I4.6

Chapter 27: Morning After

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Adult themes. DO NOT read if you are underage or dislike controversial things.

Author's Note: I had a bit of writer's block with this one, but I think it turned out okay. Enjoy!

"Aren't you hot?" inquires the metal man. His eyebrows are squished together as he takes in Rachel's attire.

"I'm fine. If I wasn't, I would change," Rachel drawls out as she crosses her arms over her chest in a defensive manner.

Both Cyborg and Richard take her in from head to toe. She is clad in all black. As though she is about to attend a funeral. Her black shirt is long and loose. Effectively hiding the prominent curves of her body from view. The sleeves of her top covers her fingertips. Her pants are also baggy. Her wet hair and freshly scrubbed face signals that she just stepped out of the shower.

Richard finds himself frowning at what he sees. There is nothing truly wrong with what she's wearing. It would be a perfectly acceptable outfit if it were winter time, but they were in the middle of a mini heat wave. It's one of the reasons why Starfire has been roaming around with barely anything on and Rachel has been lounging about the Tower in shorts. Right now, there is no way that she is not overheating in what she's wearing. So why is she wearing it?

The implications of last night are resting heavily on his mind. He had given himself and his hands free license to roam and explore as much of her bare flesh as they could without her waking up. He highly doubts that Rachel was awake for all of that, but that doesn't mean her subconscious didn't register what had been done to her. That doesn't mean that her empathic abilities didn't pick up on his heavy lust and desire to play with her flesh. Even now, as she stands before him covered from neck to feet in a mass of shapeless black, he wants to close his eyes and trace the outline of her body in his very eager hands. There are just so many things that he wants to do...that he will do to bring her pleasure, but for right now, he knows that he should back off.

"Are you not feeling well, Rachel?" Richard asks with concern laced in his voice. He feels his brows pulling down into a frown.

"I'm fine," she bites back. It's clear that she is not in a good mood this morning. "But don't change the subject. Are you really trying to send Beastboy away?"

The look of worry in her eyes doesn't sit right with Richard. She shouldn't be this concerned about someone who is no longer part of her business. After all, they have a future to plan together.

"Yes and no," Richard begins while still analyzing the woman that he's obsessed with. He notices that she doesn't even stand like she normally does. Her posture is slouched and her arms are still crossed over herself in a protective manner. Richard can feel the alarm bells going off in his head. "I saw an opportunity to give Beastboy a chance to have some breathing space, but I'm not sending him away for the reason that you're thinking."

"Bullshit," she counters, "you don't want him here because he's a wild card."

No, I don't want him anywhere near you, Richard thinks but he says, "Right now, he is a wild card. He's attacked me and stole my laptop. Two things that he's never done before. While I can write off one as the effects of being poisoned, the rest I can't overlook."

Couldn't she see that he's trying to be a reasonable man? Richard had woken up on cloud nine this morning. The memories of what Rachel's soft, supple skin feels like beneath his fingers and her sighs of contentment as he massaged the tired muscles of her legs had him going through his morning routine with a smile on his face. The thought of falling asleep beside her and waking up next to her made him giddy. She confessed that she loved him. The hard part was over. Now he just has to maneuver her into bed with him.

However, her demeanor this morning is putting a damper on his mood. He finds his face morphing into a deeper frown as she continues to push back on his plans. Rachel's violet hair is flying around her face as she shakes her head. "That's not a good idea, Dick. We need to be together and stay together during times of strife. If we run away when things get difficult, then we're more likely to fall apart."

"Taking a break to clear your head isn't the same thing as running away, Rachel," he says in return. He can feel his grip tighten on the coffee mug in his hands. Frustration is building within him, but he knows that he needs to keep himself in check so that he can maintain his role as benevolent leader. "There is too much going on internally right now. He could use some time away to clear his head and experience something new."

"I'm not so sure 'bout that, Robin," Cyborg finally pitches in. Up until this point he had maintained his silence. Content to listen to both sides of the argument. "I think Raven is right. Now isn't the time to break the team apart, even if a work-cation can help clear his head. We need to stay unified in everything that we do."

