A/N: Well, friends, another chapter of "Firelight" is here! My five week night class is officially over, and four weeks from now I'm going to have a month off from college, so think of this as a celebration chapter! Of course, before my month off, I have some fairly large assignments to do for my two remaining classes and I am still interning. Because of this I'm not sure when I'm going to be able to post again, so I thought that I would post now. It's true that this chapter might seem a bit slow, but I still really like how it turned out!
Within another few chapters I'm going to get started on a very action-filled arc for this story where the Titans East and Titans West team up, so I feel like a slow chapter is necessary before the action. Not to mention that this is a chapter revolving around Speedy and Damiana, and since I have a few major Speedy X Damiana shippers who are reading, I thought that you might enjoy it. Thank you guys for all the reads and the comments, and I hope that you enjoy the chapter! :D
Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans.
Part II: Shadows: Chapter Sixteen
No! Heck no! There is absolutely no way I'm getting on the back of that thing!"
If Damiana was ever unsure about her membership of the Titans East being permanent, then all doubts have just been erased. The moment the police entered inside the building to take Scurvy Dog into custody, (who was taken out incredibly easily by Mas y Menos, much to their surprise), the Titans paused and waited for her to follow them out of the building. Not only that, but until Damiana followed, not a single one of them would budge an inch. For a long moment this surprised her, but eventually she gave a nod and followed after them.
Also to Damiana's surprise, while they were inside the museum, the crowd of civilians that was previously gathered outside disappeared. The only people left are firefighters and police officers, who are choosing to ignore the Titans and go about their business. Honestly, the fact that nobody is around to stare at them relieves Damiana. Not because she is self-conscious, but because the lack of people around to stare, judge, and be critical gives her more freedom to speak freely. At this moment in time being able to speak freely is exactly what she needs, because there is absolutely no way that she is giving into the red-haired archer.
Right now, on the side of the road across from the partially destroyed museum, the eight Titans stand gathered around Aqualad's and Speedy's motorcycles. It didn't take much convincing on their part to get Damiana to cooperate in coming back to the Tower. Secretly, Damiana was counting on going to Titans Tower with them. After she ran out on them the first time, she didn't figure that they would let her escape them so easily a second time. Of course, what Damiana didn't consider was that getting to Titans Tower would require transportation.
Cars, she is perfectly okay with. Considering how there wasn't anything like them on Dabnod, she wasn't at first, but over time she grew used to cars. During the past five years, due to various circumstances, she has ridden in numerous four-wheeled vehicles. In a way, she has even grown to appreciate the method of transportation that is so incredibly unique to Earth. Two-wheeled vehicles, on the other hand, are another story entirely. They have no walls surrounding them, they move much faster than cars, are smaller than cars, and if somebody isn't careful they might end up falling off. As a whole, motorcycles are just so…unsafe!
It is because of this that she and Speedy are having their current disagreement.
Speedy, who already has a hand resting on the seat of the Speed Cycle, shoots the girl an expression that is both irritated and offended as he replies to her previous statement. "Okay. Let me get this straight. You're willing to ride in some ancient scrapheap from the 1970's with an old lady behind the wheel, you'll let me drive you anywhere and everywhere in my Chevrolet, but you aren't willing to get on the back of my motorcycle?"
Running a hand through her dyed brown ringlets, Damiana shoots him a glare. "Are you kidding me? I would never get on the back of one of those things! Just look at it! It's a deathtrap on wheels!"
Damiana can't see his emerald irises, but she is fairly certain that they must be widening beneath his mask. Along with this, she guesses that he is probably raising his red eyebrows in a curious fashion. Pointing his head away from her, Speedy turns his gaze to his maroon and yellow motorcycle bearing the Speedy emblem. The moment his eyes are on it, the alien girl watches as he walks the perimeter of his motorcycle and observes it intently. A few feet behind them, the rest of the Titans East as well as the duo of West Titans watches nonchalantly.
It takes a moment, but at last, Speedy replies. "Well, I don't see any loose bolts. The wheels don't look like they're about to fall off. The fenders, the seats, and the muffler don't look like they're on their last leg either. So I'm not sure where you're coming from. The Speed Cycle is absolutely not a deathtrap." Pausing slightly, he adds, "It doesn't matter who you ride with, Leila. It can be me, or it can be Aqualad. To be honest, I really don't care. As long as you make it to the Tower in one piece."
Crossing her arms over her chest, she shoots him another glare. "If you really want me to get there in one piece, then you'll let me walk. I'm sorry, but I don't trust motorcycles. There aren't any walls, and they go fast. They're dangerous!"
Damiana has no idea how, but her words manage to elicit Speedy's arrogant trademark smirk. She doesn't notice, but behind her, the rest of the Titans are exchanging knowing glances. If she didn't know any better, she would say that it's as if they're all assuming that the archer is going to find a way to convince her to get on one of the motorcycles. If not him, then one of them.
Meanwhile, Speedy replies. "They aren't that dangerous; not when I'm the one driving. You've seen me drive before. To think, I thought that you'd trust me to control a vehicle by now."
Stunned slightly by his words, her false green eyes widen in aggravation. "Since when does trust play into my opinion of motorcycles? When I say that they're dangerous, I mean that all of them are dangerous regardless of who's driving! I would take any mode of transportation to Titans Tower if it means avoiding getting on the back of the Speed Cycle."
