OMG!! MINI-PROJECT!! Summer '07-
This'll go under Teen Titans, people.
So here's the deal: I saw this done under the Naruto category and thought, 'that's a totally awesome idea! I should try it!' So I'm warning you now, this is not original, but in my opinion with your cooperation it'll be downright COOL.
That's right, I need your participation as a reader!! WOW! Wanna help me practice my writing skills and see an idea of yours from the another perspective? Cuz here's where that'll happen! I'm going to start a fanfic where you guys, the readers, give me the scenarios and I write one-chapter shots of them! Here's how to participate:
1. Send me a PM or a review where you give me a scenario involving two Titans characters. Doesn't matter who they are (I will involve other characters, but the one-hot will be focusing on your chosen ones), and the scenario can be funny, romantic, dark, brooding, or whatever! Be as specific as you'd like, but don't write it out yourself and send it to me cuz that defeats the purpose of the project!! Am I right folks?
2. DO NOT EMAIL ME. Most likely I will think it's spam and delete it cuz I don't trust the big bad cyberworld.
3. This'll go on for the whole summer, or until I get bored doing it (I like this sort of stuff, though, so YEAH).
4. Please refrain from giving me something extremely stupid or extremely disgusting to write about. I will not write about it.
5. And yeah, that does remind me: I'm going to be choosing which scenarios I write, so don't be mad and hunt me down if yours doesn't happen. Of course, that won't be a problem if nobody sends me anything!
PLEASE COOPERATE, PEOPLE, AND SEND ME STUFF!! I WANNA HAVE FUN! Thank you and have a nice day.
Author's Note: Nothing much to say, since I've already taken up a bunch of space. I've been planning this chapter for a while, seeing as it's a major pinnacle in the story, and it didn't come out exactly how I had planned it for so long—but I'm still pretty satisfied with the results. Next chapter will be up soon enough, I hope. Other than that…
Puh-LEASE help me with my mini-project, I really wanna try it!!
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in the Teen Titans show or comics.
Gar's vision swam as he shouldered his way through the gathering evening crowds on the sidewalks of downtown Jump City. Paying no attention to exactly where he was heading, he earned more than a few angry looks and sharp outbursts when he happened to accidentally collide outright with someone. It all fell on deaf ears, however, as Gar was far away, trying to sort through the mixed emotions running through his head.
As soon as Raven had disappeared in a cloak of black energy, Gar had been crushed—he hadn't known what he expected when he and Raven locked gazes, but apparently he had not wanted that to happen. It hadn't taken him long to leave the restaurant afterwards, feeling lightheaded and somewhat…betrayed. Nicole had left immediately after returning inside, as Gar was informed by Kassie when he walked in the door; he hadn't responded to anything the group said to him, however, and merely had grimaced out a tight smile before telling his friends—rather distractedly, a few had noted—that he wasn't feeling to great and felt he should take his leave as well. Gar had turned his back and fled without acknowledging the heartfelt groans of disappointment, the goodbyes, or the cries of, "Dude, darn allergies, right? Haha!"
And so now he meandered through the city in the general direction of his apartment, hands shoved deep into his pockets and brow furrowed as he brooded.
Raven's eyes kept coming back to his mind's eye, right when she realized he had still been watching her as the others hurried away—and each time he shook his head in frustration in an attempt to rid himself of the image, especially the image of the same eyes wrenching away from his, as if burned or scolded. Why…? He had seen it there, in her eyes, deep within the navy, endless midnight-blue, screaming out at him if only for an instant—and he knew she had seen the same in his eyes, which had scared her. It had scared him, and at the same time had begun a wave of hope underneath everything else, seeing that identical…yearning. That desire to speak to one another again, to just be with one another again…
He missed her, and she missed him. More than missed, perhaps.