Upon realizing that she has an ally, Rachel makes her way to stand beside a sitting Cyborg. While the two birds were debating, he had made his way to the table with his own breakfast in hand, but he hasn't touched it. Too engrossed in the conversation and his own thoughts. Richard watches as Rachel lifts her pale and slender hand and brings it to rest on Cyborg's shoulder. They share a brief look of solidarity with each other before turning their gazes to their leader.

Richard is trying very hard not to grit his teeth and curse them. The scene of friendship and support before him just feeds into his own fears and insecurities. Is this all it would take for Rachel to leave him? She was willing to stand by his side yesterday, but here she is, doing a clear 180 degree shift. Was it because of last night? Was it because he is trying to get rid of the green pest? Had he underestimated how close the two were? He thought that he and his beloved were more in sync with each other than this. He thought she would always follow his lead when it counts the most.

"We can't be unified if there is no trust," Richard states. "We can't rebuild our trust in one another if everyone is fired up...Beastboy included."

"If that's the case," Rachel counters, "then why don't you send Starfire away?"

Cyborg's shiny bald head glistens in the kitchen's florescent light as he nods his head in agreement. Rachel continues with "She is just as agitated as Beastboy. I don't know if you realized this, Dick, but she isn't an innocent bystander in all of this." `

Oh, I know but she isn't the one trying to fuck you. Richard is keenly aware of the part that Starfire has been playing in all of this. The alien princess is also preying on the changeling's inner turmoil to move him like a pawn. The poor fool was too blinded by his raging hormones and jealousy to see it. Her end goal is him. The same way that his end goal is Rachel. The question is if Starfire is willing to go to the extremes that he is. He doubts it. She is dealing with the emotions that come from being a jilted lover. Richard, on the other hand, is fueled by the potential of the future. Of the life that he and Rachel could build together. One beautiful memory at a time.

But, even the thoughts of a wonderful future ahead of them wasn't enough the dampen the facts of the past. Rachel may not be willing to disclose just how intimate she has been with her teammate, but that doesn't change the fact that there is history there. The team's leader levels his cool blue-grey eyes with Rachel's violet ones as he says "None of us here are innocent bystanders in this mess. Or, did you forget the real reason why Beastboy is so agitated?"

He allows his voice to drop in tone so that the other two Titans can realize just how pissed he is. They wouldn't be in this mess if Rachel didn't lead the younger man on. If she hadn't seduced him with her charm; hadn't opened up to the changeling, then none of this wouldn't have happened. Richard knows why Beastboy is convinced that he is the one to blame. He had made the connection between the poisonings and their team's leader. He is certain of it even though he doesn't have concrete evidence to prove it. There is something to be said for his instinct and intuition. The problem with the younger man is that he is impatient and impulsive. Instead of lying in wait and waiting for Richard to slip up, the changeling pounced too early and ended up showing his cards to the whole team.

Richard is glad to see that Rachel has the decency to look away in shame at his question. She knows her actions are partly to blame. If she hadn't made the young man feel as though he had a chance, then Richard wouldn't have felt the need to put him in his place using I4.6.

"I know that I could have handled it more...discretely," Rachel slowly begins to say but is cut off by Cyborg.

"... you shouldn't have done that, Raven" he quietly says. Apparently, the metal man knows more about the situation than he does, which makes Richard's mood even fouler.

"Shouldn't have done what...exactly?" he inquires in a low voice. He is trying is best to not allow his brain to fill in the blanks with the most lewd possibilities it could think of. Both members of his team look away from each other and couldn't face him which just fortifies his resolve to send the beast away.

Richard grits his teeth as he asks one more time "Shouldn't have done what?"

