Chapter fourteen: Let's Joke
Crystal stirred. She hadn't opened her eyes yet but she tensed up.
She was in the arms of someone and the last person to cuddle her was Beast Boy months ago when she had a nightmare.
She opened her eyes.
Wait... Robin was cuddling her.
Robin was cuddling her?
Robin was cuddling her?!
Heck when did that happen and how did she not know and apparently she'd fallen asleep with the tray on her bedside table.
She heard him breathing softly in relaxed sleep and she relaxed as well.
She was trying to fathom how he'd slept with arms wrapped around her with her resting on one of his arms which was across her chest and his other hand on her stomach.
She felt his breath on her neck as he pulled her closer.
She glanced at her clock, it was 7:45am.
Robin still asleep at 15minutes to 8? When exactly had he pulled her to himself?
Crystal asked herself as she just laid quietly in his arms not wanting to wake him up.
She closed her eyes for a couple of minutes and opened them when she heard him stir. It was 8 then.
"Good morning sleeping beauty," he said. He must've felt her grimace as he laughed softly.
"Can you let me go now?" she asked.
"Fine, your majesty," Robin said and then released her.
She rolled over and sat up.
Robin stretched and looked over at her.
"I need some orange juice."
Starfire burst into the room when they were both in a compromising position.
Crystal had tried to pass the tiny space between Robin who was now at the edge of her bed and her bedside table. She'd tripped and Robin had held her unto his laps to keep her from falling. She was about to stand up when Starfire barged in and slammed the door behind her.
"We're barely the broken up 24 of the earth hours and you're already having the sex with Robin?!"
Crystal looked confused then realized that she was still on Robin's laps. She tried to get up but Robin held onto her waist making the situation all the more awkward for her.
"Are you not the ashamed, Robin? Using her as the rebound?" Starfire had orange skin naturally but at this point, she was red.
"Ok, that's it Robin!" Crystal snapped at him and stood up.
"First and foremost Star," she started walking down the steps, "I'm not fucking your ex boyfriend."
"Oh the really?! Why did he sleep in your room all of the last night? And why were you the sitting on his laps and why were was he holding your waist in the intimate manner?" Starfire answered.
"I asked him to sleep here cause he said he would have trouble sleeping alone cause he was depressed AND you only met us like that because I almost tripped cause Boy Wonder over there," she turned to Robin with a glare and then back to Starfire, "wouldn't move out of the way and he had to hold me to keep me from falling."
"Even when I was already in the room?!"
"Robin kept holding on to me out of spite for you."
Starfire shook her head head in annoyed disbelief, "You are... You are... You are... The slut!"
Starfire did not know how exactly she had her back against the wall and she was sure she'd broken a few ribs.
When she opened her eyes, Crystal was in front of her. Crystal's hands were at her sides but Starfire felt like she was choking.
Robin finally stood up, "that's enough!"
"I can take anything with a laugh but never call me a slut in your life again or I'll make your life a very short and painful one," her eyes flashed black and her voice doubled.
"Besides, you'll agree that I needed not wait for you to break up with Robin, I could get him if I wanted." she added.
Robin held her, "let her go right now, Crystal!"
Crystal dropped the alien princess and she landed on the floor, hard.
Robin slightly pushed Crystal aside and then dropped to his knees checking on Starfire.
Crystal dropped to her knees and blinked her eyes coming back to herself, "oh my gosh, Star." She gasped.
"Wait, I can fix her," she said and Robin moved aside.
Crystal healed her then and sat beside Star, obviously spent, her head in her hands.
"What happened again?" Robin finally asked.
She ignored him then teleported herself and Starfire from the room.
Starfire and Crystal did not speak to each other for the rest of the day and they both ignored Robin as well.
"What happened between you and Star?" Raven finally asked when they were having some camomile tea and cookies together on the roof, a mini picnic.
"Not in the mood to talk about this right now Rae Rae," she replied. "And why has Robin been acting so awkward?" Raven asked again ignoring the hybrid.
"Maybe cause it's HIS fault Star and I are even fighting to begin with!" she snapped.
Raven was temporarily taken aback by Crystal's tone.
Crystal begrudgingly sipped her tea and took a bite of a cookie.
"Tell me what happened," Raven said firmly.
"Robin spent the night at my room last night and this morning he refused to move out of the way and I tripped. He held me unto his laps to keep me from falling then Princess Star barged into my bedroom. I tried to get up but Boy Wonder held unto me out of spite for Star. She started ranting and she called me a slut," Crystal explained.
Raven gasped.
"I flew off the handle, my demon side took over and I broke a few of her ribs and her knee. I had to heal her," Crystal finished.
"Because you hurt her then you had to heal her," Robin said, startling them. Neither of them had known when he came up to the roof.
Crystal's rage returned.
"Robin I'd advice you to leave now," Raven said as she saw Crystal's eyes flash.
"To be honest, I just wanted to apologise for my behavior this morning. It was childish of me and I didn't know it would escalate so far. I hope this doesn't ruin our new closeness," he said and turned to go.
"Robin, wait..." Crystal said hesitantly. He turned back to her.
"Join us for tea?" she invited. "Can I?" he asked.
