(Inspired by a post from tumblr user intratempestuous.)

Bamboo Treats

The other members of Titans South were quite literally thunderstruck, in which they were struck by Thunder.

Standing agape, Argent, Jinx, and Kid Flash watched Thunder gnaw on a bamboo stick. The sounds of his overwhelming crunching filled the pregnant silence between them. The others felt as if they had completely lost their voices as Thunder glanced at the sky, swallowing and chewing without a care in the world.

Argent clapped her hand over her mouth. She observed in the stunning situation as if she were in a dream. When she accepted the mission to guide them to Professor Chang's newest base deep within the Shunan Bamboo Forest, she thought it was going to be a breeze. It was supposed to be a simple find his base, bash his robots, and blow everything to smithereens kind of operation before Professor Chang realized what hit him. Watching Thunder eat raw bamboo, however, left her in a state of bewilderment absolutely unknown to the leader of Titans South.

Kid Flash, usually so verbose and chatty, found himself silenced. His lips opened and closed like a fish gasping for water. All he could do was flick his attention to the twisted bamboo tree Thunder had broken, its smooth exterior now jagged and clipped. As a boy from a suburban town, he could hardly fathom Thunder looking like a panda as he ate pure bamboo.

Compared to her stupefied teammates, Jinx saw red. She clenched her fists, trying to supress the scream rising in the back of her throat. Knowledge from her days at the HIVE Academy quickly rushed to the forefront of her mind. She had studied various kinds of poisons, mixing deadly potions in hopes of impressing her teachers, and one particular toxin crossed her mind, causing her complexion to pale to an even lighter gray.

Unobservant to the horrified faces of his friends, Thunder grinned. He watched his brother flying towards them as he returned from his reconnaissance duty and waved him down. Dropping his half-eaten stick, Thunder brushed his hand on his armor and asked, "Brother, what were you able to find?"

With his electrical half returning to his bare legs, Lightning said, "I was able to uncover the entrance to Professor Chang's base and-"

"Hold on a second," Jinx interjected, waving her hands. She stepped between them and slowly pivoted to Thunder. Raising her finger to his face, she squinted at him. "Did-did you just...did you just eat bamboo? As in raw bamboo? Bamboo completely unprepared to be eaten?"

Thunder blinked, the blunt accusation in her voice rather surprising. "I-well, yes? Should there be something wrong with what I have done?"

"Why are you making it sound like a question? You-you just plucked off some bamboo-" Jinx threw her hand out to the plethora of vibrant, emerald bamboo trees surrounding them. "-and ate it like you were eating a-a-a-" She threw her arms up wildly in the air. "-a granola bar! Have you lost your mind, Thunder? Is that it? Have you finally gone off the deep end or did you take too many electrical shocks to your brain?"

"Do not speak to my brother in such a cruel tone! What is the meaning of these harsh insults?" Lightning barked, swiftly stepping in front of Thunder, who could only frown and struggle to comprehend Jinx' anger.

Grunting, she shoved Lightning out of her way. "Oh, don't police my tone! Don't you know these things are poisonous?" Jinx pointedly glared at Thunder, who instinctively took a step back. "Raw bamboo has a deadly toxin in it that forms cyanide in the stomach, stupid! You need help right now or you'll end up in a coffin buried six feet underground!"

"What the-? Cyanide!" Argent recoiled, her hands jerking to her chin. "W-we gotta call off the mission. Thunder's gonna die at this rate if we don't do something right now."

"I'll take him to a hospital to get his stomach pumped," Kid Flash said, furrowing his brow. "Can you three can handle Chang so we can take down two birds with one stone or should I call Robin and have another team take care of him?"

Thunder and Lightning gawked at each other, the former scratching his neck. Lightning crossed his arms, a fine eyebrow raising as the others members of Titans South bickered over the best course of action. Turning his attention to the bamboo stick, Lightning snatched it off the ground and narrowed his eyes at Thunder's teethmarks embedded into it.

"Is this what you fools are clamoring about?" Lightning smirked. "Ho ho! You people really are so amusing. You think a little piece of bamboo could hurt Thunder and Lightning?"

Before Jinx could snap at him, Lightning broke off a piece. As if popping in a piece of candy, he tossed the tiny edge into his mouth and swallowed it whole. The immediate bafflement crossing Jinx' face made a chuckle roll out across his tongue as he waved his hand.

"Your concerns are understandable," Thunder said, nudging Lightning before he could sneer at them, "but my brother and I share different physiologies from you all. We are not exactly human. Something like bamboo will do us no harm, but I am sorry for troubling you." He chuckled, the corners of his lips dimpling. "In fact, the taste of bamboo is rather nice. It is a rarity for me these days to enjoy it."

"Therefore, sticks of bamboo with their 'cyanide' cannot deter Thunder and Lightning!" The younger twin cackled a maniacal tune and cracked the bamboo stick in half.

Argent pursed her lips, hesitation vivid in her stance. She opened her mouth to retort only to groan and shake her head. Being a half-alien, she knew there was some truth in what they were saying, but watching the elementals chew away at the sticks unsettled her stomach, and she shivered from head to toe.

Kid Flash scratched through his hair, his lackadaisical smile returning. "Well, if you guys say so, then I guess it's so. Mission's still on."

Jinx groaned, hunching forward as Kid Flash laughed. No lesson from the HIVE Academy could have prepared her for Thunder and Lightning's eating habits. Dragging her hand down her face, she shook her head at them as the brothers finished their treat, wondering if she could have had the same excitement with her old team.