AN: Well everyone! I am pleased to announce that this is officially my most viewed story to date! Thank you all so much for the support you've been giving this story, and I only hope that things will continue getting better from here!

Anyway, onto the chapter.

Chapter 35 At the Drawing Board

Robin looked out at the view from the top of Titans Tower's roof. The goofy world was certainly colorful, and some of the colors even helped the Boy Wonder to smile. However, they could also be seen as blinding. Looking at the colors for too long not only put a severe strain on his eyes, but they also made the fact that he and his team were in another universe all the more prominent. Metaphorically speaking, it was a humongous monster staring down the team, laughing and snorting and making its presence known to pretty much everyone.

Because of this, the pressure that Robin felt was also more prominent. He sighed and took a seat, letting his feet dangle off the side of the roof. He had to do this. Everyone was counting on hims, counting on him to be the light that will guide them through this scary dark night. And Robin definitely wanted to provide that for everyone. The only question now was… could he?

He shook his head, letting out a whimper that most people would describe as uncharacteristic of him. Yes, he could. He had to. Everything was at stake. If there was anytime where the Titans needed him to be the headstrong, fearless leader. It was now. And Robin wasn't the type of person who failed to meet expectations. He would figure out where to go from here. He just needed a little bit of time.

So, he put his hand to his chin, lines and ridges forming in his forehead as he dedicated every last inch of his willpower to thinking. He could almost see something. A vague idea, an inclination that the answers he sought were right there. Ripe for the taking, right for the grabbing and turning into a plan that was concrete and dependable. He concentrated harder. The answers were right there, he just needed to…

Robin blinked before scowling. No, nope, they were gone. Down the metaphorical drain. Shaking his head, the Boy Wonder stood back up. He could do this! He knew he could! He just… oh, why was this so hard? It should be easy for him!

"Hey!"

Robin blinked a second time before his heart sank. Oh goody. He never would've imagined he would feel so annoyed at the sound of his own voice, but then again, he was in another dimension.

"Hello Robin," Robin said, doing his best to brush his annoyance to the side and put on a welcoming voice. He honestly couldn't say for certain if he succeeded in that endeavor.

"Think of plans in a broody fashion, ain't ya big guy?" Robin chuckled. "I would expect nothing less from me. I like to brood too."

Robin snorted. "You like to brood?"

"Of course!" Robin puffed out his chest. "I'm a great superhero! And all great superheroes get top marks in the practice of brooding!"

Robin almost descended into laughter. That was probably the most humorous thing he ever head from his double, and said double probably didn't even intend it.

"Yes, you are definitely a great superhero." The smile went away, fading like a vapor in the wind. Man, if only he could be the great superhero everyone needed him to be…

"So." Robin put on an interested expression, slapping his hands against his hips as he teetered back and forth on the heels of his feet. "How's that master plan of yours coming along?"

Robin hesitated, not sure what he wanted to admit to his counterpart. Something told him that, if he admitted to Robin that he was having trouble, his double would never let him hear the end of it. He would laugh at him, tell him that he sucked as a superhero and was definitely the "inferior Robin" that he had originally thought him to be. And sure, Robin's ego wasn't nearly as fragile as his double's; he could conceivably grin and bear it. Even still… well, discouragement was the last thing he needed. It was the last thing any of them needed.

"I've been making progress," Robin eventually said. Which… was kind of true? Kind of? He didn't really know.

"Oh." Robin nodded his head. "So, I guess you aren't really in need of my help."

Robin didn't even need to hesitate over what to say in response to this. "No. You can just go relax with the others. I assure you that everything is going smoothly, and you will have a sturdy plan at the end of the day!"

Robin squinted at him. Maybe he saw through the lie. Sure, this version of Robin didn't seem to possess the emotional intelligence to pick up on the cues Robin was leaking, but still. It didn't exactly take a genius to see that he was struggling. And unfortunately, that was a fact that Robin seemed too acutely aware of.

"I see," he said, dragging out the last part of the last word. He continued squinting at Robin, causing the Titan's leader to sweat. Robin put his hands on his hips. "Well, okay then. If you think you have everything under control… well, I can definitely trust you."

Robin breathed a sigh of relief and managed to smile. "Thanks Robin." Honestly, that was probably the nicest thing his double had ever said to him. Maybe that meant he was making progress to winning this bobble-headed superhero over? One could only hope…

"Of course." Robin turned, looking like he was ready to go back down into the tower. Robin took a deep breath, slowly letting it out as he reveled in the silence. Aww, silence. That was the best thing that one who was doing their best to think it could have. It was liberating. It was exhilarating. It was…

"You know," Robin said, turning back around with a frown on his face. "You're still the Inferior Robin."

Robin felt a pang, which kind of surprised him. Granted, the insult had come from out of left field, but still. It certainly disoriented him, and made him feel a little bad to hear someone talking about him in a way that was so… discouraging.

He sighed. He shouldn't let this get him down. "That's your opinion." He slicked his hair back. "And honestly, I don't think expressing that opinion would be too terribly conductive in this scenario."