Gar's mind suddenly reeled, and he found he was breathing very shallowly, taking quick gasps. Coming to a stop, he realized there weren't any buildings to the left of him—he had followed the sidewalk to the downtown park. Staring at the greenery, almost out of place in the hustle-bustle of the city (probably the reason why it was built, eh?) a vacant bench a little further into the park beneath a large maple suddenly looked very inviting. Tromping through the grass and avoiding a stray frisbee, Gar plopped down on the bench when he reached it and heaved a sigh, bringing his hands up to cup his face. Midway, however, he stopped his actions again and stared down almost breathlessly.
His hands were violently shaking, trembling, refusing to stay steady.
As Raven had emerged from her teleportation energy, she heard more than a few gasps and felt a cool breeze play across her cheek, the buzz of city traffic sounding a bit muffled. The park, she thought mildly, of course. Where else to calm a body's soul but among barking dogs, reckless joggers, and shrieking play?
Miffed as she might have been, there weren't really that many people around and it hadn't taken her long to take up a meditation pose under the shade of some tree or another and begin muttering in streamline her telltale incantation "Azarath, Mentrion, Zinthos…"
Raven didn't think it had ever been as hard to mediate as then, save for a few other times in her life; every time she tried to find her center, to push away thought, he loomed at the edge of her mind only to further incite the clamor of emotions she was attempting to soothe. She was confused beyond belief, wanting to blush at the reaction she had given to the situation, and then wanting to break down and cry, and then wanting to cower in a corner and escape from the world. Never…even her anger was leaking into her thoughts, as she found herself vehemently thinking about that kiss, and then reprimanding herself for being so weak as to let this affect her, and then blaming the whole thing on him…
Stop!
Her scream echoed inside of her mind, as she continued to utter the words taught to her so long ago for control. Seizing the opportunity of silence, she grabbed at that peaceful center she so often sought out, grabbing at the soft blanket that would cause her trouble to cease…
And was extremely shocked to find an all-too-familiar voice whispering something somewhere in her mind—not her own voice, but a warm, kind voice she had grown so used to over the past few years, annoying her yet comforting her with its consistency. A voice that had vanished from her life only a while ago, although it seemed like ages ago. She found herself listening, trying to make out the words…
And then it was gone and she was falling into her center, into a blanket of white.
Raven started and snapped her eyes open to the park scene in front of her, the sounds of children playing and adults chatting and dogs barking and a breeze rustling the leaves and blades of grass even more acute to her ears. What the…? But while her mind was cleared now, she quickly shut her eyes as she felt chaos still creeping at the edge of her mind, waiting for the opportune moment to pounce. Pushing away questions for now, Raven began her incantation again.
After what seemed like hours, Raven felt the outer world deemed worthy enough to enter her senses' acknowledgement again, the turmoil inside her now in check. Taking a shuttering breath and then slowly releasing it, Raven dared to crack open an eye, peering out into the golden sunlight of the evening.
Robin was leaning on the tree opposite her.
Although startled, Raven didn't show any emotion on her face and instead gracefully dropped down from her levitating pose, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow at him. "So how long have you been standing there…?" she droned.
He considered her for a moment, and then smirked. "Long enough to laugh at every single person who tripped over their feet trying to get a better look at you while you were in no-man's land."
Raven allowed a slight smile to snake across her lips.
They regarded one another silently, listening to the trees ruffling in the breeze. Then Robin pushed himself off his tree and came to join Raven underneath hers. Settling once again with his back against the trunk, Raven waited for him to speak with bated breath, knowing what was coming.
"So," he started casually. "Care to share what happened back there?"
Raven's nostrils flared defiantly for a second. "Not particularly," Raven said stiffly, not turning to face Robin. Before he could say anything, she continued, "But I know I'm going to have to in order to have a decently peaceful night at the Tower."
Robin watched her and chuckled. "Yeah, you're right there." He frowned, though, and said in a more serious tone, "You do know that I just don't like to be left in the dark when it comes to my friends, right?"
Raven glanced at him through the corner of her eye, and moved back to lean beside him on the tree. She sighed through her nose. "I know."
"So, spill."
"…I've just been really…confused lately."
Both stared straight ahead.