"Dick...," Rachel begins to say as she looks down at his hands that are gripping his mug. His knuckles are turning white from the force of his hold. A hold that is fueled by equal parts rage and fear. The possessive anger that he feels knowing that someone else has been touching what is his is almost drown out by the crippling fear that he is no longer the most important person in Rachel's world. For the longest time, Richard had reveled in the knowledge that in her hierarchy of friendship, he reigns supreme. Now, it feels as though she is replacing him with someone less worthy. Replacing him like Bruce replaced him with Jason. Like Jason was replaced by Tim. Like Tim will eventually be replaced by Damien. The depressing thought that he isn't worth holding on to nags at the back of his mind. His circus family didn't think he was worth holding on to. Wasn't that why they practically sold him to a multi billionaire? No matter how well he performed, Bruce, nor Alfred, thought that he was worth holding on to either. Does Rachel think the same, too?

Why do my eyes sting?

It's Cyborg's voice that reaches his ears before Rachel can figure out what she wants to say. "Robin, there are just some things that are too personal to be shared."

"This is why!" Richard practically growls as he slams his open palm against the table top, "This is why teammates should not be romantically involved with each other. This is why companies don't want their workers dating. How can they complete the job successfully if there is bad blood between them?"

"You know that people can't always control the way that they feel about each other," Cyborg begins to say before Rachel's hand on his shoulder stops him from continuing.

"Dick...I need you to look at me," she quietly says in a soothing voice. "Your emotions are all over the place."

Richard watches her try to move closer to him through angry and hurt eyes. His usually calm and cool demeanor that convinces people that he's always in control is crumbling. Of course his emotions are all over the place. This conversation is just confirming his suspicions about the depth of the relationship that his woman has shared with another man. Said woman is lightly putting her hands on both of his shoulders and giving him a light shake.

"Dick," she says again, slightly more louder than the last time. Richard forces his eyes to look at her face. He never thought he'd see the day where he wouldn't want to look at her. His two hands let go of his coffee mug and encircle her slender wrists. He doesn't try to remove them from his body, but he isn't quite enjoying her touch like he usually would.

"Dick," she repeats in a steady voice, "you need to calm down. I think you're over thinking the situation."

"How?" Richard retorts, "How am I over thinking this? You're relationship with another man is causing friction in this group. Beastboy's behavior has been erratic because of it and he has to go because of you."

"You know Robin," Cyborg interrupts, "you're acting pretty erratically yourself."

The metal man is watching the interaction between the two birds like a hawk. His green friend has shared with him some things that he had noticed about the relationship between the team's leader and empath. Some of these behaviors he just didn't want to recognize until this moment. Cyborg is becoming more acutely aware of how Raven tiptoes around Robin's emotional state. She is willing to cater to the smallest changes in his mood in a way that she has never done for anyone else. At first, Cyborg just thought she was trying to be a considerate friend, but now he has to wonder if there is another reason why she is so sensitive to his feelings. Even now, she is giving him a look that is pleading with him to stop, but he cannot bring himself to listen to her silent plea. If her real feelings lay elsewhere, then why did she lead his friend on?

"I think," he continues with a challenge in his tone, "that maybe, you, Robin, should answer the other Titan's call for help. You know...just to get away and clear your head."

The silence in the room is deafening. Everything about that statement is an affront to Richard's authority. Up until this point, Cyborg has been content to keep himself out of the fray as he waits for this tiff to blow over. This isn't the first time their group has argued with one another, but this is the first time that there are so many seeming casualties. The leveled stare that he is directing to both Rachel and Richard is focused on the grip that Richard has on her wrists. In a casual act of defiance, Richard gently brushes his thumbs against the velvety skin of Rachel's wrists and feels satisfaction when Cyborg frowns in response.

"I do agree that I'm more stressed than usual," Richard says while trying his best to keep the bite out of his voice, "But I'm not the one attacking people."

This is not how he imagined this conversation going and if he doesn't tread carefully there's a chance that Cyborg might want to challenge his claim on leadership. The conversation between him and Bruce replays in his head. Right now, the man who funds their vigilante endeavors is also questioning Richard's ability to lead his team in the "right" direction. If the older, metal man decides to share his concerns with Batman then there is a good chance that there will be a change in the leadership of the Titans. Not that Richard really cares. He knows that there is no real way for Rachel and him to exist as a couple without this group imploding. It's time for them both to spread their wings and fly into their future together, but that doesn't mean that Richard's pride will allow his tenure as leader to end in such a way. If he is going to leave, then he will leave on his own terms and with Rachel in his arms.

