The Titan Tower was active like every other day, but today was special. The sun shined its bright rays through the windows and into the main room, revealing an alien girl with a wide grin. This grin was wider than her usual.
Starfire has said that today on her home planet, they celebrate the day of 'Blorthog', a day of friendship. To commemorate the day, Starfire brought souvenirs from her home planet and gave them to Cyborg, Beast Boy and Raven, each wearing one.
Starfire was very happy to see them celebrate a culture that did not originate from Earth, and she was delighted to see them smile. The alien girl loved seeing her friends always be close to each other. It's one of the reasons why she loves being a Teen Titan. Without them, what was her purpose in being here on Earth?
"Thank you all for celebrating Blorthog with me!" Starfire said to her friend in pure enthusiasm. There weren't enough words to express what she was feeling. "I cannot thank you all enough! All this just proves that we're not just the heroes but the best friends!"
"It's all good, Star! I get so excited when we do these!" Beast Boy couldn't stop moving on the spot.
"Only 'cause food is involved," Raven muttered, rolling her eyes at his comment. Being indoors, she didn't have her hood up, so her face was clear to everyone, even though she had the same expression with it down.
"Thanks again for the necklace, Star!" Cyborg said. "Surely, this time, we go out to eat to celebrate."
"That doesn't sound like the bad idea." Star thought out loud but agreed nonetheless. "It is settled then! We will have the lunch in the outdoors!"
The group cheered loudly, preparing themselves to depart. All except for Raven, who was feeling empty without their leader with them. She was hoping that he would finally come out of his office for once and socialise, but she guessed her expectations were too high.
"Oh, I wish that Robin would come out for once..." The happiness on her face suddenly disappeared when she thought of Robin secluding himself again. "I have tried asking numerous times for him to come out, but nothing has happened. When he is like this, there is no way of changing his mind..."
"I know. I can't help but think the guy is a little obsessed with finding Slade." Beast Boy said quietly, hoping that Robin won't hear him.
"He is... And he is very unsocial for some reason." Star said, now looking at the ground. "I have a feeling that the Rekmos is among him."
"Rek- What?" BB raised an eyebrow at what she said. Sometimes he wished he knew the words Starfire says.
"In my planet, the term 'Rekmos' means 'The drifting', in which friends slowly drift apart from each other, to be never in contact again," Star replied, turning around with her back facing the group. "That is what I fear the most when it comes to us. I just hope that Robin does not drift from us."
"Hey! Don't worry, Starfire," Cyborg said, stepping closer to her. He placed a hand on her shoulder to cheer her up. "Robin needs some time to cool down after what happened last week. When he comes back, I know for sure he's gonna be normal. You can't blame him for being Slade's apprentice for a couple of days."
Starfire turned to look at Cyborg. He noticed a worried expression on her face. "But what if he's not with us anymore? Did you see how we struggled as a team when Robin was not around?"
Cyborg looked surprised when she asked her question. He never thought of a scenario where their leader suddenly disappeared. But now that he thought about it, what would he do? What would the team do? He never saw himself as a leader, and he can not see himself becoming one in the future. But if Robin magically disappears...
"...Don't worry, it'll never happen again," Cyborg replied with a drop of sweat rolling down his forehead. He hopes that that will happen.
"Oh, okay. Well, should I get Robin?" Star asked. "Maybe this time he will come out."
"I'll get him," Raven said in her raspy voice.
"Oh..." Star turned to Raven in surprise, forgetting she was with them. She was surprised to hear. "I guess you can get him."
"I'll meet you guys downstairs." The half-demon then flew herself to where Robin's office.
The trio could only look in surprise at how fast she flew away.
Robin secluded himself from the group intentionally as he looked at the wall that included several pictures of Slade and newspapers. The room was severely dark with only a little desk lamp being the only light source. His mind was going through several thoughts a minute at how he could track down and defeat Slade. After what happened last week, he wasn't going to let anything like that going to happen again.
He knew the difference between him and Slade was that he had no friends while Robin has. His friends gave him a purpose: To protect them. Seeing his friends being controlled by Slade, he had to make sure that they were never to be involved in the battle between him and Salde. He can't see them being hurt again.
Taking in a big sigh, Robin dropped to his chair and rolled back to his table. He still can't connect some of the pieces he has. As much as he doesn't want to admit it, Slade was a very smart villain and probably one of the best maybe. None of the villains that Robin's fought could compare to Slade. As long as he's around, he's not giving up.
A knock came on his door again, knocking him out of his thoughts. "Robin, it's Raven."
Another sigh came out of his mouth. "I'm busy."
