The next few weeks went by quickly. The new team was doing alright, but Raven had not been lying when she said it took time to get used to new people. There were different personalities that she had to understand and it took her some time. After a few weeks they were starting to act a bit more like a well organized team. In fact, they had developed a kind of routine. Every morning she would wake up to find a hot cup of tea waiting outside her door. He had the paper waiting for her and a cup of juice for himself. They had about an hour of peace and quiet before the twins rolled out of bed.
The twins would zip around the room for a bit before they decided on what to cook. Raven usually moved to the kitchen during this time just so she could be ready with the fire extinguisher. They could not cook, at all. But that didn't stop them from trying every morning. Raven had finally broken down and started to help them with breakfast. Cyborg had only taught her the basics, but it was better than the things they were creating. Aqualad smiled at her the first day she cooked breakfast.
"See why Bee always cooked? We boys are useless when it comes to the stove."
After that remark, he too had been recruited into Raven's school for the culinary arts. Slowly, and with more patients than anyone knew Raven possessed, she taught the three boys the basics that Cy had taught her. Now they took turns making breakfast in the mornings. Aqualad had picked up quickly, but she still had to watch the twins. She would sit by the kitchen and sigh good naturedly every time they burned something. It was a bit having brothers. Little, annoying, but rather endearing brothers. They had repaid her teachings by helping her to learn Spanish. She was picking it up rather quickly. They were even holding basic conversations now.
By the time everyone would finish their meals, Speedy would eventually roll out of bed. This would start the verbal sparring match of the morning. As good as Raven was, she rarely won. No matter what was said, the young man let it slide right off his back. Nothing fazed him or hurt his feelings. Speedy was still the one Raven was having trouble with. No matter what she did, he kept using little nick names for her. Just when they would start to have a decent conversation, he would have to 'lighten the atmosphere' and soon she found herself confused and angry with him.
This morning was no different. It had been a very busy month for both teams. It seemed that all the local criminals realized that the teams were not the same and they were testing them. They couldn't go more than a few hours before an alarm sounded. Raven had not had a decent conversation with any of the Western Titans in weeks. Every time the communicators rang, the alarm at either end did too. It was making her irritable and home sick. Maybe that was why Speedy ended up the way he did.
Speedy entered in his usual manner. It was one thing she noticed about him. He was very touchy. He liked to sling an arm around her waist, or lean into her personal space. It was like he couldn't have a conversation with a girl unless he was touching them in some way. She knew he was not conscious of it, with her at least. She could understand enough of his emotions to know that. But she also knew that he enjoyed making her uncomfortable. He enjoyed the nicknames and the barbs.
Today he chose to come behind her and lean into her space from behind. He took in a deep breath. "Smells good, Princess. Did you cook today?"
"That's It!" With a growl she turned on the boy who suddenly found himself upside down hanging in mid air. She watched as the blood rushed to his face and he let out a shout.
"What the hell?"
"My Name Is Not Princess!" Her voice was low and calm, each word coming out so evenly and seriously that one could not help but lean in closer to hear her. She felt herself taking deep breaths, trying to calm down. Her powers were in control and yet they were not. This had been instinct, something a bit out of her control and is scared her. It was that thought, that she was not fully in control that caused her to drop him. She looked at him with wide eyes unable to believe that she had just done this. She held her hands to her mouth, "I'm sorry." Raven slowly backed out of the room and walked quickly to her bedroom.
A few moments later there was a tentative knock followed by Speedy's voice. "Raven? Rae? Are you in there? Open up please….look I'm sorry."
With those words she opened the door. She was still shocked about her lack of control. "What do you have to be sorry about? I lost control there, I should be sorry. I am sorry. It has been a long time since I lost control." She knew this was more than she usually talked, but something inside her snapped and she could not shut off the words. Speedy raised his hands in surrender.
"Relax Rae. I know you wouldn't hurt me. I obviously was pushing too hard." Raven closed her mouth and watched him, wide eyed. For once, her face was an open book. He could read the naked astonishment. So you can show emotion. Who knew?
