Alice: New chapter!

Emily: Next will be X.

Alice: That's going to be an interesting episode.

Emily: Enjoy!

Alice: Also I'm debating writing another Teen Titans story.

Emily: The summary is basically Warp accidentally bringing Robin's parents from the past, and the team (plus Robin) having to deal with that.

Alice: If you want me to write it, just vote on the poll I have up for which fandom I should write next, and vote for Teen Titans.

Emily: Just a warning: in this chapter, there's an implied sort of M scene. It's not written out, but it's really heavily implied so yeah.

Deception

Part 3

In the following days, Cyborg was excelling at everything. In his exercises, he could lift the heaviest weights, run the fastest, and beat the strongest drones. In school, he answered every question correctly and had straight A's. Even in his social life, he was slowly rising to popularity. Jinx stood by him throughout this and smiled brightly whenever he succeeded. Sometimes, during lunch, they would test each other just to see who knew more. It was a fun, competitive game, and they usually ended up tying.

Sometimes Jinx and him pulled pranks on Gizmo and Mammoth whenever they did something particularly embarrassing. It was the most fun he's had in a while. Sure, Titans Tower was great, but the death of Terra really took a toll on all of them. Not to mention the drama between Robin, Raven, and Starfire, and the pressure Cyborg felt to prove himself against Robin. It was exhausting, so it was nice to escape all that.

"Stone," Brother Blood suddenly called out in class. "Every good doomsday threat needs?"

Jinx giggled when he froze. It was clear he wasn't paying attention, and he quickly thought of every textbook he read. It was then he realized this was a school about villains! He faced them all the time. His mind flashed to Slade and how he managed to trick Robin by becoming his apprentice. He set up a distraction to infect the team. Even with Terra, he manipulated them by sending her in as a friend. Manipulation… "Effective misdirection?" he tried not to stutter.

Brother Blood smiled. "Good."

Jinx snorted and smiled at him. He blushed, smiling back. That's when he froze. He stared at Jinx for a long time, an expression of shock on his face. Her smile shifted to a concerned look, but he didn't bother trying to hide his surprise. He liked her! He had a crush on the villain! Flushing, he quickly turned back to Brother Blood's teaching. Instead of being confused by his attitude, Jinx just giggled as though she knew what he finally just realized.

A paper slipped in front of him with Jinx's handwriting.

'Took you long enough.'

He blushed heavily and tried not to think of his new discovery. Robin was going to kill him!

Robin was going to kill him!

It had been a week since Cyborg first contacted him. They had agreed Cyborg would contact him once a day. Now Beast boy was beside himself with worry, Starfire was trying to distract herself by any means necessary, and Raven still wouldn't talk to him! Stress was overtaking Robin's body, and he tried to calm himself down. The last time he had an "episode" was with Terra, and he refused to allow his team to see him like that again.

"Robin?"

Robin sighed. "Starfire… now's not a good time."

The alien nodded, approaching him anyway. He had been staring at the computer screen and hadn't bothered looking at her. "You are worrying me," she confessed, "and the team. Cyborg will be all right. It is possible he hasn't had the chance to contact us."

Robin clenched his fists. "I know… it's just a bad feeling I have."

Starfire nodded and played with her fingers. "Robin…" she mumbled. "I think you should talk to Raven."

His head whipped around, looking at her for the first time since the conversation started. He sighed. "I've tried."

"Try harder," Starfire insisted. "She's in pain, and you are too. From what I've seen, you two are better at handling your pain together than you are apart."

Robin searched her eyes and her expression. She honestly meant it, and it warmed his heart a bit. Looking at her now, he could admit she was beautiful. She was perhaps one of the sweetest people he's ever met. Loyal although a bit naïve. Still, she was very strong as well. "I'm sorry I couldn't love you," he blurted out. He frowned, unsure of where that comment came from.

She seemed surprised as well. Smiling softly, she nodded. "It's alright," there was a hint of sadness in her tone, and she attempted to hide it by smiling. "Love isn't something you choose. It's something that happens."