"Robin, c'mon. You've been there the whole day, and it's only 10 AM." Raven replied in her usual monotone voice. "You need to come out. Starfire wants to... See you again. The two hard heads want to see you again... I want to see you again."
Robin barely heard her voice in the last sentence. But little did Robin know, Raven pressed her forehead on his door in desperation. As much as he wants to go out, he can't get over the stress of meeting his nemesis out of nowhere. He needs to be prepared for the next time they meet.
"I'm sorry, Raven. I need work." Robin replied softly, hoping that he didn't offend his friend. "Just give any leftovers if you can."
"Please?"
That was something new that Robin's heard from Raven. The tone in her voice, when she spoke, had a small hope towards it, something that she rarely has when she speaks. Hearing that, he almost considered coming.
"I can't. Maybe next time."
Raven only sighed in reply. She wanted to say more, but the girl gave up knowing anything she said won't change his mind. Closing her eyes, she promised she wasn't going to show any emotions to damage anything around her. Before she was going to cause unrepairable damage, she created a portal to the outside of the tower.
Through their bond, Robin noticed a massive shift in Raven's mood. A feeling that was close to sadness and depression. She wanted him to come.
Maybe... Maybe a little sunshine won't hurt.
The four Titans sat in their usual seats on the rooftop of their favourite pizzeria in Jump City. Even without Robin, the group still had joy by making jokes about each other, especially Beast Boy and Cyborg. It still baffles Raven how they haven't received a noise complaint from the other customers. With how loud they talk and laugh, has no one thought of complaining? Raven would.
Their table was the messiest out of the occupied tables. Pizza boxes were everywhere, leaving little to no room for them to eat. Crumbs and pieces from the pizzas were everywhere, even on the ground. If any staff were to see the Teen Titans, they knew they were staying overtime.
"Aw, man! We forgot to order drinks!" Beast Boy complained as he looked around their large table. Out of the pizzas they ordered, not a single drink was in sight.
Cyborg snickered. "I mean, who's surprised when that happens? Whenever you order, you always forget the drinks!"
"Hey! I've been thinking about Blorthog for the whole week. Who can blame me?" The green teen replied.
Suddenly, a new voice came to the table. "Don't worry. The drinks are on the house."
Raven heard the new voice behind her. Turning around, she was surprised to see her leader in person holding a jug of sorting a couple of glass cups. Her purple eyes went wide, and a rare smile appeared seeing Robin out of his office for once. She was about to speak before Starfire interrupted her.
"Robin!" Starfire yelled out, rushing to her friend with a massive hug that took all the air out of him. "I was in fear that you would not come! Thank you for celebrating Blorthog with us!"
Robin could only chuckle from the affection Starfire was radiating. He wanted to rub her back to signal her to come off, but his hands were full. "Don't worry. I'm here now."
"Oh, our day has become even better!" Starfire grabbed a spare seat from an empty table and placed it next to hers. "Please, Robin, sit next to me."
Placing the jug and glasses down, Robin finally sat down with the rest of his teammates. If he was, to be honest, it felt nice to be with his friends again. The empty feeling being replaced with the company of his friends felt satisfying. This is something he could brag about to Slade all day.
"Nice seeing you again, Boy Wonder," Cyborg said, smiling at him. "Glad to see out of your room. And thanks for the drinks."
"Likewise, and of course I brought drinks," Robin replied. He then turned to Beast Boy with a smirk. "From a distance, I could tell Beast Boy ordered this time."
"Hey!" Beast Boy retorted as he crossed his arms. "I was about to greet you, but forget about it."
"Nice to see you too, Beast Boy." Robin only chuckled at his attitude. He always forgets that Beast Boy was the youngest in the group.
The group could only laugh at what was happening at the table. Robin loved seeing his group act like average teenagers and not some mature superheroes. He sometimes wishes that he could see the perspective of an average teenager for once. Crime fighting can become tiring, and to Robin at least, it's becoming saturated. Eating pizza, playing in the park and hanging out was the closest they got to becoming average teens and living an average life.
Looking at the table around him, Robin pictured all of them going to school, visiting each other's houses, and going to the beach, but also having a loving family. He might've not had one, but Titans replaced that and was very thankful.
"Is everything going okay here?" A blonde female waitress appeared near their table. A little too close exactly."Is there anything you want to order, or are we all good?"
"You guys want anything else?" Robin asked. It appears that everyone seemed satisfied with what they had. "I guess we're good here, thanks."
"Alright! Just call if you need anything." The female waitress then returned to the building.