"Beastboy is targeting you because you have something to hide," Cyborg counters.

"What am I hiding, Cy?" questions Richard as he lets go of Rachel's wrists and turns his full attention towards his colleague. He is confident that they know nothing, so posing this question is just him teasing for information.

"That's the thing! He doesn't know, but BB's instincts are hardly ever wrong," Cyborg shoots back.

"Really? In all of the years that you've known me and worked with me, Cy" Richard asks, "have I ever done anything to hurt the team?"

He watches as Cyborg's eyes quickly shift to Rachel and then back to him before he shakes his head. "I don't think you purposefully put the team in danger. Fighting crime is our job. We're almost always in danger, but this is different. It feels different. I can't think of who could just sneak into our heavily guarded home and poison us."

Rachel's deep voice asks, "You think it's an inside job, then?"

Richard can tell that she is trying to keep her voice neutral, but he knew that she is becoming defensive. The accusations that have been thrown her way in the medic bay by Starfire are probably still very fresh and very real in her head. Those barbwire words should actually be thrown at him and there is a part of Richard that feels sorry for this. Without much thought, he gently grasps her fingertips; brushing the pads of her fingers with his in a gesture of comfort.

"No one thinks you did it, Rachel," he says in earnest. "Even if this is an inside job, no one can point their finger at you."

"But Starfire does," she quietly says as she pulls her hand away from his touch. She looks away as she refolds her arms over her chest. Richard makes a mental note to comfort her later...in private, where she is willing to let his touch linger.

"Even so," Richard says as he refocuses his attention on Cyborg, "there's no evidence to prove that it's Rachel. So, who does BB think it is?"

"Clearly he thinks that it's you," is Cyborg's reply. "He thinks that it's you because he was the first one who was poisoned."

"That's not completely true," interjects Rachel, "BB was the first one to be poisoned at the Tower, but Dick came home sick that weekend. Remember? He was supposed to come back on Sunday, but ended up staying the whole weekend."

Cyborg nods his head in agreement, "There were trace amounts of the poison in the blood sample that I took from you."

"Well, I, for sure, wouldn't poison myself," Richard responds in a matter of fact tone, "That means that there is someone out there who is trying to use whatever this thing is on us. For what purpose? I don't know."

"Who could it be?" asks Rachel. Richard shakes his head even though he knows that the true culprit is him. He had originally just meant to test I4.6 on his teammates to document their reaction to it. It would be good information to have in case he ever found himself fighting against them, instead of along side them. It was foolish of him to have administered it while at home. He really should have used it on them outside of the Tower. It wouldn't have taken much to sneakily use the drug on his teammates while fighting criminals. There's a lot that goes on in the heat of battle.

"If I had to bet money, I would bet on Slade," Richard supplies. Good, old reliable Slade. When in doubt, just blame him.

"Or," Cyborg says, "Maybe it's someone new? A villain that we don't know about yet."

"Who ever it is," Rachel says, "They know too much about our home for comfort."

"The only two members of the Titans who they haven't poisoned are you two," Richard says. "You both need to be on your guard and double check everything that you consume or use."

Both Cyborg and Rachel nod in agreement before Rachel says, "That's why I don't think it's a good idea to send BB away. Who knows what the future will hold."

Richard shakes his head in the negative, "With how volatile his mood swings have been recently, I don't recommend that he stays with us. There are too many triggers for him here."

Richard takes in the sad expressions of his friends and teammates before continuing, "There's you, Rachel. There's me. And, there's Starfire who has been been giving him some bad advice."

"Look Cy," he says, speaking specifically to the older man, "I know that BB is your friend, but right now, you're the only one he feels safe with. You can't be with him 24/7. He needs time to breath and put himself and his thoughts together. We need to give him that opportunity."