Speedy continued. "Look, I know I push people's buttons. Consider it a gift." Raven crossed her arms and he watched as the mask fell back into place. He smiled and rubbed at the back of his neck. "And I should have known when you said to stop, I needed to stop. I pushed you too far, and I'm sorry. I probably deserved the hang gliding act."
Raven didn't say a word. She stared at him hard. Without thinking, she leaned forward and hugged Speedy, throwing her whole body into it. The archer was taken aback for a brief moment and then he hugged her back. After a moment or two, she pulled away. He smiled at her as she frowned. "You tell anyone about that, and you are a dead man."
Raven closed her door to the sound of laughter.
XXXXXXXXX
The next week found Raven getting along much better with the archer. He still managed to push every button she had, but they had an understanding. When she simply said 'stop' there was no hesitation, he stopped. Now, if she threatened his life or his manhood, he merely laughed and continued to tease her. All in all, the friendships were developing quite nicely.
To top it off, things were finally settling down. She had not had a chance to talk to anyone from Titans West yet, they were still pretty busy, but her new little team was working out quite well. With fewer battles the team had started combat training in the mornings. They had been so busy in the last month that she did not see it as being necessary. They were getting plenty of combat practice out in the field. By now, the local criminals had realized that this team was just as strong with a new member. They made mistakes still. They were still learning Raven's style and she was still learning theirs, but they took care of things rather quickly.
Raven was a different type of leader. She was not as forward as Bumblebee or Robin. She was also not as vocal. They learned to look at her because most of the time, her directions came from her eyes rather than her voice. One look and Aqualad knew what to do. One glance at Speedy or the twins and they sped into action. That didn't mean she never used her voice. She still called out commands, but the more they worked together, the more she didn't need to. They just knew what she wanted them to do.
Part of this skill came from training, and part of it came from understanding one another. After the Speedy incident, the team decided that they needed to get to know each other better. That was when the boys had come up with 'Team Night'. They now had 'Team Night" (Raven still shuddered a bit at the name) at least two nights a week. In basic terms, they did things as a team. They took turns deciding what they would do, but everyone had to participate.
And that was how she found herself wandering the Saturday Market in Steel City. She was not allowed to bring a book or to wander off on her own. She had to spend time with each member of the team during the night. As she had read through the rules of 'Team Night', Raven realized just how many were focused on her. She shook her head and looked up at the boys.
"Am I required to smile?"
They had laughed at this. "Only if you want to Princess."
And so here she was, wandering small booths in an attempt to get to know her fellow titans. The market was actually very nice. The booths had everything from food to clothing. There were booths with homemade jewelry and items containing 'mystical powers'. Those were the booths that made her smirk. She walked slowly taking in the sights and sounds and smells.
Aqualad walked beside her. The group had decided to go casual dress today, trying not to draw attention to themselves. Speedy had removed the mask and replaced it with sunglasses. Aqualad also wore sunglasses, but more to cover his obsidian eyes than anything else. Raven's chakra stone was covered using a small glamour and the twins were not allowed to go faster than a slow jog. As she took in a breath of air, she felt herself smile. She was actually enjoying herself.
The twins were just ahead of her. They had found a food stall and were busily loading up on everything they could get their hands on. She shook her head and lightly elbowed Aqualad. "They are as bad as Cy." He chuckled.
It was Aqualad's turn to nudge Raven. "I think Roy has gone and made some friends." Raven rolled her eyes. Speedy was leaning casually on the table flirting with a group of giggling girls.
"I don't understand him." Aqualad smiled at her.
"Took me a little while to figure him out too. He certainly doesn't react in a way you expect…to anything."
She turned to look at some jewelry. She glanced at Aqualad. "Exactly. I always know how people will react. I know how to make them back off, to give me room. He just doesn't know when to stop."