Across from him, Raven was doing everything to make sure she wasn't showing her anger towards the waitress. She was the only one who noticed how close the female waitress was to Robin. The distance between Starfire and Robin was nothing compared to how close the waitress was. She even looked at him like she was going to confess to him. THE WAITRESS EVEN BIT HER LIPS!
And to top it all off, while she was waking away, she dared to look back at him again!
Raven slowly relaxed her hands under the table as she unclenched it. The girl was more than happy for her to leave, to leave her R-
"Wow, you good, Rae?" Beast Boy whispered to her, who was next to her. "I can feel your anger from here."
Taking in a deep sigh to further calm herself down, Raven replied. "Yes, Beast Boy. I am good."
The green kid raised an eyebrow, not believing her just from her response. "Are you su-"
"Put your hands up if you think Beast Boy's funny," Raven asked the whole table making sure Beast Boy didn't get a chance to speak.
Not a single hand was up.
"C'mon, guys! You're all doing me wrong here!" Beast Boy threw his hands up in the air.
"Works all the time." Raven chuckled. She looked across the table to see Robin looking at her with a chuckle. She brought up her hood to hide the smile and blush growing on her face.
The Titans returned to their tower, feeling more than satisfied with their lunch. They were all still talking about the same topic back in the pizzeria. It surprised Raven how they still managed to keep talking for so many hours. Talking to her was like fighting Slade for ten minutes. After that, she'll sleep until noon.
Standing with the group, Raven noticed Robin heading back to the office. She wasn't going to give him a chance.
Flying over to him, Raven asked, "Hey, are you already heading back to work?"
"Of course," Robin replied, turning back to her.
"Well, why don't you just hang out with us? It's nice to have you around." Raven could slap herself if Robin wasn't around. She can't believe she said that out loud.
A smile appeared on the leader's face. "Thanks, but I need to go work."
Just before Robin departed, Raven hesitated before grabbing his wrist. She hates seeing herself like this. "J-Just for one hour, please?"
Robin was shocked for sure seeing Raven like this. He's never seen his partner like this kind of way to him. Actions like these from Starfire were ordinary to him, but coming from Raven, it felt abnormal, but somewhat pleasant to him weirdly enough.
"I guess I won't mind one hour," Robin replied.
Robin was blessed with another of Raven's rare smiles again. That was the second one today. He wondered how many he could pull in one day.
Raven watched the big flat screen along with Robin and Cyborg as they play their overused console. The battle was interesting, but there was someone more interesting than the game. Unconsciously, her purple eyes pan towards Robin. Luckily, his attention was on the screen because her attention was purely on him. She took in all the details on Robin.
The purple hair girl didn't care whether Robin was handsome because she only cared about how he looked out for everyone, specifically her. After every battle, he would always come up to her and ask if she was okay, and her heart would flutter every time. She loved it when he would do that.
When Raven was a little girl, she didn't have the luxury of someone caring for her, only the monks of Azarath provided that, but it wasn't the same. It felt forced when they asked whether she was okay. Almost like it's their job. Raven didn't have anyone to turn to, but ever since she became a Titan, she was blessed with having Robin and others by her side looking out for her, and she loved that feeling.
Speaking of feelings, her powers were controlled by her emotions, so she wasn't allowed to show the slightest feelings or otherwise, the things around her will be destroyed. To overcome this issue, Raven had to meditate every once in a while to control it, hence the reason why she appears so deadpan.
But out of nowhere, only a couple of weeks ago, she started to feel something new. A new feeling that she never felt before.
Love
When Raven admitted to herself that she had something special for Robin, she was scared. The empath didn't want to create feelings for other people as she feared they'll use her, crushing her heart. But when Raven felt attracted to Robin, seeing how he could be trusted from her previous experience with him, she gave in to her feelings.
Now Raven loved Robin.
Robin was the first person Raven loved. But with love came other feelings. Jealousy was something she experienced numerous times. A great example was today with the blonde waitress. Raven hates how close she stood to her crush. Her anger could throw the waitress off the building if she didn't have it under control. Raven doesn't like it when people get close to her man.
And it wasn't only the waitress she felt jealous towards. There was also-
"Raven!"
Her thoughts were interrupted by Robin looking at her strangely. Raven felt warmth growing on her cheeks.
"Y-Yeah?" Raven asked, pretending nothing happened.
"I wanted to ask if you want to play this time," Robin repeated, handing her his controller.
The empath raised her hand to decline the offer. "I'm fine. They're too easy to play against."
"Hey!" Robin and Raven both heard Cyborg and Beast Boy retort from the other side of the couch, causing Robin to chuckle.
"Alright. I'll play another round." Before returning to the screen, Robin asked, "Is there still pizza on my face because Beast Boy didn't reply when I asked."