From here Speedy doesn't have to say a thing. His smirk growing slightly wider, Bumblebee speaks out from behind them. Much to her amazement, Bumblebee wears a smirk as well. The only difference is that rather than being smug, hers is one of amusement. A hand resting on one of her hips, she eyes Damiana skeptically as she addresses her.
"Any mode of transportation? If you're sure about that, then get over here and grab on. I'll fly you back to the Tower. Make sure you hang on tight, though. There aren't any seatbelts, and I fly high."
"I could fly you back to the Tower, too!" exclaims Beast Boy sounding equally amused. "It might feel a little uncomfortable, though. I would have to carry you there using my talons."
Stepping forward wearing his own brand of smug smile, Aqualad adds, "Or you could walk to the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, and I could summon some dolphins to swim you to the Tower. It might take a while, but I'm sure swimming is much safer than getting on the back of one of our motorcycles."
Running a hand through her curled tresses once more, Damiana turns to face them while sighing in annoyance. "Come on. You know that isn't what I mean. I didn't mean any mode of transportation."
"Well, that's what you said," states Bumblebee easily. "It's either flying, swimming, a five hour walk, or riding on the back of one of the motorcycles. Take your pick."
A long moment of silence passes after this, Damiana's irritation only growing. In truth, she would much rather take the five hour walk. If it was only a three hour walk, then she would actually go for it. Of course, with as much time as it would waste, there's no doubt that taking the walking option would be ridiculous. Flying through the air being held in Beast Boy's talons doesn't sound pleasant either; especially depending on the type of bird he turns into.
Then there's flying with Bumblebee, which sounds far more dangerous than any type of land vehicle. Maybe it doesn't sound dangerous to Bumblebee since she's the one with the wings, but since Damiana herself is incapable of flight, flying simply sounds like a stupid and risky idea. After all, she is a Dabnodian, not a Tamaranean. As for the thing with the ocean and the dolphins, she's pretty sure that Aqualad was just being sarcastic…
As if deciding that what the rest of the Titans told her wasn't enough, Speedy makes a statement while continuing wearing his smirk. "Whoever you go with, make sure you hold on tight. As Titans we work out a lot, so we're not super cuddly, but we'll still keep you from falling."
Another lengthy moment of silence passes after this. During this time Mas y Menos run off by use of their super speed, Beast Boy flies away in the form of a green eagle, and Bumblebee takes to the skies. At some point Cyborg hops onto Aqualad's blue and black motorcycle, the metal man and the Atlantian temporarily fighting over who gets to drive before the latter finally gives in and takes the back. Once this is decided, they take off and return to the Tower as well.
By this point only Speedy and Damiana are left. The two take some time to stare at each other, Damiana with uncertainty, and Speedy still wearing his smirk. When Speedy's smirk finally softens to a gentle smile, however, that is when the alien girl finally takes a deep breath before walking forward. Knowing that they have finally come to an agreement, Speedy puts on his helmet and hops into the front seat. Even so, Damiana doesn't yet jump onto the two-wheeled vehicle. Instead, moving so that she is directly beside Speedy, she asks a question that sounds genuinely nervous.
"You're not going to drive like a maniac, right? I know that this sounds weird, especially coming from the girl who is able to survive on the streets, face down villains, and bend fire to her will, but I honestly do hate motorcycles."
His gentle smile never fading, he extends a gloved hand in her direction. "Don't worry. I promise I'll take it slow. If I'm going too fast, just let me know. I guarantee that I'll slow down."
Taking a deep breath, she places her tiny hand in his larger one, allowing him to pull her onto the Speed Cycle. As she is planted firmly onto the backseat, the nervousness she feels in her gut is unbelievable. There are no walls around her to protect her, two-wheeled vehicles are difficult to detect by cars, and she could fall off of this thing so easily. She can't believe that she has to ride on the back of one of these deathtraps! What Speedy says next doesn't make it any easier for her, either.
"When I said hold on tight, I was being serious. Make sure you grab me tight. Since this is your first time on a motorcycle, and since you don't have a helmet, holding onto me will probably help." Pausing slightly, he adds, "I'm sorry that you don't have a helmet, by the way. I have an extra, but I forgot to bring it. Next time you'll definitely have one, though, guaranteed."
Damiana groans internally at the words "next time". He honestly expects her to get on the back of this deathtrap more than once?!
Sighing deeply, Damiana hesitates slightly before loosely wrapping her arms around his midsection. Honestly, grabbing hold of him is the last thing that she wants to do. It's true that she gets along with Speedy better than she used to, but physical contact still isn't something she's used to. Secretly, the girl's primary goal is holding onto Speedy as little as possible. With as much as she hates motorcycles, hopefully this goal can be met.
Meanwhile, making sure that her grip remains as loose as possible, she replies to his previous statement. "Okay. Whatever. Just get me back to the Tower. Let's get this over with."
At first, Damiana thought that Speedy had been exaggerating. When he told her that she needs to hold on tight, she thought for sure that he had just been patronizing her due to her phobia. Of course, as the universe would have it, it only took thirty seconds for her to realize how wrong this assumption was. With the wind blowing in her face, her lengthy tresses whipping around wildly, and how disorienting the rapid movement of his motorcycle feels, holding onto Speedy really does help. Damiana hates to admit it, but as a whole, holding onto the archer isn't so bad.
Like Speedy stated earlier, he does indeed work out. Even so, this doesn't mean that he isn't "cuddly" in one form or another. One thing Damiana likes about holding onto Speedy is that his body is very firm. It's difficult for the girl to explain, but as they're speeding down one of Steel City's streets at approximately fifty miles per hour, holding onto something so solid makes her feel the slightest bit more confident that she isn't going to fall off. Not only that, but Speedy's body is also very warm, making it all the more pleasant to bury her face in his back in order to shield the wind from her eyes.