This was said matter of factly, without any rancor. She was only now starting to understand that she had to approach Speedy in a very different way than any other person she had ever worked with. As she thought about this enigma that was Speedy, her eyes spotted a beautiful necklace with a gorgeous green stone. It was simple and delicate. Raven smiled. Star would love this. Without a second thought, Raven bought the necklace.
"Star will love that." Aqualad was leaning over her shoulder. Raven started.
"How did you know I was getting this for Star?"
He shrugged. "It matches her eyes. And green really doesn't go with your hair."
Raven looked at the boy next to her, unsure what to say. Rather than say anything, she shook her head and began to walk again. The silence was finally broken by Aqualad. "You know it took me a long time to figure out Roy."
"Oh, and what did you discover?"
"He likes the attention."
Raven smiled at Aqualad. "Nooooooo." The sarcasm in her voice could not be missed. "I never would have guessed Roy liked to have attention."
Aqualad chuckled. "I know, amazing isn't it?" He glanced at the young man in question. "I don't know much about his life before the titans, but I get the feeling that he never felt like he was a full part of whatever group he was in. I think he makes jokes and acts the way he does to make sure we don't forget him. We have no choice but to react to him and thus we are always reminded that he is here, that he is part of the group."
Raven was quiet for a moment. All of a sudden, the boy made sense. Of course he wanted to be included, didn't everyone? She liked her privacy, she liked her solitude, but there were many times that she had felt overlooked. Speedy was someone you couldn't overlook, and maybe that was what he feared.
She turned and smiled at Aqualad. "Thanks. I think that helps." With that Raven walked away from Aqualad and went straight to Speedy. He was leaning forward, the girls were eating out of the palm of his hand. Raven leaned forward, placing a hand on his shoulder.
The gentle touch had him spinning around. He saw who it was and gave her a confused smile. "Hey. Everything all right?"
Raven gave him a serious look. If he wanted attention, she would give him attention. "So glad I found you Roy. We need to talk."
He continued to smile in a confused way. "Can it wait a minute, I'm kind of in the middle of something."
Just then, one of the girls spoke up. It was a young blond with ice colored eyes. Really a very stunning girl. "Who is this Roy?" Her voice was a bit cold and her eyes were hard as she glanced at Raven.
Before Raven could say anything, Speedy jumped in. "This is my…friend, Rachel." Raven jumped in.
"Really Roy, don't be so shy. I'm more like a sister. Nice to meet you girls."
The girls no longer gave her the hard looks and they seemed to relax. She turned back to Roy. "I'm just passing on a message from Janet. She just went to the doctor. She says everything is fine, but you might need to go in to get some ointment for that rash." She watched as his eyebrows rose above his glasses. She couldn't see his eyes, but she knew he had to be in complete shock. She gave him an evil little grin.
When they turned to the table, the girls were giggling and staring at Speedy. Raven watched as his face took on a very nice red color. Without a word, the two girls stood up and walked away, giggling like mad.
Speedy turned to Raven, a look of shock still on his face. His voice was quiet and low. "What the HELL was that? I almost had their numbers. Honestly Rae, what the HELL?"
Raven was still grinning. "Consider it payback for Princess." It took a moment to sink in. She could actually see his brain working. Finally, the reaction she was waiting for came through. He threw his head back and he laughed. The smile disappeared from her face and she raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know you were an actress Rae. That was really good."
"Thank you." He continued to laugh. Finally Raven turned to walk away.
"So are you coming or not? The whole idea is a team day and if I have to suffer, so do you."
Speedy was still chuckling as he followed her to a very confused looking Aqualad. "I'm coming Princess."
After that day, their relationship changed. Raven no longer tensed every time he used her nickname. She no longer felt that she was on a tilt a whirl with him. Now she took his teasing for just that, teasing. In
fact, she dished it out as good as she got. And when it got to be too much, she could still say stop and he would back off. The team was coming together quite nicely, until Speedy had his turn at picking the destination for Team Night.