Raven shook her head. "No. Your face is fine."
"Oh, thanks." Robin turned back to the television as he played another game with Cyborg.
An idea popped into Raven's mind. What she'll ask might sound like a massive step in the right direction, depending on Robin's response. It could either ruin their beautiful friendship, or it could blossom into something more. Raven hoped they could remain friends if it doesn't work out.
"Hey, Robin?" Raven asked.
Robin took his eyes off the screen. Luckily, they were still picking a map to play. "Yeah?"
The empath couldn't hold her gaze on the boy in front of her. Raven could feel her heartbeat rising every second as she was going to ask for risks. She's never felt so nervous against her leader. Raven never likes showing her soft side.
'C'mon, Raven! You can do it!' A brave voice yelled out in her mind.
"I-I just wanted to-"
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
Robin swiftly pulled out his communicator to see a flashing 'T' in the centre. They have a job to finish.
"Sorry, Raven. It has to wait!" Robin soon then ran towards the exit
Raven could only sigh in sadness. Her feelings will have to wait.
The signal directed the Titans towards a closed museum. Since it was currently nighttime, no one was around, and the lights were off, resulting in the team being very cautious. They don't who they're up against, and that worries them. When an attack happens, it's one of the villains they've fought in the past. They have to be careful.
Being on the second floor, the group quietly stepped around the museum looking for the perpetrator, until they heard a laugh coming from the ground floor. Hiding behind a large object, Robin peeked over. He noticed a man dressed in gold armour stealing the 'Clock of Eternity', a valuable object worth millions. Robin didn't know what the person wanted it for, but he was going to find out now.
Just when the villain is about to touch the protective glass case, Robin threw a circular blade causing the man to retract his hands in surprise.
"Argh!" The man yelled out, rubbing his hand. "What the-?"
"Your time is up!" Robin yelled out. "You should keep your dirty hands off it if you know what's good for you."
A smirk formed on the man's face as he looked up at the group. "Ah, the Teen Titans. A famous group of kids stopping any bad guys they encounter. I've read a lot about you lot from the future."
"Then you know not to mess with us," Robin replied darkly. "Who are you?"
"The name's Warp. I came from the future to retrieve this beautiful artifact." Warp gestured to the 'Clock of Eternity'. "In my timeline, the 'Clock of Eternity' vanished out of thin air. The news said that if anyone was to retrieve it, they were rewarded with five million dollars. With my powers of travelling to any timeline, I had to travel back and steal it."
"Too bad because in today's time, stealing is considered bad and always will be." Robin retorted as he frowned.
"You know, according to the historical archives, you've defeated quite a lot of enemies. I'll admit it. That is quite impressive." The man started to slowly walk towards them menacingly. The group prepared themselves just in case. "But then, it said you were defeated... BY ME!"
Laser beams popped out of Warp's shoulders and shot at the Titans. "Titans, go!"
Robin pulled out his staff and spun it fiercely, preventing lasers from hitting the group behind him as they spread out. Knowing that his friends were at a safe distance, Robin jumped out of the man's range and hid behind any artifacts.
Seeing that Warp was distracted, Starfire flew into the air and blasted him with her laser eye beams but was blocked by what she thought was a force field. This caught Warp's attention. Starfire then started to throw balls of green light at Warp, hoping that something will get through to him. But unfortunately, Warp deflected her attack and returned it to her, hitting her in the process.
Beast Boy watched as his partner fell to the ground unconscious. Feeling rage course through his veins, the teen changed into an elephant and charged into the Warp from behind. A loud thud rang echoed throughout the whole museum. Warp flew towards the end of the room, creating a large crack in the wall along with dust and smoke around him.
'Beast Boy, no!' Robin mentally yelled. The leader was baffled to see two of his teammates fall so easily. He was still hiding behind one of the artifacts waiting for the right moment to strike.' He's a lot harder than we thought...'
The green teen felt satisfaction when he made contact. In the dust, Warp recovered quickly and blasted Beast Boy with a blue beam, making the boy return to his human form and land on the ground unconscious. Robin was starting to get nervous witnessing his friends get defeated quickly. He needed to stop him before it got worse.
From the second level, Cyborg charged a shot at Warp, but again, his force field blocked the attack. Noticing the attack, Warp threw a strange object towards Cyborg. It attached to the centre of his when suddenly, Cyborg felt himself lose power. His vision saw multiple warning signs as he struggled to remain standing.
"C'mon out, Robin and Raven... I know you're out there." Warp taunted as he slowly walked around the area for the remaining two. "You're little Titan friends need your help. What kind of leader leaves their friends on the battlefield?"