Along with how warm he is, as well as how muscular his back and abdomen feel, Damiana can also feel as the thudding of his heartbeat radiates throughout his torso. During the five years that she has been on Earth, Damiana has had almost no physical contact with other beings, so she never noticed it before, but a human heartbeat is very different from that of a Dabnodian's. Unless their body is in a state of crisis or their adrenaline is running high, Dabnodian hearts usually beat at completely different intervals. One heart beats rapidly while the other takes on a slower pace, almost sounding like music.
However, from what she can tell due to having her limbs wrapped around Speedy, human heartbeats aren't like music. Instead, Speedy's is strong, steady, and constant, almost like a hypnotic trance. Honestly, now that she is actually close enough to a human to feel their heartbeat, she likes how steady and constant the beating of only one heart feels. Human heartbeats are very different from what she's used to, but are nonetheless very pleasant to listen to. It is so peaceful, and soothing, and stable...
All of the sudden, Damiana is torn away from her inner musings. Normally she would just be happy that it wasn't them crashing or her falling off of the Speed Cycle that distracted her, but right now, the idea of them crashing doesn't sound so bad. When Speedy asks the question that he does, and when she realizes why he's asking it, the girl feels like she could crawl into a hole and bury herself.
"Leila, are you okay? Either your fear of motorcycles is more serious than I thought, or you are seriously enjoying it that I work out." Chuckling in a fashion that is both teasing and amused, he adds, "Are you feeling me up? Because from my end, that's what it feels like."
Coming out of her thoughts and back into reality, Damiana realizes exactly what he's talking about. How she didn't notice earlier, she doesn't know, but her hands have been trailing up his abdomen completely of their own accord. Rather than her arms wrapping around his waist like they were previously, there is one hand resting atop his abdomen where his flawless six-pack is located, and the other is resting on his chest over his heart. The whole time one of her cheeks is resting on his upper back, enjoying the feel of him.
The moment she realizes what she is doing, this changes completely. Cheeks turning crimson, she pulls her face away from his back and readjusts her arms so that they are once again wrapped around his waist. Only, this time, they are wrapped much more loosely than before. While doing this, she makes a loud exclamation that sounds angry, but underneath the anger is embarrassment. It is no secret to the Dabnodian girl that Speedy is able to hear right through the anger to her actual emotions.
"What? No! I wasn't feeling you up! Why the heck would you think that? What do you think I am? Some kind of closet pervert who enjoys touching men in tights?!"
By now his chuckles are turning to open laughter. "I don't know, Leila. I'm starting to wonder!"
Having entered a busier part of the city, Speedy has slowed his motorcycle down from fifty miles per hour to a speed that is around twenty-five. Relieved by this most recent occurrence, Damiana uses this as an opportunity to release him completely. By now her face is redder than her undyed hair on a happy day. Blowing a wispy brown strand out of her face with a huff, she crosses her arms over her chest and grumbles to him in response.
"Think what you want Speedy, but your assumptions are false."
Beneath the mask and the helmet, Damiana is certain that his emerald eyes are glinting teasingly as he replies. "Sure. Whatever you say." After a momentary pause, he adds, "But next time, I would suggest feeling up my biceps. I spend a lot of time on my arms, so they should be pretty firm."
Damiana simply rolls her eyes at him. "Honestly, Speedy. You are one of the most arrogant people I have ever met. I bet a girl can't tap you on the shoulder in the grocery store without you thinking that she's making a move." A moment later, she adds, "You need to get some seatbelts installed on this thing, because I'm never holding onto you again."
Approximately thirty seconds passes after this, the girl feeling confident with her statement. Then, as if the universe is against her, that is when the section of road they're on turns particularly bumpy. Holding onto the seat, she does her best to brace herself, but at some point the Speed Cycle hits a bump that is larger than the rest. As a result, she is knocked into Speedy, slender arms wrapping around his waist once more. When this happens, the archer speaks out sounding incredibly smug.
"Again, Leila, whatever you say."
"Will you be quiet?!" she snaps at him. "I bet you chose this street on purpose!"
Chuckling, he confesses, "Hey, maybe!"
Glaring at him with false green eyes, she exclaims, "I liked you better that day on the dock! What is this? Do you just feel like tormenting me today or something?!"
He gives another chuckle. "Again, maybe!"
Narrowing her eyes, she seethes, "You're so infuriating."
He doesn't laugh this time, though he does sound amused. "I know."
To both of their surprises, Damiana doesn't let go of him despite her irritation. Instead she keeps her arms loosely wrapped around his waist. When they make it to a less busy part of town and start doing fifty miles per hour again, her grasp tightens and she ends up burying her face in his back once more, the wind being too much with it blowing in her face. While doing this she blushes, being hyperaware of the close contact due to their previous conversation. She doesn't realize it, but the moment she tightens her grasp, Speedy's cheeks redden as well. When she buries her face in his back, he gains a smile. Not an arrogant smile, but one that is both pleased and gentle.