Robin nodded, crossing his arms and staring at the ground. Likely he was pondering her words.

Starfire smiled and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Talk to Raven." She stated before leaving the lounge. Robin sighed, unable to tear his eyes away from the ground. He had tried talking to Raven multiple times and received nothing in return. She wanted nothing to do with him. Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair.

Maybe he would just have to try harder…

Cyborg tugged at his collar, frowning at the strange feeling. He wasn't used to wearing clothes, and he especially wasn't used to wearing a tux. HIVE Academy was hosting it's annual dance, and Mammoth, Gizmo, and Jinx invited him to go. Jinx… he blushed at the thought of her. The last time he felt like this was with Marcy, and that didn't end up well at all.

Sighing, he exited his dorm and made his way to the gym. It was large enough to host the dance, and multiple people were already there. Bumblebee, one of his classmates, actually winked at him when he walked in the gym. Blushing, he turned away from the girl and tried to find his friends. Mammoth and Gizmo were by the table, eating the food and laughing about something. They looked strange wearing tuxes. He made his way towards them but a hand grabbed his arm before he could. "Stone!" Jinx exclaimed, smiling brightly. "Dance with me!"

Cyborg gasped at the sight of her. She was wearing a long, black gown with laced sleeves. It fit her body beautifully, and her hair was down. She looked… "You look amazing," he blurted out.

She giggled and grabbed his hand, taking him to the middle of the dance floor. Placing her hands on his shoulders, she began swaying to the music. Cyborg faltered for a moment before placing his hands on her hips. "Wow," he glanced around. "This feels like high school all over again."

"High school?" she questioned. "What was that like?"

He flinched. "It was okay. It didn't end up well for me though."

That was an understatement.

She nodded and didn't ask any more questions. Cyborg was thankful for that, and the two continued dancing.

After around a half an hour of dancing, Jinx leaned towards him and whispered, "I have something to give you. Follow me."

Cyborg frowned as she gripped his hand and led him out of the gym. Some of the students were watching them, and they all winked at him. All except for Bumblebee, who stared at him with something akin to disappointment. It was a strange look that reminded him of Robin, and he gulped. Ignoring her stare, he turned to Jinx and walked out of the gym into the quiet hallway.

"Alone!" She stretched her arms above her head. "Finally!"

"Yeah," he sounded unsure. Jinx smiled and sat on the ground, not caring that she was wearing an expensive dress. Chances are she stole it though. Following her lead, he sat beside her and leaned against the lockers. "You have something to give me?"

She nodded. "Yeah." She held out her hand and in it was a HIVE communicator. Cyborg's eyes widened as he hesitantly took it. "You're one of us now," she smiled proudly.

"Thank you," he whispered, his gut twisting in guilt.

"No," she shook her head, placing a hand on his knee. "Thank you. I've never met someone like you… someone who understands. I don't normally fall for people so quickly, but you're different."

Cyborg stared at her, his eyes revealing both love and regret. "Jinx…"

"I know you feel the same way," she teased. "So don't bother denying it."

He laughed at her comment, but it didn't erase the horror he felt towards the situation. "I do feel the same way," he admitted.

She smiled, and he was entranced by it. She looked so beautiful, and she truly was one of the most understanding people he'd ever met. Without noticing, his body was leaning towards her, and she was leaning towards him. He softly placed his hand on her cheek, and they were inches away from kissing…

Until an image of the team popped in his head. He shook his head, pulling away from her and sighing guiltily. Jinx opened her eyes and frowned, confused by his actions. "Why?" she whispered, clearly hurt by his actions.

He looked at her, not bothering to hide behind any mask. She read his expression, and her eyes softened in sympathy. While she clearly didn't understand why he pulled away, she understood his need to. Smiling softly, she quickly kissed his cheek. "Thank you for the dance," she whispered, standing up. With one last look, she walked down the halls, not bothering to go back in the gym. Cyborg sighed, leaning his head against the locker.