Robin growled at the mention of his teammates being neglected. Of course, he wants to collect his teammates and bring them somewhere safe, but he's at risk of hurting himself. But a true leader would do anything to protect his members.
But before he could do what he wanted to do, a small portal open up beside him revealing Raven crouching next to him with a frown. "Robin, don't fall for it. It's a bait to lure you out."
Robin turned to her with a massive frown. She noticed sweat starting to form on his forehead from the stress. "But what about the others?! I can't just leave them there!"
"I know, but without you, we're nothing." Raven looked worried seeing her leader under so much pressure.
Robin's face softens upon hearing those words come from her.
"Found you."
The two Titans felt electricity rush throughout their body as screaming in pain. Warp laughed as he watched them shake in agony from his attack. They were too easy to fight against, and it made him feel bad about it, but he let it pass as if it was nothing.
Walking towards where the 'Clock of Eternity' was, he removed the glass casing and grabbed the artifact in excitement. "Ah, look at it. Just look at it. With a little road bump in the way, I became a millionaire."
Raven and Robin groaned on the ground as the shock passed them. Robin felt his muscles ache as he tries to stand up. To his luck, Raven wasn't knocked unconscious from the attack as she groans uncomfortably. Robin always knew that it takes more than one attack to knock the empath down, and that was something he always admires about Raven.
Warp then tapped something on his wrist as he held the artifact close to him, almost as if someone was to steal it away from him. A large black portal appears in front of him. He readies himself as he was about to depart.
Robin was not going to let this slide. Ignoring the pain telling him to lay back down, he turned to Raven, still on the ground. Her eyes slowly open as she noticed Robin looking down at her. Behind the mask, she could tell he was in severe pain from the attack.
"Raven, listen to me." Robin groaned out. With a cough, he said, "I'm going to follow Warp through the portal, okay? You stay with the Titans. You're in control now. Don't worry too much about me. I'll find a way back."
Raven's eyes went wide upon hearing his instructions. She didn't like the sound of it. "W-Wait, Robin! What are you doing?!"
Robin groaned in pain as he struggled to stand up but still did like a champion. Raven tried to grab one of his hands but missed. She mentally screamed for Robin to stay and risk going somewhere they don't know where it goes.
"Robin, stop!" Raven yelled as she tried to stand up, but her legs gave out. Tears started to form in her eyes, fearing that this could be her last time seeing him. "There could be a better way! Let me come with you!"
Robin started to run faster towards Warp noticing he was about to enter the portal. He ignored Raven's voice telling him to stop. He wanted to do this for all the damage Warp's done to his team. If anyone messes with his family, he's going to make sure they weren't going to do it again, and he's sure of that.
Going for a drop kick, Robin yelled as he got enough speed. Warp heard his voice and turned around to see Robin in the air with his foot aimed at the object in the middle of his chest. His eyes widened as Robin's attack left a crack in his gadget. The way back to the future wasn't going to be smooth.
With both of them entering the portal, Raven rushed towards the portal to enter as well. But she was too late because when she arrived, the portal dissipated, leaving a broken-hearted Raven on the ground with her teammates just waking up.
Any glass around Raven shattered as tears started to form as she screamed his name.
"ROBIN!"
Tick...
Tick...
Tick...
"What have you done?!" Warp yelled as both he and Robin floated through time during their fight. All around were clocks ticking away. The sound of ticking drives them crazy. "You've doomed us both, you imbecile!"
"Maybe you shouldn't play with time then!" Robin went in for a punch for his face.
Warp was lucky to dodge it. The punch looked personal. "Maybe you shouldn't have interfered! Now look at us! Instead of travelling one hundred years into the future, we might end up somewhere halfway!"
"Good! Then my teammates are still around then to beat you up!" Rabin yelled out.
Robin noticed that Warp was floating away from him along with the background. The leader was shocked to see the background around him was turning midnight black. The sound ticking and Warp's scream slowly faded as silence and darkness surrounded him.
The fight didn't last long as Robin saw himself falling into the ocean. He positioned himself to make sure the impact didn't hurt, and he did exactly that. He never thought he would miss the feeling of water around his body. It was soothing and cold. Something that he wants to feel after a fight.
Returning to the surface, Robin rubbed off any water on his face as he tried to see where the portal dropped him off. From the looks of it, he was still in Jump City, but it was currently nighttime with the sky being dark and city lights being on. He only just noticed that it was raining as he felt rain tapping his head.
Turning around, he couldn't find the tower anywhere near him. The portal must've dropped him off somewhere further away, but that doesn't matter now. Currently, his priority right now is to find his friends.