Richard is proud of himself for sounding so diplomatic. In this moment he is reasoning like a good leader should. He's willing to ignore the fact that he's doing all of this for his own selfish purpose. He's willing to look the other way as he slowly removes people that Rachel will want to cling to as he gets her used to the idea of leaving the group. Her friendship with Starfire is strained. Her pseudo relationship with Beastboy is up in flames. The only other person who she still has deep connections to is Cyborg, but he will ruin that in time. He has to warm her up to the idea of running away with him. If she leaves with him willingly, then she's more likely to stay.

"I guess," Cyborg says slowly. Not fully convinced but he can understand Richard's reasoning now that he has had some time to cool down. "I…"

Before he can finish what he is trying to say, Cyborg is cut off by a loud roar "OH FUCK OFF ROBIN!"

Both Richard's and Cyborg's attention snaps toward the door as they scramble to their feet to see a hyperventilating Beastboy standing in the frame. The only one who doesn't seem surprised to see him there is Rachel. She has her gaze lowered towards the floor as she stands to the side of Richard. Not once, during this whole conversation, did she take a seat.

"BB...," Cyborg began but the changeling is unwilling to let him finish that sentence.

"YOU! Of all people here, I trusted you the most, but you want to send me away too?" There is hurt clearly laced in his green eyes as he continues, "I expected this from everyone else. From Robin, from Raven...but you Cy?"

Beastboy aggressively points to his metallic friend and says "You would sit here. At this table with that man and decided what I should do without telling me?"

When Beastboy shifts his finger towards Richard, it extends itself into claws. He hisses "Fuck you, Dick! Just because you're the 'leader' doesn't mean you can make decisions for me."

"Beastboy, this is a great opportunity for you to…" Richard tries to reason but is cut off by the changeling.

"This isn't a great opportunity for me," he spits with venom in his voice. "This is great opportunity for you! Who are you going to push away next? Huh, Robin? Is it cause I'm on to you?"

"I'm not sure what you're talking about, BB," Richard says, "What are you on to?"

"I know," he says quietly while staring Richard down, "I know it's you. I ain't got any proof but I know what my gut is telling me. It's you. If there's anyone here that needs to leave, it's you."

"BB," Cyborg begins in a placating manner, "No one is going to force you to go anywhere. It was just an idea."

"Nah, fuck that Cy. Who knows what he'll do to me if I stay here," Beastboy retorts with his face contorted into anger.

"I won't do anything to you, Beastboy," Richard says. "The choice is yours."

The changeling lets out a harsh, hoarse laugh. "Mine? Nothing here is mine. Not even this choice."

He swings his attention to the quiet empath who is standing in the corner. Richard can tell by looking at her posture and facial expressions that she is desperately trying to process all of the heavy, violent emotions in the room. All while sorting out her own thoughts and feelings. Richard watches with careful and critical eyes as Beastboy stalks his way towards the smaller woman. Every fiber of his being wants to step between the snarling predator and his very confused prey, but he also knows that this confrontation needs to happen so that it'll be easier for both of them to cut ties.

"And you" Beastboy snarls. Rachel responds to his tone by straightening her spine and focusing her full attention on the changeling. Her chakra gem is glowing a dangerous color of red in the middle of her forehead.

"You need to figure out where the fuck you stand. With him," he says as he points to Richard before swinging his finger back to point at her "or on your own two feet."

"I've always stood on my own two feet," she retorts with steel in her voice. "And I always will."

The green man snorts in amusement before he pushes back with "You did. Now you don't."

Rachel frowns at his response, but right before she can respond, the changeling continues "You might not realize it, but I see it and so does Starfire. You cater to him like he's your man. When he calls, you go running like a well trained bitch."

"God forbid we follow the leader of our team," Rachel says. "You might not be good at making leadership choices Beastboy, but that doesn't mean someone else isn't."

"Good choices," Beastboy mocks, "You think poisoning members of his own team is making good choices?"