It was for the best, he told himself.

Still, it didn't feel that way.

Victor stared at his robotic hand, unsure of how to react to it. He had been awake for a week, and his father explained he needed to replace his body with technology in order to ensure he lived. He was released an hour ago from his father's work place, and he made sure to hide his body with a giant hoodie. When his father dropped him off at the empty house, Victor instantly rushed to his room. His father explained he needed to go back to S.T.A.R. Labs to continue researching Victor's surgery to make sure it wouldn't cause any life threatening problems, and his mother was already there.

He was left home alone with the orders to not go outside until his family figured out what to do next.

The moment Silas left the house Victor instantly called Marcy. From what he heard, he was the only person seriously injured. "Victor?" she answered immediately. "Oh my God! Victor! Are you okay?"

"Marcy," he smiled. "I'm fine."

"You've been gone for a while month!" She cried. "Are you home?"

"I am but…"

"I'm coming over." She declared. Before Victor could say anything, she hung up. He gulped and looked over his body. His head was the only flesh left, and he mourned for his normal body. Now the majority of his body couldn't feel anything. He desperately hoped Marcy would understand that it would take a while to adjust to the body.

When she finally arrived at the house, she ran to him and hugged him. Victor was about to talk about how much he missed her, but she instantly recoiled. With an expression of disbelief, her hands went to the zipper of his jacket and yanked it down, revealing his body. When she looked back up at him, she appeared to notice half of his face was replaced with something robotic. "You…" she whispered, her eyes full of fear.

"Marcy," he raised his hand.

"Don't touch me!" She spat. "What the hell are you?"

"I'm… I'm a cyborg," he whispered. "It was the only way to save my life. Marcy…?"

She shook her head in disgust. "I can't do this… I can't. Goodbye Victor."

"What?" he laughed, but she didn't bother responding. Instead she just walked out of the house.

His girlfriend of one year broke up with him because she was so disgusted with his body.

And ever since then, he has been as well.

Robin couldn't stand it anymore. He called Cyborg and hoped he would answer. Right before making the decision, he had called the Teen Titans to the lounge. When they arrived, he announced that he would be calling Cyborg. Raven instantly protested.

"We could be endangering him," she argued.

"Or we could be saving his life." Robin crossed his arms. "He hasn't contacted us in over a week even though we agreed to talk every day. Something's wrong."

"Or it's going as planned, and Cyborg doesn't have the time to report to us," Raven glared at him. Robin scowled and rebutted, and the two of them began another fight.

Amidst all the arguing, Beast boy and Starfire glanced at each other. "We should call him," Beast boy declared, interrupting. "Just to make sure he's okay."

"I agree," Starfire nodded. Robin nodded, smirking at Raven as though to say he'd won. She merely rolled her eyes and sat back on the couch. Robin turned to the computer and began contacting Cyborg, who answered instantly.

"Guys," he hissed. "Now's not a good time. I'm studying for a big test tomorrow, and I might fail!"

Robin blinked. "Please… tell me you're joking."

Cyborg recoiled from the comment, looking like he was about to argue but stopped himself. "Yeah," he mumbled. "It was a joke. What's up?"

"I should be asking that," he frowned. "You haven't contacted us in over a week."

"Sorry," he sighed. "It's just been really busy over here, and I have to blend in."

Robin could see through the lie but didn't comment on it. "What do you have?" He asked instead.

"Not much," Cyborg confessed. "Brother Blood hasn't talked with the class about the project yet, and no one here seems to know what he's planning."

Robin nodded. "The longer we keep you there, the more we're risking. We need to go on the offensive."

Cyborg nodded. "What's your plan?"

Another plan by Robin. He sighed, hacking into Brother Blood's computer. It was a great plan, and Cyborg wished he had thought of something better, but he didn't have the time to. Instead he ended up following Robin's commands. The plan was for Cyborg to hack into the computer to find information. If that didn't work and Cyborg was caught, the team would sneak into HIVE academy and try to find him. That meant Cyborg had only twenty four hours to report the information or the team would think something was wrong with him.