Every day before this one, the idea of having to share the Speed Cycle with someone else made Speedy cringe in agony. Having some girl sitting in back of him, clinging onto him, and jabbering into his ear sounded like the worst kind of torture imaginable. Sure he has gone on dates with girls, will give the occasional wink to a fangirl, and if he is in a really good mood he'll even show off his bow. The Speed Cycle, however, is where the archer draws the line. With as peppy and squealy as fangirls are, the last thing he would ever want is one of them on the back of his motorcycle hugging the life out of him and talking a mile a minute while he's trying to drive. Not only would that make for unsafe driving conditions, but it would be unbelievably annoying.
It is because of this that Speedy was never able to foresee how comfortable he is with Leila riding on the Speed Cycle with him. He knew that since it was Leila and not a fangirl that he would be okay with it, but he didn't know that he would be this okay with it. What also surprises him is that, even when her grasp is at its tightest, he honestly doesn't mind being held onto. It's a difficult thing to explain, but he actually likes the feeling of her arms being wrapped around his waist. When he's going so fast that she can't tolerate the feeling of the wind, he also finds himself enjoying it when she cuddles closer and rests her head on his back, as if using him as some kind of a shield.
It really is very strange to the archer, but he supposes he enjoys Leila's touch because it is unintentional and innocent. She isn't like the scheming and manipulative fangirls who will touch him in the exact same manner just to get closer to Aqualad, end up on the Evening News, or to say that they hugged Titan Speedy. When Leila wraps her arms around his waist and rests her head against him, it is simply because she is using him as an anchor to make her feel safe while riding the Speed Cycle. It still baffles him that a girl who knows how to survive on the streets and who is probably capable of burning down entire cities is afraid of motorcycles, but then again, he supposes that everyone has a phobia.
The only thing that baffles him more would be the fact that she was feeling him up a few minutes ago. It's very odd, because she wasn't touching him in a fashion that suggested lust. She had one hand slowly running up and down his abdomen feeling his six-pack, and the other resting firmly on his chest, but it wasn't in a rough or forceful manner. Through Speedy's eyes, it almost seemed like Leila was…curious. Based on the way she was touching him and on how close she was snuggled up to him, she made it seem like she hasn't been close to another human in ages! Like she'd gone years without experiencing any physical contact!
Really, Leila feeling him up wasn't something that was bothering Speedy too bad. It was simply that once she started snuggling too close, and once her hands started touching his torso a little too much, he was starting to feel a bit...uncomfortable. The fact that she didn't seem to notice how much she was touching him didn't help anything, either. If anything, her touches seemed to be absentminded. His worst fear at the moment was having her come out of whatever trance she was in only to discover how warm he was getting and his quickening heartrate.
So, with this being his fear, why not point out her actions and tease her a bit? In a way, teasing has always been his cover. Not to mention that teasing Leila truly is fun. Seeing her embarrassed and irritated reactions to his accusations make his day. Speedy has rarely seen anything cuter than a defensive, embarrassed, and blushing Leila. Now that she's joining the Titans, the archer is secretly hoping that she'll make a lot of his days with their arguments and friendly teasing. Having one other Titan on their team really does sound nice to the archer. He enjoys having Aqualad, Bee, and Mas y Menos around, as they're all his friends, but having one more person around would make the Titans East seem more complete. Secretly, he has always thought this.
Right now, after several minutes of teasing Leila and playfully arguing with her, they have again fallen silent. They are currently stopped at a red light at an intersection where there isn't much traffic. Despite the fact that they are currently motionless, Leila still has her arms wrapped loosely around his waist. Normally she wouldn't, but at intersections where there isn't much traffic he has the unfortunate habit of taking off fast. He forgot to give her a warning a few miles back, and sadly she learned this the hard way. So now, unless she knows they're going to do thirty-five miles per hour or under, Leila continues holding onto him. Of course, Speedy doesn't mind this; not even a little bit.
Several moments pass and they continue sitting in silence, the sounds of the few idling engines around them filling the air. They aren't far from the Tower now, and should be there in less than ten minutes. Because of this, Speedy is expecting silence for rest of their ride. However, when the sound of his communicator beeping from his pocket begins echoing loudly, he knows that this most likely won't be the case. Hurriedly digging the circular object bearing the Titan emblem out of his pocket before the light turns green, he answers to see the smiling face of Bumblebee.
"Oh, hey, Bee," he says simply. "What's up?"
Her facial expression remaining chipper, she gets straight to the point. "Hey, Speedy. Did you get Leila on the back of the Speed Cycle yet? Since you're wearing your helmet, it looks like you did."
Smiling, he gives a nod. "Yep. It took a while, but I managed it. We've been taking regular streets instead of the freeway, so it's taking a bit longer to get back. This is her first time riding a motorcycle, and she doesn't have a helmet, so I figured that it would be best to steer clear of the freeway."
Bumblebee nods in response. "That's a good call on your part. For some reason I had it in my head that you'd take the freeway anyway."
Before Speedy has a chance to respond to the statement, Leila replies from behind him. Even if she is unable to see the communicator, she can still hear Bumblebee clearly.
"It's a good thing he didn't take us out on the freeway on this two-wheeled deathtrap! If he did, I would wring his neck!"
Speedy can't help but smirk at her words. "Would the freeway really be so bad, Leila? If we were on the freeway, you could snuggle even closer. With the way you were feeling me up a few minutes ago, I thought for sure that you'd want another opportunity."
Surprised by this remark, Bee raises a brow from the communicator's other end. Meanwhile Leila responds to his teasing in what sounds like embarrassment and anger.
"For the last time, I was not feeling you up!"
"Then what do you call running your hands over my chest and abs?"
Sounding angrier than before, she exclaims, "Will you please shut up about that?! I wish that you would shove it to the back of your unconscious memory and forget that it happened!"