"Sure, there's room for one more," Raven replied. "Great!" he said excitedly and sat with them.
Raven poured a cup of tea for him and they sat enjoying the view.
Meanwhile, inside the tower, Starfire was pacing behind Cyborg and Beast Boy who were playing video games on the couch.
"What's wrong with you Starfire? You're making us nervous with your pacing," Beast Boy asked.
"I am the sorry, friends. It's just I had an argument with the friend Crystal this morning and I used some hurtful words and I am feeling the guilty," she said with a sigh.
Cyborg paused ignoring Beast Boy's complaints and turned to Starfire.
"Have you apologized to her yet?" Cyborg asked.
Starfire sighed again, "the no."
"Then goes apologise Star," Beast Boy chipped in.
"I don't know, she does get the violent and loses the control of her powers when she's annoyed," Starfire said.
"You're right, she is worse than Raven in that aspect. But go apologise so you can stop feeling guilty," Cyborg advised and Beast Boy nodded.
"I'll apologise to her when she the returns from her roof top picnic," Starfire said and exited the living room.
"Yo bro, when's Batman's party again?" Beast Boy asked Cyborg when they'd gotten engrossed in the video game.
"Tommorow night," Cyborg replied absentmindedly.
Then it clicked.
They got distracted by the realization and their game avatars got killed off.
But that wasn't their issue at the moment.
"We'ves gots nothing to wear Cy!"
"Crystal better get down here soon or so help me I will..."
"You will what?" Crystal asked, startling them.
"Will you ladies stop doing Lucy Loud impressions?" Cyborg was rubbing his the temples in irritation.
"Depends, will you boys stop acting like little kids and stop playing video games and being loud?" Raven asked.
Beast Boy only folded his arms and pouted.
"I guess not," Raven said.
"Mind completing your sentence Cyborg?" Crystal asked.
"Batman's party is tomorrow, tommorow!" Cyborg said, his voice both elated and worried all at once. Crystal raised an eyebrow, "So?"
"We have nothing to wear, mama!" Beast Boy burst out and Crystal rolled her eyes.
"You knows we'ves gots to be the best at the party," Beast Boy added.
"Why are you two freaking out about something Crystal can do in under two minutes?" Raven asked.
"Well, what if we don't like what she makes us?"
"Yeah, what ifs she makes us looks like chumps?"
"Have I ever I dressed any of you in a look that is less than fabulous?" Crystal asked.
"No but this is the first time Batman has invited the Titans to a party, you know how rich folks are," Cyborg replied.
"I understand. Don't worry, Cyborg, we'll be the best there," she said.
The crime alert went off.
The gang had a collective groan.
Robin literally came flying out of nowhere.
"Who is it now?" Beast Boy asked, rolling his eyes.
"Can we ever get a breather?" Raven asked in exasperation.
Robin gasped.
"What's wrong?!" Cyborg asked, observing the terrified horror on Robin's face.
"The Joker is in Jump City," Robin said, his voice barely above a whisper.
"What's he doing so far from Gotham?"
"Visiting an old friend."
The Titans screamed in shock. The Joker was in the room with them.
"How did you get in here with the security alarms going off?" Robin asked. He tried to sound bold but the fear was evident in his voice.
Joker's signature maniacal grin widened, "you need new security measures in here. Guards maybe?" He laughed.
"What do you want, Joker?" Robin asked again.
"Oh nothing, I'm harmless," he laughed again.
"No you're not, Titans GO!" Robin ordered.
The window shattered just then. When the team came to, The Joker was holding on to a helicopter ladder and laughing.
"See you soon, Titans!" he said as the helicopter flew away.
"Should we the go after him?"
"No Starfire, this is beyond us. I need to contact Batman.
He ran out as quickly as he came in.
In his room, he called Batman on his computer.
"Hello, Richard," came the voice.
Robin looked up at his screen then smirked, "hi Bruce. Still haven't age a day... Are you sure you don't have super powers?"
Bruce shrugged.
"The Joker was just in Jump City," Robin revealed saw his former guardian tense up immeadiately, " he escaped on a helicopter. He said he'd see us soon. I don't know what he means but I'm sure it's something big."
"See you soon... He must've found out about the party. Six of you have to be here tommorow. Come in pairs to avoid suspicion," Batman said.
"Pairs like two of us or like couple?" Robin asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Couple, Robin," Batman hesitated for a moment and scratched the back of his head, "speaking of couple, I want to apologise for interfering with your relationship with Miss Starfire. You're an adult and I had no right to meddle with your relationship..."
"No Bruce, you were right. We weren't really in a relationship and so we broke up," Robin cut in.
"Zatanna couldn't keep her mouth shut, could she?" Batman asked and Robin shook his head.
"I'm sorry," Batman said.
"It's okay, Bruce."
"I'll contact the rest of the Justice league," Batman stated.
"I'll contact the rest of the Titans," Robin said and ended the video call.
He sighed and put his head in his arms. He was very scared. The Joker never made empty statements or joked.
"I have to put my fear aside for people's safety," he said to himself. He shuddered as he remembered when he and Jason Todd were captured by The Joker and Jason didn't make it out alive.
He then sent a general message to all the Titans within the United States telling them the issue and inviting them all to Batman's party.
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