"You're not alone in how you feel about this, Raven. I'll be exercising in the gym and notice Starfire gazing sadly at the treadmill. I'll be in the garage getting some tools and notice Cyborg glancing over his shoulder, waiting for his work on the T-car to be loudly disrupted. I'll be sitting in the kitchen, expecting a weirdly disgusting tofu creation to be dumped in front of me any minute. Over two months, and I still catch all of us having moments where his absence is undeniable and complete. Painful moments."
Raven remained silent.
"That's why I pray things like today never happen, why I never go down one specific corridor in the Tower, why I sometimes refuse to acknowledge his…" Robin trailed off, and Raven looked towards him curiously to find his face turned away. "It's all…to lessen the pain. Or an attempt anyways. On my part, a stupid and pretty dumb attempt I've been making—there's always that one thing, no matter where or when or how, that always reminds us."
Raven's expression softened, and she looked up into the canopy of the tree, patterns of light dancing across her face through the swirling leaves. "I know what you mean," she said quietly. "It's taken me a long time to accept it, but…" Raven stopped, choking a tad on her words. Alarmed, she took a deep breath to get herself under control again, eyes watering dangerously. She closed her eyes. "…I miss him."
Robin turned back towards her, studying her upturned face.
"His ridiculous ideas, his annoying jokes, his…I miss him, and feels like a part of me has died—a part of the team has died. I miss him. And seeing him today, like…for some part of me, it was just too much to handle at that moment. And I had to get away, to calm myself down."
Robin nodded slowly. He crossed his arms and looked down. "Sometimes…I wonder if I did the right thing. Pushing him away like that, making him leave. Was it good for the team, for him, or was I just afraid of dealing with the problem? Just making up excuses instead of lending support and direction like a leader should? His reaction, ours individually and as a team…I really don't know anymore, and I'm scared—no, terrified—to think too much about it."
He heard Raven shift next to him, and felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking up, he met her eyes to see something he rarely saw: her navy eyes were brimming with raw emotion, gazing at him tenderly. "We'll…get through this, Robin."
He nodded, unable to speak. And then suddenly, in unspoken mutual agreement, the two Titans embraced, lending comfort to each other.
Gar surveyed the park grounds, forcing himself to take deeper breaths and ignore the thoughts and feelings swirling around in his head. He gripped the edge of the bench tightly, the whites of his knuckles showing. His throat was extremely dry, and the inside of his mouth felt like sandpaper every time he swallowed. Wonder if there's a drinking fountain, he thought absently, still scanning the area. And then his eyes abruptly stopped, resting on a tree a little ways off, across some jogging paths. Underneath the tree, there was a sight that nearly made him choke on nothing and caused his eyes to widen considerably.
Raven and Robin? Here?
The two comrades and friends remained as they were for a minute or two, and then broke apart. Robin held onto Raven's shoulders a moment longer and gave her a gentle squeeze before letting his arms drop. They gave each other small smiles, ready to face the world again.
"Listen, Raven," Robin began. He hesitated, and Raven patiently waited for him to continue. "There's something I want to—"
A buzzing sound from Robin's belt interrupted him and drew the attention of the two Titans. Robin had his communicator out in a flash, flipping it open with expertise. Cyborg's face appeared on the small, circular screen.
"Hey man, did you find her?"
Raven immediately circled around Robin so she could be seen by her friend. "Right here, Cyborg."
"You okay then?" She nodded, he grinned. "Good. Listen, both of you should get back to the Tower right away."
Robin perked up at the edge of anxiousness that leaked through Cyborg's voice. "Why? What happened?"
"Nothing serious, but someone tried to hack into the Towers' system."
"WHAT?"
"Calm down, Robin. He said it was nothing serious."
"Yeah, they tried. But of course, they didn't get in. Still, there are some interesting tracks the hacker left behind that I'd like you two to take a look at. And the most interesting thing is what the hacker tried to get at."
Robin cocked his head, questioning.
"Personal files. The security system, data concerning the actual Tower—it appears to be untouched. But our personal files containing programs we use as Titans, they were fiddled around with."