Holding a hand over her mouth, Speedy sees Bumblebee does her best to refrain from snickering. Aqualad, who can't be seen but is obviously nearby, is heard as he speaks out in amusement.
"Bee, why don't we tell them what we need to tell them so Leila can run her hands over Speedy's body in peace? It's hard to be a pervert when people are listening."
Speedy's eyes widen beneath his mask at the aquatic man's statement. Before he can respond, smirk, or make his own teasing remark, Leila shouts lividly.
"What did you call me, fish-for-brains?! I am not a pervert! Just wait until we get back to the Tower! I will hunt you down!"
A moment passes where there is a lack of dialogue, Aqualad and Bumblebee laughing from the communicator's other end. At some point the light turns green and Speedy passes the communicator to Leila, the girl holding the device with one hand and holding onto Speedy's shoulder for support with the other. Knowing that her grasp isn't as solid as it should be, he makes sure to drive more slowly as Leila speaks with Bumblebee.
"Just out of curiosity, is there a reason why you called? Before cruelly insulting me and calling me a pervert, Aqualad said that you had something to tell us."
Voice sounding chipper, Bumblebee replies instantly. "Yes. We wanted to tell you that when you get back to the Tower, we're going to start setting up your room and designing your costume. If we start working on your costume now, we should have an entire set ready for you in a day or two. Getting the furniture for your room might take longer, but it shouldn't take more than a week."
Much to his relief, Leila immediately concurs. "A room and a costume? That would be good. With my fire my civilian clothes take too much damage, so a costume is going to be necessary."
"Great!" exclaims Bee joyfully. "Now that I know you're on board with everything, I wanted to ask, do you need anything from your motel room? Because once we get started on making you an official Titan, there won't be a moment of peace from the media. If there's anything in your motel room that you can't live without, now would be the time to go back for it. Otherwise you could end up getting swarmed by reporters."
A long moment of silence passes once the words are spoken, Speedy being taken off guard by Bee's question. Honestly, the thought that Leila might have to grab her belongings from her motel room never occurred to him. If it had, it would have been the first question Speedy asked. As far as he knows Leila doesn't own too many personal items, so the scant few things she has should be easy enough for them to haul on the Speed Cycle.
Meanwhile, as if having his same thoughts, Leila replies to Bee's inquiry. "Now that you mention it, I actually do have some things that I should grab. A couple things I can leave behind, and the things I need should be able to fit in my bag. Not only that, but while I'm there I need to make some calls. I should really let my employers know that I won't be coming back. It would be rude to quit showing up without telling them anything." After a moment of silence, she addresses the archer. "Speedy, are you okay with stopping by my motel room? We shouldn't be there for more than twenty minutes. If not, you can always drop me here, and I can walk."
Despite the fact that he isn't facing her, Speedy gives a smile as he speaks to the girl. "No, that's okay. We can stop by your motel room so you can pick up your stuff. It isn't a problem."
Once he is through speaking, it is heard as Bumblebee gives her approval.
"Great! We'll see you when you get back to the Tower." Giving a snicker, she adds, "And don't you two stay gone for too long. Otherwise Aqualad and Beast Boy are going to start making up stories."
He can only imagine that Leila must be rolling her eyes as she replies thickly with sarcasm. "Don't worry, Bee. It'll be hard for me to keep my hands off of him, but I promise that I'll be good."
Once that is said, Leila shuts off the communicator and hands it back to Speedy. There is a brief moment of silence between them before the redhead addresses the brown-haired girl.
"Okay, I'm not sure where your motel room is at, so you'll have to direct me a bit. Is that okay?"
"Yeah, that's fine. As long as we get there."
From here it doesn't take long for Speedy to turn around, and for the brown-haired girl to begin giving him directions. The archer doesn't know it right now, but his day isn't about to turn boring. He is in for a surprise.
Damiana really wishes that Speedy would have let her walk to her motel room alone. She didn't think about it too much earlier, but now that they're actually here, there are numerous reasons why Speedy shouldn't see where she has been living. Not only is her place of residence very rough, but he really shouldn't see what she's packing into her simple black bag either. It's true that she already has the Phoenix Index with her, but she has two other books left in her motel room that are written completely in the Dabnodian language. She already slipped up and spoke her native language in front of him once. If he catches sight of the language written down, it might as well be the end. One glance at her Dabnodian books is all it will take for him to figure out that something isn't right about her.
Of course, at this moment in particular, Damiana's soul focus isn't necessarily on her books. Rather, she is just hoping that she and Speedy can get to her room toward the back of the complex as peacefully and with as little confrontation as possible. Of course, with the people that inhabit this motel, Damiana highly doubts that this will happen. Even if nobody looks in their direction or says a word to them, there is always something going on in this place. It's part of the reason why she hasn't been able to sleep any better than she did while sleeping under canopies and on park benches.
Breathing in deep, Damiana steps off of the pavement filled with potholes and rusted cars, and onto the walkway running alongside the motel rooms. The whole time Speedy walks directly beside her, observing their surroundings with a small frown. As he views the area, Damiana does her best to hide the cringe that threatens to escape. Unfortunately, the motel is particularly lively on this fine afternoon; lively in the most painful and demeaning of ways.
