I was planning on throwing myself into the ocean from the T-car." He drawled, feeling even more cynical and annoyed towards the Kid and his horrendously inane comments than usual. "Midday swim and all that, y'know."
"Don't get snappy with Robin just because you're in a bad mood." The Sorceress said.
"As opposed to you, who has never gotten snappy with anyone when you're in a bad mood?" He asked derisively, rolling his eyes in accompaniment to his biting remark.
"Look, it isn't our fault some whacko screwed up your past and is going after you and Maxwell, so don't take it out on us!" She snapped.
"It wasn't anyone else's fault your father was a crazed demon who wanted to use your body as a portal so he could destroy the world, but that didn't stop you from lashing out at anyone and everyone, did it?" He retorted as they climbed into the car.
"That was different!"
"How so?"
"It's a much bigger deal to be bringing about the end of the world!"
"Yeah, 'cause that definitely isn't what Epsilon is planning to do with the super clones he wants to make of Maxwell and I, is it? Real different, Raven!"
"Would you both just shut up?" Cyborg asked.
"No!" He growled, keeping his glare fixed on the Sorceress. "You didn't think of that, did you? Just because we aren't in some fancy prophecy doesn't mean we can't be part of the cause for some apocalyptic event! I think I have a right to be a bit snappy!"
"A bit snappy? It's more than a bit!"
"Just shut up, would you? Mind your own business!"
"My leader—my friend—is my business, thank you very much!"
He flinched and said nothing in reply, turning to glower out the window at the passing scenery. He could feel her gaze on him but ignored it, a tense silence falling over the T-car.
"Superheroes don't help." He broke the silence quietly, but everyone heard him.
"What are you talking about?" The Original asked, confused.
"You wanted to know why I didn't become a superhero after Tandi and Kylan died, didn't you?" He asked, growing angry again. "It's because superheroes don't help."
"What do you mean? We help all the time." The Kid protested.
"Then why're they dead? There was a superhero in Bludhaven eight years ago—he didn't show up until long after Epsilon had gotten away and both of them were gray and cold and covered in blood. And who would believe a street rat when he says one of the two richest businessmen in the world killed her? Why would one of those types kill people like Tandi and Kylan anyhow? They were just a step above me in the 'social ladder'."
"We can't save everyone." Cyborg said sadly.
"Yeah. You save the middle and rich class. No one steals from poor people, and no one attacks them enough for you guys to show up, either. Why would you save them? They're just a burden to society—you let them die and it's one less hobo to worry about."
"Rush, it's not like we do it on purpose." The Sorceress said.
"Oh, yeah, that helps them a lot, doesn't it? Those people—most of them—work harder than the people you actually do save. When I was eight, before Epsilon showed up, I'd steal more than I needed and drop it near one of those families. And the mother would pick up the money or food or whatever and look up at the heavens and say, 'Thank you, thank you, God. Someone cares, someone's taking care of us.' But you can't help everyone, so the parents quit eating so their kids can have more food and starve to death, and the kids get sent to a home or start stealing or they die. But instead of helping, superheroes like you use money they could use to feed themselves for months to buy the newest video game." He laughed bitterly. "Yeah, you guys are real heroes."
"Don't get mad at us—it isn't our fault. Maybe we don't help them, but we don't hurt them, either." The Kid said defensively.
He let out another mirthless laugh. "You don't? What about all of those small time thieves you guys lock up all the time? You think they steal because it's fun? Some of them do it to feed themselves, some got hooked on drugs because their family is too busy scrounging for food to care what they do in their spare time, and some do it to keep their kids with their family and out of a home. You think locking up one of their only sources of income doesn't hurt them? The ones that are too proud and noble to steal die. Trust me, I know."
"We're just doing our job." The Sorceress said.
"I know, okay? I know. I'm just saying…" He trailed off and turned back to the window. "It isn't important anyhow. If they die there's more room for respectable citizens."
"Don't be like that, dude." Cyborg said. "We—"
"Whatever. Drop it. Just…drop it. I shouldn't have said anything. It was stupid."
Everyone was quiet again, and no one spoke until they were back in the Tower.
(THE RUSH)