Robin smirked, snickering like a schoolgirls who were gossiping at a playground. "Even still, it's true. And unless you do something crazy, like go toe to toe with Trigon himself, it's probably going to stay that way."

Robin blinked before smiling, seeing a fault in those words. "It's funny you mention that. You see, I already went toe to toe with Trigon."

THAT caused Robin to cease up. He slowly turned back to his counterpart, looking slightly impressed but mostly surprised. "Wait, really?"

"Yeah." Robin smiled, crossing his arms and standing up to his full height. "My whole team beat him up and vanquished him from existence. And I've gotta say, I have never been so proud in us. It is, without a doubt, our greatest achievement."

Robin stared, his jaw dropped. "You… you…" he hesitated before his face reverted back to its default expression. "Cool story. Sounds pretty false to me, but it's still cool."

Robin's face fell. Once again, he felt a pang, which confused him more and more. Why did he feel this way? It's not like he cared what Robin had to say. His head was so big it could be seen from space; why would Robin take the words and comments from someone like that seriously?

Ultimately, he just sniffed. "Well. I guess you can believe that if you want to."

Robin chuckled. "Oh believe me, I will." With that, he finally went back down into the tower.

Once he was gone, Robin let out a deep breath that he didn't even realize he was holding in. He put his hands to his temples and massaged them, trying his best to keep his temper down. He wasn't going to let Robin's words get to him, and he most certainly wasn't going to stoop to his level. He was above that. He was better than that. At least, he should be better than that; that was what was required of someone donning the mantle of superhero.

So, trying his best to not think about his conceited double, he got right back to thinking. Unfortunately, every time he got even a smidge closer to coming up with a usable plan, Robin's words echoed in his ears. He shook his head, grit his teeth, and massaged his temples. Why did this bother him so much? Supervillains slung insults at him all the time, and he didn't feel down about those. Was it just because Robin was another superhero? Nay, another version of him?

Oh… oh goodness. Now that Robin thought about it, what did his double's terrible attitude say about his personality? Was he conceited too? Was he just as unbearable to be around in the best of times? Thinking about these questions actually made him back up and sit down. Thinking about them… oh man, it was like he was falling into a tunnel. A very big, very deep tunnel with no light to speak of.

Thankfully, Starfire came up onto the roof right at that moment, saving him from a downwards spiral. "Oh, Robin." She giggled. "The other Starfire is such the delight to be around. She is just so happy and wonderful." She flew over to him. "I am glad to say that I am starting to become the friends with…"

She stopped when Robin turned toward her. The alien princess floated in place, looking at Robin with a furrowed brow. "Robin?" She floated over to him. "Are you alright? You look… disturbed."

Robin bit his lip. He slowly sat down, with Starfire doing the same thing right beside him. He struggled to speak, not really trusting his tongue to not spill every question nagging at his soul.

"Starfire…" he swallowed a lump. "Am I conceited?"

Starfire blinked. "What? Oh no." She shook her head. "You are not the conceited Robin. If I were to speak truthfully, you are one of the most humble individuals that I have ever come across."

Robin's heart melted right then and there. "Aww, really?" He seized up again before turning away. "That's good to hear. After all, the other me…" he shook his head. "He just seems so… disingenuous."

Starfire frowned. "You believe so?"

"Well… every single conversation I've had with him so far has gone down a… less than positive road." His spirits and his heart sank. "It… it kind of makes me wonder about my own character."

Starfire nodded. "Well… you do have the flaws of your own. You can be stubborn, and you can do the obsessing over certain things." She put her hand on his shoulder. "But I can assure you with the utmost certainty, you are not conceited. And even if you were…" her eyes sparkled. "It is still something that you could easily overcome."

Robin blinked. "You think so?"

"Mmhm," Starfire said as she nodded. "One thing that has always fascinated me about people from all corners of the universe is there ability to grow and change. Everyone has the capacity to learn from their mistakes. And you…" she smiled. "You definitely have those abilities. It's what makes you such a joy to be around."

Robin's heart melted even more. He even felt his face grow warm. "Man, Star. That's… that's really sweet. Thank you."

"You are ever most welcome, Robin." She hugged him, the action very nice to him. Right in the middle of the hug was when a question entered Robin's mind.

"Star… do you think my double can change to?"

"Of course!" Starfire said without a moment's hesitation. "He is a version of you, yes? The shreds of the doubt are far from my mind; he is more than capable of making the change."

Robin let out a breath, actually finding some form of comfort in those words. "That's good." In fact… hearing those words, and recognizing the assurance that cam packaged with them… it was just the motivation he needed to return to the drawing board. So, he patted Starfire on the hand. "You go have more fun with your double, Star. I have some more thinking I need to do."

"Of course, Robin." Starfire pulled away from him, all while her brow furrowed again. "Oh the man, I hope we find the answers we need soon. I am feeling very concerned about the Ravens."

Robin nodded. The Ravens. He could only imagine what kind of danger they were in right now…