As they walk down the sidewalk in between the motel rooms and the parking lot, a group of individuals is seen standing amongst cars missing hubcaps and that have more rust than paint. Many of them having greasy hair, stained and tattered clothing, and missing teeth, it is plain that they are not exactly high-society people. Not only that, but they hold various glass bottles filled with clear liquid, as well Budlight cans. Some of them also hold cigarettes, both the cigarettes sold in stores, and cigarettes that look like they were thrown together haphazardly in somebody's basement. As they loiter in the parking lot, they laugh loudly while sounding unnaturally happy. The only thing that causes their laughter to cease is when they catch sight of Speedy.
"Hey, what're one of the Titans doing 'ere? I hope he ain't 'ere for any of us!" says a man with a grimy beard while pointing a liquor bottle in Speedy's direction.
"Naw, don't worry about 'im, Tim," a woman with greasy hair and yellowing teeth replies. "He ain't 'ere for us. Them Titans got other things to do than worry about us."
Damiana picks up the pace, scurrying past the group as quickly as possible. The last thing she wants to do is stick around them too long. Apparently Speedy catches her drift, because it doesn't take long for him to quicken his own pace. It isn't like moving faster helps her case much, though. It is quickly learned that the group in the parking lot wasn't the only rowdy bunch. As soon as they turn the corner to another set of motel rooms, the noise only grows worse. Then again, Damiana has always noticed that the farther back the rooms go, the louder it gets.
As they walk down a fractured sidewalk littered by trash as well as the occasional fuzzy rodent, they notice that one of the splintering wooden doors approximately ten feet away from them is hanging open. From what Damiana can see, the room number reads 16C. Of course most of this is deciphered from the number's faint outlines, as the metal plate for the 1 is dangling and the C is missing. For a moment they wonder why the door is hanging open, but less than a second later when a dark-haired man is being dragged out of the room by a duo of police officers, they learn exactly the reason. While being forcibly removed from the room, he squirms in the police officers' grasps and shouts lividly.
"Hey, man, this is so unfair! I didn't do nothin'! You dudes can't arrest me!"
"We have a warrant, so technically we can," replies one of the officers sternly.
With that being said the two officers stomp past Damiana and Speedy with the man in tow. Before they can pass them completely, however, a woman wearing a denim miniskirt and a pink midriff top with hair dyed bright purple leaps out from room 16C. She gets down on her knees and stretches an arm in the man's direction, tears streaming down her cheeks messing up her makeup.
"Don't worry, Eduardo! I won't leave! I'll wait for you forever!"
Tilting his head so that the woman is within eyesight, the man looks back at her. "It's okay, baby! I'll be back! Nothing can stop our love!"
Once the duo of police officers and the man pass them by completely, Speedy and Damiana awkwardly tiptoe past the crying purple-haired woman. By now she is sitting against the doorframe sobbing into her hands, practically shrieking like a banshee through her tears.
"Eduardo! No! Why must you leave me?!"
Once they make it past the room, so far past that they're now in front of room 19C, Speedy leans closer in order to ask a question.
"Does that happen a lot?"
Giving a small nod, she replies, "More than you think."
What Damiana doesn't tell Speedy is that Eduardo gets arrested at least once a month, and every time there is a different woman standing on the sidewalk in tears. As they get farther down the sidewalk, this isn't the end of it either. At some point they stumble past two men, one a gray-haired man wearing a woolen cap, and the other a man with blackened teeth wearing a tattered denim jacket. They sit leaned against a dank brick wall scattered with tiny fissures, the two shouting and playing tug-a-war over some random object.
"No! You can't have it! It's mine! I'm the one that found it!"
"Give it back, you old coot! You wouldn't have found it if I hadn't told you where to look!"
Based on the way they're arguing a person would think that they're fighting over a pot of gold. Upon glancing at them, however, it is discovered that the object of their desire is a bag of beef jerky. As they continue walking they pass by additional sidewalk men who sleep atop newspapers, they hear people shouting at each other inside of their rooms through broken windows, and in the motel's C area alone there are two more rooms where people are getting arrested. It is because of this that when they turn another corner and come to the motel's D area that Damiana can't help but feel relieved.
Never has she experienced a walk to her motel room more painful than this one. Not just because Speedy is with her to see the type of place that she has been living for the past six months, but because he is now staring her down in fashion that is both curious and flabbergasted. By the time they are in front of her room of 4D, she can practically feel his masked stare boring into her. Giving an internal sigh, she digs her key out of her pocket and unlocks the door. Somehow the girl already knows that Speedy isn't happy with where she has been living. It is because of this that once they step inside of her tiny room and shut the door, she isn't at all surprised by Speedy's actions.
Walking to the center of the room so that she is between the foot of the bed and the ancient television set, Damiana turns to look at Speedy who loiters near the door. As she looks at him it is seen that he is busy locking the main lock, the deadbolt, and the slide-lock, making his impression of her place of residence undeniably blunt. Once they're locked he goes back over them with gloved hands to double check that they are secure, and then he moves to the window to pull the curtains shut.
At long last, after the curtains are shut and the door is securely locked, Speedy saunters to the center of the room so that he is only a few feet away from where she stands. After a long few seconds of remaining stationary, he reaches a hand toward his eyes. For a moment Damiana questions what it is he's doing, but a second later he peels away the mask, revealing his stunning emerald gaze. Like usual his eyes leave Damiana momentarily breathless, his irises shining a dozen shades of green with the occasional fleck of brown glinting at her. The whole time emotion is seen there as well, disbelief and irritation being dominant.
It takes what feels like eternity, but at long last, the archer speaks.
"Leila," he asks slowly, "how long have you been living here?"
Damiana has no idea why, but the sight of Speedy's irritation makes her gulp nervously.