Sighing, he continued hacking into the computer until the files popped up. He smirked and began reading them. He gasped. They were building…

"An ion amplifier." Cyborg literally jumped as Brother Blood approached him from out of nowhere. The elderly man smirked. "This is quite a surprise Stone. Or should I say… Cyborg."

Cyborg glared and stood up, riding himself of the hologram and revealing his actual body. Brother Blood didn't seem too surprised, and he remembered the handshake earlier. Did Brother Blood know it was him from the beginning?

Brother Blood slowly walked towards him and continued speaking, "It's quite a remarkable weapon. Yet nothing like you, I'm afraid."

Nothing like him? Cyborg narrowed his eyes. "What do you want?" he demanded.

"It's not about what I want, Cyborg, but about what you want." Brother Blood's eyes flashed red, and Cyborg gasped when his mechanical hand turned into human flesh. For a second, it felt real. He could feel the warm air and when he squeezed his palm, he felt flesh. It was then the mechanical side of brain took over, and he realized he wasn't feeling anything. His hand was still mechanical even though it looked like flesh. Brother Blood was trying to brain wash him.

A plan formed in his head, and Cyborg pretended to gasp in surprise. "My hand… it's real!"

When the illusion disappeared, Cyborg yelled out in protest and fell to his knees. He needed to make this believable.

"What do you say?" Brother Blood smirked.

Cyborg shakily looked up at the man. "I'll do anything you say."

"Good." Brother Blood smirked.

"Brother Blood," Cyborg whispered, "My old team… Robin said if I didn't report the information in twenty four hours, he would invade the academy."

"Are you suggesting we send your team false information?"

"I'm saying we give my old team a welcoming party," he smirked, clenching his fists. This plan would work, and even Robin would congratulate him on his quick thinking. He'd gain both respect and the ion amplifier. Brother Blood nodded, and the two of them began to devise a plan for his team.

They wouldn't know what hit them. Both his team and Brother Blood.

When he received the call, he was sitting at home reading books about technology and computers. It had been six months since Marcy broke up with him, and he never bothered reaching out to his high school friends. For all they knew, he was dead. Or maybe Marcy told them what he was. Either way, that life was far behind him.

He answered the phone without a care. The caller ID said it was his father, and Victor knew Silas was most likely checking on him again. Ever since the accident, his father became sympathetic, caring, and supportive. It was as though he finally realized he had a son after he nearly died. "Hey dad," Victor answered.

"Victor," his father gasped out, and he could tell he had been crying.

"Dad?" he questioned, placing the book down. "Dad, what is it?"

"Your mother's dead."

Victor froze. "W-what?" he laughed. "You're kidding."

"Something happened at the lab today," his father was choking up. "It killed your mother. We tried to save her but it was too late. She's gone Cyborg."

"I don't… what?" he rambled. "She's… but she was here this morning? I don't…"

"I'm coming home, Victor. I'll be there in thirty minutes. We'll talk then."

His father abruptly hung up, leaving Victor alone to deal with the news. It made no sense. This morning his mother was there and smiling at him. Throughout his entire life, she had been there for him, supporting him. She was his lifeline, and she was gone.

Numb to his surroundings, Victor stood up and walked out of the house. His dark hoodie was on along with his jeans. No one could tell what he was. If they had, he didn't care. He just kept walking. The shock overtook him, but he understood one thing: he could no longer bear to be in that house ever again.

The only question was where he would go now…

Jinx was going to discover who he truly was. That was unavoidable, and it disheartened Cyborg. For the first time, he walked to her dorm ignoring the fact that boys were now allowed near the girls' dorms. Jinx constantly broke that rule to visit him, so he could do the same for her. Gulping he found her room number and reluctantly knocked on the door. This would be hard.