"…"
"Yeah, I know. But the most important, or I guess I should say the most serious thing they messed with was our profile files. Villain analysis stuff as well as…stuff about us. All of us."
Robin stiffened a bit, wondering if Cyborg meant what he though he meant when he emphasized 'all'. Raven looked from Cyborg to Robin.
"Right, we'll be there soon as we can." Cyborg nodded on his end, and Robin flipped the communicator closed.
Securing the device once again to his belt, he turned towards Raven. She noticed by his pose and demeanor he was back to his commando-self. "Let's get going."
Raven watched his back as he strode away, and before following him looked around the park once more. It seemed like most people were retiring now, as the park was becoming emptier with each passing moment and anyone still there was headed towards the edge. Raven had the nagging feeling that you get when you feel like you're forgetting something, searching for something you don't even know that you're searching for. It was…odd. All the fields of grass were deserted, the sun was getting lower and lower, and no one remained resting on the benches. There was nothing there. Shrugging mentally, Raven hurried after Robin trying to put the feeling from her mind.
A piece of trash blew by the bench that had been occupied by Gar Logan only a little while ago.
Gar slammed into the apartment, breathing hard and feeling dizzy. None of the lights were on and the apartment was dim in the shadows of the setting sun—Steve had obviously gone out, and for that Gar was half-way relieved. He didn't want to see anyone right now, let alone explain to Steve why he looked like he had gone through the fires of hell.
Exhaustion rippled through Gar's entire body as he made his way to his room, not bothering to flip on any lights. He had pretty much sprinted blindly from the park, upset and with the only goal in mind to get home. The afternoon had gone horribly wrong, and Gar was doing everything he could to ignore it, not think about, to forget it. Right now he felt that was all he could do.
Once Gar made it to his room, he collapsed on his bed. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, his pulse roaring in his ears. Trying to slow his breathing, Gar stretched his arms above his head—and noticed they were shaking as his hands had been in the park. In fact, his whole body was trembling, as if under too much strain. A tingling sensation erupted at his feet, and Gar immediately sat up. He was hot all over. Maybe I should take some pills or something, he thought tiredly as he unsteadily rose. Something to knock me out for a while.
In the bathroom, Gar turned on the sink, leaning over it as he allowed himself to be comforted by the rushing water coming out of the spicket. Gar reached out to open the cabinet above but stopped at his reflection—he hadn't been exaggerating earlier about the going through hell, apparently. His entire face and neck were flushed, his lips cracked and dry like he hadn't had water in days. His pupils were dilated and his eyelids involuntarily flickering wildly. Gulping, Gar went on and opened the cabinet and found the Tylenol PM, without much difficulty. Shutting the cabinet again, Gar started to shakily unscrew the top when all of a sudden the ground rushed up at him.
Shocked, Gar snapped his eyes closed tightly and fought back bile that was rising in the back of his throat. What the hell? Gar slowly opened an eye, his vision swarming with spots, and he attempted to empty the pills into his hand. He halted as the ground jumped again, and he felt a falling sensation in the pit of his stomach. He was surprised to hear himself give a high-pitched groan, and felt as if he was disconnected from his body. The bathroom lights suddenly seemed way too bright, and the ground lurched again…
The bottle of medicine clattered to the floor, pills spilling out and rolling until coming to a rest beside Gar's motionless body.
Something wasn't right.
Raven stopped in mid-step, this fact suddenly booming forth from some corner of her mind. It was one plus of having powers like Raven's; over the past sixteen years of her life, she had developed a sixth sense only strengthened with the help of her psychic abilities. And right now, that sixth sense was telling her something wasn't right.
"Raven?'
Up ahead, Robin seemed to have noticed that his teammate had stopped further behind, and was now waiting for her to catch up. The two were heading through the Tower to Cyborg's little security room—Raven really didn't know what he liked to call it, but it was the main computer room of the Tower, more private than the living area that the team used for briefings. It hadn't taken them long to make it back to the Tower, but they had come back together, merely walking through the city until they reached the bay, where Raven warped them across with her powers.