"Uh… Well…" Clearing her throat awkwardly, she confesses. "Six months."
Another moment of silence passes, this one long enough to swallow eternity. When the archer speaks again, his voice is firm like she has never heard it before. He doesn't sound angry necessarily, but Damiana can tell that he is definitely upset.
"Six months? You are telling me that you have been living in this scummy place for six months? For crying out loud, Leila! You have superpowers, and have been living in Steel City! Why didn't you try hunting down the Titans East? We could have helped you! We could have gotten you out of this place!" Pausing he adds, "If not us, why didn't you get help from Mrs. Tucker, or from your waitress friend at the café? I'm sure that they would've helped you! Anything has to be better than this!"
Running a hand through her thick brown tresses, she scowls at him severely. "You're not my mother, Speedy. I've been living here for six months, and nothing has happened. I've been fine. Remember, I lived on the streets before this. I'm a survivor."
Taking a step closer, he holds his mask between a middle finger and a forefinger while responding. "It doesn't make any sense to be a survivor when you don't have to be."
More than anything, Damiana wants to snap at him with a bitter retort. They've only known each other for a little over a week, so what does he know? He can't possibly know who she is, what her life has been like, or what she's gone through. What right does he possibly have to tell her that choosing to live here wasn't the right decision?! Moving a step closer to him, she is about ready to spew out all of these words. Before Damiana can get out a single one of them, however, that is when she looks into his eyes once more.
Speedy's eyes still hold disbelief, this is true, but the irritation is gone. Left in irritation's place is an emotion that catches Damiana so off guard that she practically finds herself reeling backwards. This emotion is caring. As he looks at her with his large, caring, eyes framed by thick lashes, Damiana sees as every shade of dazzling emerald blends together flawlessly, making his eyes gleam. Flecks of brown dance across his gaze as well, bringing his eyes up to an entire other level of beauty. So entranced is the girl by his gaze that she couldn't speak even if she tried.
During her moment of silence, Speedy continues. "If you think that I'm trying to control you, that isn't true. The motel you've been staying at is located in the most dangerous part of Steel City. It isn't safe to live here, even for a Titan. I just want to make sure that you don't get headstrong and try to come back here. The last thing any of the Titans want is for you to end up dead."
Damiana has no idea how she does it, but somehow she manages to break free from his hypnotizing gaze. Once the girl is finally free, she makes her way over to her dresser, opens one of the drawers, and shoves a pair of jeans into her black bag. Meanwhile, she gives Speedy a simple response.
"You don't have to worry about that. I just came here to pack up my stuff like I said. Once I have what I need, I'm leaving this life behind forever."
Speedy doesn't understand Leila, and honestly, he doesn't think that he ever will. Standing in the back-most corner of the tiny room between the kitchen and bathroom, he watches from the corner of his eye as Leila throws various items such as books and the money locked in the drawer of her bedside table into her bag. As she does this she holds the walk-around phone belonging to the motel up to her ear using her shoulder, frantically talking to someone on the other end as she packs up her things.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Elliot, but you didn't mishear me. I won't be coming back to work. Other things have come up, and there is no longer room on my schedule."
He can't hear specifically what the lady says to Leila, but he can tell by the volume of her voice that she is far from happy. Even from his place on the other side of the room, he can tell that one of Leila's many employers is shouting at her furiously. This doesn't surprise him, though. So far this is the fourth person she has called, and the three previous people reacted in the same fashion. With as horrible as these people are, Speedy doesn't understand why she's giving them a head's up that she's quitting. If he was in her situation, he would just leave them hanging. Then again, he doesn't understand how she has been able to weather through six months of living here, either. Living on the streets must be better than living in a place like this. Having lived on the streets himself, he knows this for sure.
As he watches Leila in his peripheral vision, Speedy keeps his primary gaze on the other aspects of her room. With as trashy as the motel itself is, Leila's room isn't half bad. He can tell that she does her best to keep it clean. The floors are mopped, there aren't any crumbs on the carpeting, the bed is made, and the kitchen counter is clean. Even so, this doesn't make up for the fact that there is mold crawling up the wall behind the TV, there are cracks in the drywall, the carpeting and tile look like they should have been replaced a decade ago, and in the corner beside the exit, he sees a large gray rat. Upon spotting him, the rat wiggles under the door and out of the room, causing Speedy to grimace.
Growing bored with observing the room's main area, and not wanting to watch Leila too intently in case she needs privacy to pack things such as undergarments, Speedy turns around so that he is facing the part of the room containing the kitchen and the bathroom. His mask in one hand, he waltzes over to the cupboard above the counter and throws it open with his free hand. Why he does this, he isn't certain. He either does this out of boredom or curiosity.
Upon throwing open the cupboard, he sees that there isn't too much to be curious about, though. All that's there is a loaf of bread with only four remaining slices, a box of macaroni, and an empty jar of peanut butter. Shutting the cupboard door gently, he moves over the fridge and peeks inside there as well. Seeing as it only contains an expired half-gallon of milk and a nearly empty jar of jelly, the refrigerator is in even worse shape than the cupboard.
"Geesh," says the archer internally. "If she hadn't already agreed to come back to the Tower, I would probably try making her. It can't be healthy living like this. It's no wonder she's so frail!"