She answered without a thought and blinked in surprise when she saw him. "Hey?" She appeared confused. "Want to come in?"

He nodded, and she moved to the side so he could walk in. He sat on her bed and sighed. She followed his lead and frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Tomorrow's going to be difficult," he confessed, staring at her with sad eyes. "I just talked to Brother Blood and… you're going to find out some things about me that are going to upset you a lot."

Jinx parted her lips. "Like the reason you didn't kiss me?"

He shakily nodded. "Yeah."

"And you can't tell me now? Before all this happens?" She was so calm about this. It was relieving and worrying at the same time.

Cyborg sighed. "If you ask me, I will."

"But you're not ready to tell me?" Jinx deduced, her question sounding more like a statement.

"I don't think I ever will be." Cyborg turned to face her. "I want you to know that I've lied a lot. I've lied about who I am and what I can do. You're going to find that out, so I want you to know this now. What I've told you about my past and about my old team… I meant that. Every word."

She nodded. "I believe you."

"I also meant it when I said I have feelings for you," he lowered his voice to a whisper. "It's something that I didn't intend to happen, but it did. I'm sorry if I hurt you, and I mean that. I didn't want this to happen but…"

"It did." She finished for him. Her eyes searched his expression. "I'm going to be really upset tomorrow, aren't I?"

"I'm sorry."

"There's no other way, is there?"

"I wish there was."

"Alright then." She nodded, smiling softly at him. "For now then want to just pretend tomorrow doesn't exist?"

Cyborg frowned, tilting his head to the side. She giggled, rolling her eyes at his confusion. She jerked her head towards the bed and gave him an expecting look.

He automatically blushed. "It'll just hurt even more tomorrow."

"Then let's just deal with that tomorrow," she whispered, leaning towards him.

He flushed even more. "Jinx… I can't. I really can't."

She frowned, about to comment until she looked at his pained expression. Her eyes widened in realization of what he meant, and she nodded in understanding. With her hand, she lightly brushed his cheek. "We'll work around it," she whispered. "Just focus on me. Tomorrow doesn't exist. Trust me, Stone."

"Victor," he whispered.

She frowned. "What?"

"My name is Victor."

"Okay," she smiled, "Victor."

That night, for both of them, tomorrow would never happen.

It had been twenty-four hours and no report. Robin immediately devised a plan on how to break into the HIVE Academy, and for once, Raven didn't make a single argument. Just in case "Stone" wasn't revealed to be Cyborg, they decided to bring along the robotic replacement. Beast boy initially protested but eventually saw reason.

That's how the "five" of them ended up in the center of the HIVE Academy where it was completely empty. Robin frowned and pulled out his communicator. "Cyborg's signal is coming from below us," he stated.

Raven nodded but frowned. "There's more below us… I think—"

Before she had time to finish, the floor beneath them literally flipped, and if Starfire hadn't grabbed Robin in time, he would have died from the impact. The titans lowered themselves to the floor and immediately prepared for battle. An elderly man, who Robin assumed was Brother Blood, stood above them along with Jinx, Mammoth, Gizmo, and Cyborg. He frowned. Cyborg told them the team was coming? Why? Cyborg wouldn't betray them, that much Robin knew. Then why…?

A diversion, Robin realized with a smirk. This was all to distract Brother Blood so Cyborg could obtain whatever weapon he needed. A brilliant plan.

"Attack pattern alpha!" Cyborg and Jinx shouted at once. The team leaped up and instantly started attacking in a concise, organized manner. Robin gritted his teeth and instantly ran towards the team. Jinx ran straight past him to go after Raven, and Mammoth attempted to attack Starfire. That left Gizmo to run towards the fake Cyborg and Beast boy.

Stone was all his.

The two instantly began fighting, and Robin tried to go easier to ensure Cyborg could stay in the fight longer. When his eyes narrowed and his fighting became harsher, Robin frowned. It was as though Cyborg knew he was going easy on him and was demanding he go full out.