"You have no proof," Rachel pushes back, "You think it's Dick. Starfire thinks it's me. Who knows who Cyborg thinks it is. How do we know it isn't you?"

"We all know it ain't me, babe," he barks in laughter but there's no amusement to it.

"I'm not your 'babe,'" Rachel all but sneers at him. Richard is grinding his teeth as he watches this interaction unfold before his very eyes. The level of familiarity and disrespect that he is witnessing is appalling.

"You could have been," he says with some sad regret in his voice. His green eyes glances Richard's way and they lock gazes. Richard is very careful to not blink first and is thoroughly satisfied when the changeling decides that it's not a worthy competition.

"Beastboy," Cyborg calls to his friend.

The changeling turns to look at him but decides that he doesn't want to talk to the metal man, either. He ignores his one true friend on the team as he makes his way out of the kitchen. Cyborg attempts to grab his arm to stop him, but the younger man just jerks his arm out of Cy's grasp and mumbles "Get the fuck off of me."

Both Richard and Rachel watch the two men make their way out of the room; lost in their own thoughts. This wasn't the way that he wanted to inform the changeling of his temporary change in post, but it'll have to do. He catches sight of Cyborg's uneaten breakfast on the kitchen table and realizes that it's not even 9am, yet. He can already feel that this is going to be a terribly long day.

Richard looks over at Rachel. It seems as though she is frozen in one spot with her eyes closed. She is probably trying to center herself and sort through the myriad of emotions that she's feeling so early in the morning. There is a part of Richard that wants to feel sorry for her, but there is an even larger part of him that is glad that she is wallowing in turmoil right now. She wouldn't be feeling these things if she had just stayed with him. If she had devoted all of her time and energy to him like Beastboy thought she did, then he would have made sure to take very special care of her. He is a benevolent god, in that way. Instead, she decided to invest herself in someone who is clearly not worthy of her. Now, she is reaping what she sowed.

Have you learned your lesson, beloved?

"Rachel," Richard gently calls to her. He is still incredibly angry but knows that he needs to keep it in check for now.

"Hmm?"

"If you don't mind me asking," Richard starts, "What drove you and Beastboy apart?"

"You couldn't already tell?" she asks with some disbelief in her voice as she gingerly massages her temples.

"I want to hear you say it," he says.

There is a pause as he waits for his response, but sure enough, she does answer with a very quiet "You."

There is a malicious smile that wants to pull at the corner of his lips, but he schools his face back into a neutral expression. Rachel would be worried if she opens her eyes to be greeted by his twisted grin. She choose him and continues to chose him every day that she wakes up.

"Rachel?" he calls again.

"What Dick?" she asks in exasperation.

Now, here was the real question that has been burning at the back of his mind for many days and too many nights.

"How intimate have you been with Beastboy?" he carefully asks. He is treading on thin ice in her emotionally vulnerable state. She can either break down and tell him everything or explode and disappear into the floor.

"How intimate have you been with Starfire?" she counters.

"You already know," Richard responds, "She tells you everything."

He hears a snort from his love before she responds with "She tells me too many things."

Richard watches as Rachel decides to dismiss his question and attempts to walk out the kitchen. Before she can take her third step, his arms are wrapping themselves securely around her waist and pulling her closer to his body. Even though she is covered from head to toe in all black, he can still feel the heat of he body braced against him. Her hair is semi dry, but the scent of her shampoo invades his senses as he leans down to bury his face in the crook of her neck.

"Don't ignore my question, Rachel" he says in a dangerously low voice. He can feel her body go rigid in his embrace. He can't tell if it's because of all of the events that have transpired this morning or if she subconsciously remembers what he did to her last night as she slept.

Richard makes sure to ghost his lips over the tender skin of her neck as he asks again, "How far did you get with him?"

She shivers as the heat of his breath hits her skin. He can feel the dips and curves of her torso as his arms constrict more tightly around her.

"That's none of your business, Dick," she hisses at him as she tries to pull herself out of his embrace.

"You are my business, Rachel."