Shaking his head at the thought, he can't help but feel a bit disgusted with Leila. The fact that she would choose to live in a violent, rat-infested, environment, and malnourish herself instead of seeking help is just…unbelievable! Sure she has superpowers, but still! She has to eat, and has to get some sleep at some point. No matter how brilliant her powers are, they're still no excuse for putting herself in unnecessary danger. What reason does she have not to seek help? Besides her powers, it's not like she has anything to hide!
Shutting the door to the refrigerator, Speedy turns back around to face the girl. Now she is no longer talking on the phone, but is busily dialing another number. Not wanting to interrupt her, he moves away from the kitchen and toward the door leading to her bathroom. This time he doesn't care about snooping. Rather, he needs a mirror to make sure that he's putting his mask back on right. Under normal circumstances he wouldn't have removed it at all, but in order for Leila to realize how serious he was being, he figured that taking it off would be best. Whether it is Leila or his fellow Titans back at the Tower, he has discovered that he is taken the most serious when he removes his mask.
Stepping inside of the bathroom, which contains cracked tile, a stained sink, and a scummy-looking toilet and shower stall, Speedy moves over to the bathroom vanity. Mask in hand, he places it over his eyes and adjusts it, making sure that it is secured properly. Besides the Titans East, Beast Boy, Cyborg, Green Arrow, and Black Canary, there isn't a soul on Earth who knows "Speedy's" eye color. Once he and Leila leave this room, he would like it to stay that way too.
The moment the mask is secured he eyes himself in the mirror, satisfied with what he sees. Giving a small smile at his reflection, he is fully prepared to retreat from the bathroom and ask Leila if there is anything he can do to help. While she's making phone calls, maybe he could grab stuff out of her drawers that she might need to pack or something? Anything to make this go faster! Before he exits the room, however, he spots two objects that are sitting out on the bathroom vanity in plain sight. He didn't notice them before, most likely due to his concentration on his mask, but he notices them now.
Surprised by what he sees, his concealed emerald eyes widen as he reaches to pick one of them up. The first object is a small box with an open top, revealing a plastic bottle as well as various supplies. Turning the box so that the front is facing him rather than the side with the instructions, Speedy gapes in shock. On the front is a tanned woman with hair the same color as Leila's, the words "Golden Brown" written in bold directly beneath the woman's face.
"No," Speedy whispers to himself in awe. "There's no way…"
Shock taking over his features, he uses his other hand to pick up the second object; another small box. This box is flatter and longer than the hair dye box, and has a picture of a contact lens on the front. In the center of the box beside the contact are letters printed in fancy cursive, reading "Clearview Color Contact Lenses". This alone causes his mouth to hang agape, but the sight of a tiny circle in the box's bottom right corner the color of bright green causes it to drop open even farther.
Blinking harshly to make sure he's seeing everything correctly, the archer speaks aloud in shock once more. "What the— No… There is absolutely no way…"
Before Speedy has a chance to compose himself, soft footsteps are heard coming in the direction of the open bathroom door. Along with the footsteps comes Leila's voice.
"Hey, Speedy? I'm ready to go if you are. My calls have all been made, and my stuff is packed. I would bring my guitar, but I'm not going to need it anymore, so I decided to leave it behind. It'll give us less to haul back to—"
A few seconds later her footsteps stop in front of the bathroom door, as does the sound of her voice. A long moment passes where Speedy doesn't look at her, but when he finally does, her entire body freezes. Along with this, her features fill with shock and horror, and her already pale face turns at least two shades paler. Her false-colored eyes connecting with his masked gaze, the two stare at each other in a deadlock. Shock still hasn't left Speedy, as he is completely clueless at what to say to the girl.
When one of them does speak, it is Leila, and she does so fearfully. "Speedy…I know what you must be thinking…but don't jump to conclusions. If you give me a chance, I can explain!"
For some reason Speedy thought that he would be angry, but surprisingly, he's not. Instead he gives a deep sigh filled with tension before approaching Leila and shoving the items into her arms. Once she has them in her grasp, he walks toward the exit and replies without facing her.
"Don't explain now. Explain once we get back to the Tower. To all of us."
Leila doesn't respond. Instead she shoves the brown hair dye and the green contact lenses into her black bag before following him out the door. The whole time Speedy notices that her demeanor seems nervous, and it very well should be. Now that he thinks about it, there is a lot about Leila that he doesn't know, and every time he's around her he ends up with more questions than answers. Now that he has learned that there's one more secret that she's keeping, (this secret being what she actually looks like), his curiosity has been peaked more than ever. It's too bad for Leila, because he isn't giving up until he solves the mystery behind the girl.
A/N: I know. That ending was unexpected even for me. Really, I didn't plan having them stop at Damiana's motel room at all, but I got to writing the chapter and it kind of happened. Not only that, but I feel like it was necessary to make that final transition before she joins the Titans East, and I think that it's high time the Titans figure out that she uses hair dye and colored contacts. What better way for both of these things to happen then for them to take that final farewell trip back to her motel room?
Also, my plan right now is to have anywhere from two to four chapters where I integrate Damiana into the Titans East, and then I plan on starting on that arc where I bring the full Titans West team and the Titans East team together. I am so excited for that arc! It is going to be action-packed and filled with fighting and drama! I would give away more information on it, but I don't want to give away too many spoilers. Just know that I am so excited about getting to that arc that I want to burst! I really hope that all of you enjoy it once we get there! XD
Anyway, now that my authoring rant is over, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. I will try to have the next one up for you soon. Believe me when I say that I hate keeping you guys waiting. I'm really very happy that there are so many of you who are enjoying this story!
Well, friends, until next time! :)
Forever and Always,
OCQ