If that's what he wanted…

Robin leaped up and used his momentum to kick Cyborg across the face. The force knocked him over, and Cyborg barely had enough time to roll over when Robin was about to kick him again. The two continued fighting although it was clear who would win. "Stone!" Jinx shouted and instantly rushed to his side. With her powers, Jinx hurled everything she had at Robin.

Raven noticed, and before Robin was hit, a force field surrounded him, blocking the attacks.

Robin smirked at her. "I had that handled," he teased.

Raven blinked before rolling her eyes at him. "Shut up," she replied, but Robin saw a hint of a smile. He beamed at her in response, but from the corner of his eye saw Cyborg rushing towards him. He quickly ducked from the attack, and his eyes couldn't help but sought out Raven, who was fighting with Jinx once again.

He couldn't help but notice how Jinx would look back to check up on Stone, and Cyborg was doing the same.

Robin's eyes widened at the realization.

Oh no…

Not again!

Gritting his teeth, Robin attempted to get close enough to communicate with Cyborg. Was he actually betraying them for Jinx? No, Cyborg would never do that. Was Jinx on their side now? What did Jinx know if she knew anything at all? What had he done with her? Cyborg refused to allow him to get too close, and frustration built in Robin. At least with Beast boy and Terra, he knew the dynamic of their relationship and understood Beast boy would never betray the team for her.

With Jinx and Cyborg, he knew nothing, and he hated the feeling.

He began fighting harder but at the same time tried to keep his mind in check. It had been three months since his last freak out, and he refused to have another one especially in front of the enemy again.

He was so lost in his thoughts he didn't realize Jinx's team was fighting them in a manner that would force them all together. By the time he noticed, it was too late. Gizmo flew over them and dropped some sort of sphere that entrapped them in a force field. Starfire and Raven instantly tried to break it with their powers, but it was useless.

The only member of the team left outside of the sphere was the fake Cyborg, which was on attack mode. The fake Cyborg slammed into the real Cyborg's side, knocking him over. "Stone!" Jinx shouted in concern, and Robin frowned. She wasn't in on the plan then. If she had been, she would have known the fake Cyborg was not nearly powerful enough to harm him.

The poor girl was about to have her heart broken.

The real Cyborg screamed in fury, and he instantly began beating the fake Cyborg. In his eyes was a rage Robin had never seen before. Pure hatred ran through Cyborg's veins and it was all directed at the image across from him. He beat the robot endlessly, and Robin's gaze became sympathetic.

He truly hated himself that much?

Cyborg was so lost in beating the robot he didn't notice the amount of force he was applying to the rings. One of them shattered and the image of Stone became distorted until it shattered, and Cyborg's true body was there for the world to see. "Cyborg!" Jinx gasped, her entire body becoming stiff.

"He's a fake!" Gizmo shouted, about to attack, but a hand on his chest prevented him from moving.

Brother Blood was smirking at him. "No. He's one of us."

Cyborg slowly stood up, his eyes fixed on Brother Blood. "And I'm ready to prove it."

He slowly walked to the group and stopped in front of Brother Blood. His team protested in the background except for Robin. Cyborg knew Robin already figured out his plan. "Here," Brother Blood strapped the ion amplifier onto his arm. As Brother Blood explained how it would increase his power, Cyborg's eyes drifted to Jinx, who stared at him with wide eyes.

Suddenly her expression changed into sadness.

It was then Cyborg realized she knew he was going to betray them. He gulped, expecting her to call him out and reveal his plan. But instead she shook her head and begged him with her eyes. She still wanted to be with him… after everything… even though she knew the truth about his body…

He sent her an apologetic gaze filled with body sadness and determination. Neither would leave their respective sides for the other.

She nodded her head in understanding but her eyes still revealed heartbreak. Cyborg was pretty sure his own held the same thing.

When the ion amplifier was strapped onto his arm, he turned towards the team as Brother Blood was encouraging him to kill them. He looked at Robin, who was staring at him with a blank expression. Cyborg smiled as he raised his arm "Sorry."