Raven didn't answer Robin for a minute, acting like she hadn't heard him. He was about to call her again when she suddenly focused on his face, an intent look in her eyes. "Robin, I have to check on something," she droned, but with an urgent edge to her voice. Robin raised an eyebrow. "You go on and check out whatever Cyborg wanted to show us, I won't be too long."
And with that she whipped around, cape flying behind her as she jogged back in the direction they had come.
Robin frowned. Something must be wrong. Raven never jogged.
It took no time at all for Raven to reach Gar's apartment, teleporting as soon as she was out of Robin's sight. She stood in his living room, wondering why she had decided to teleport directly into the apartment—rather rude, if she was wrong and everything was fine. She hoped she wouldn't have to explain herself; and it didn't even seem like anyone was home, with all the lights turned off.
Then she heard it—a faint rushing through the walls, the rush of water speeding through pipes. Turning, Raven faced a small hallway that lead further into the apartment behind the kitchen—there was a soft glow coming from the very end of the hall, spilling out from a room. Gar's room. Raven lingered for a moment longer, then followed the hallway.
The closer she got, the louder the rushing sound of the pipes got, along with the sound of water coming out of a sink. Other than that, the apartment was deathly still, giving an eerie feel to the situation. Dread began rising in Raven, and she unconsciously held her breath. The bedroom doorway seemed ominous, and it took all the courage Raven could muster to peer around the corner—and she breathed a small sigh of relief. No one was there. Then the dread returned. No one was there. Raven's eyes widened, and she stepped into the room eyeing the light coming from the bathroom.
For one of the first times in Raven's life, she found herself sincerely praying to whatever controlled the universe—praying that she would not find something when she peered into the bathroom.
Raven gasped when she did.
Kassie grumbled under her breath as she climbed the stairs of Gar's apartment building, holding his wallet in one hand. Trust the kid to leave something this important behind, right? And she had to be the one to return it, no one else could spare time from their busy schedules of doing nothing.
"'But you're the only one who knows where Gar lives, Kassie'," she imitated one of the boys in a high voice. She snorted. "Michael knows where he is, and so does John and Nick, they freaking had to pick him up more than once. Freaking losers."
She didn't speak for a minute, and then heaved a sight. Actually, she knew why she was the one returning the wallet—she knew why she had to. She needed to check on Gar, and talk to him about what had happened at the parlor; she was, after all, the girl of the group and so most of the situations like this fell on her. And this time, it was partly her fault—Kassie blushed furiously and wanted to smack herself on the side of the head for the big deal she had made over Nicole's usual antics. If she had just let it go, Gar would've probably come back inside after the stupid picture and they could've eaten pizza in peace and joked around like they normally did. The conversation had been awkward and quiet after Gar left, until Michael told Kassie she had to go return Gar's forgotten wallet later. Acknowledging the fact that what had happened had actually happened seemed to do the trick, and the group made fun of Nicole as usual and then the talk flowed freely again with the comfort that Kassie would fix everything later that night.
Bloody little shits, she thought grumpily as she came to a stop outside Gar's door. She was mostly furious with herself, but she could blame the others for being too cowardly to actually talk to their friend and hold that over their heads for later. Anyways.
Kassie knocked on the door a couple times and rang the doorbell. She waited, and nothing happened. Hope he's not in the shower or something, she thought. She knocked a little louder, then banged with her fist a couple times. "Hey Gar, you there? Anyone? I got your wallet, you forgot it at the pizza parlor," she more or less shouted into the door. She hoped the buildings' walls were thick, or else the neighbors would be coming out to yell at her to shut up in a minute. "Gar? GAR! Mr. Dayton?"
Still nothing. Kassie looked down at her feet, debating whether to wait outside the door or not. She was about to pull out her cell phone when suddenly the door swung open. "Oh good, there you are," Kassie started before looking up to see who had opened the door. "Look, we need to talk—"
Catching sight at exactly who was at the door, Kassie froze.
Raven? The Teen Titan? Here? Now?
The superhero watched the completely stunned Kassie work her mouth for a second before deciding to speak herself.
"I think we need an ambulance."