He instantly whirled around and fired at Brother Blood, who barely had enough time to deflect the attack. Instead it hit the ceiling and caused the entire building to shatter. "You fool!" Brother Blood screamed as he quickly retreated onto one of the flying tiles. Gizmo and Mammoth quickly followed, but Jinx lingered behind, her expression not changing.

"You could have been one of us." She stated. You could have been with me was the underlying message.

"I could have been a lot of things." He replied. Without breaking her gaze, Jinx backed up and hopped onto the tile, flying away with her team. Cyborg sighed and turned to his own team, using his newfound power to hit the machine maintaining the force field.

"Let's get out of here," Robin said the moment they were free. He never took his eyes away from Cyborg. Cyborg gulped.

Robin knew.

By the time they made it back, Cyborg had already filled in the team of almost everything that happened during his mission. He listened as Beast boy ranted on about how worried he was, and he smiled as Starfire and Raven congratulated him on the mission. Only Robin was silent, staring at him with an unreadable look. He placed the ion amplifier in the weapon's vault and made his way back to his room.

He wasn't surprised when he saw Robin sitting on his desk chair.

"Hey," Cyborg greeted him.

Robin smiled softly. "You want to talk about it?"

"Talk about what?" He feigned ignorance.

"A multitude of things actually," Robin leaned back on the chair. "How you literally beat yourself to death, how you had to pretend to be someone you weren't for a long period of time, how that someone you weren't had things you desperately wanted, and how you had to leave Jinx behind."

Damn Robin and his observations. "I'm not in the mood for this," he grumbled.

Robin's eyes softened. "I get it, you know."

"Get what?"

"Changing. My body didn't change, but my outlook did. My girlfriend at the time hated how different I was, and I desperately tried to pretend I was okay… that I was the same person before… Anyway, we ended up breaking up. I still love her, but the person I was… the person who could actually be with her was gone. I guess I don't know exactly how you feel, but it's pretty similar," Robin shrugged, as though this confession wasn't a big deal when it clearly was. The team was rarely provided insight on Robin's past. This was a major confession.

Cyborg sighed, leaning against the wall. "I never got to finish high school because of this," he confessed. "Being there felt right… felt normal. I could pretend I wasn't who I am."

Robin nodded. "You're not normal though. Cyborg, you're a hero. You've saved so many people because of who you are as opposed to when you were 'normal.'"

"I know." Cyborg sighed.

"It doesn't totally erase the feeling though, does it?" Robin sympathized. "I'm going to be honest with you: it never goes away. The 'what if's' and the 'if I had done this differently' and the craving to go back to who you were before… it never stops. But it gets better after a while. I can promise you that."

Cyborg nodded, staring at Robin and biting his lip. "You never answered me when I asked you if you were in love with Raven."

Much like last time, Robin didn't react at all to the question. He just stared at Cyborg as though he were waiting for him to finish that thought. Cyborg gulped and continued, "What does it…"

Robin smiled, anticipating the end of his sentence. "I was in love with my ex for a long time," he chuckled. "Still am, like I said. When you feel like that with someone, when you're with someone in that manner, it never goes away. You'll always love them even if you understand you can't be with them. Once you realize that, it stops hurting."

Cyborg nodded, folding his hands together and desperately wishing he could feel the cold steel. "When does that happen?"

"It took me five months for it to stop hurting," he replied honestly. "And another four months to move on. It's different for everyone."

Cyborg stared at Robin for a long time. "Thanks, Robin."

His leader smiled at him and hopped up from the chair, stretching out his upper body. When he was done, he walked towards the door only to pause. "Get some sleep Stone," he looked directly at him. "You're going to need it."

Cyborg froze, staring at Robin with wide eyes. "That was a fake name," he lied, "I made it up to go along with the powers."

Robin nodded although it was clear he didn't believe him. "Goodnight then Cyborg."

Cyborg numbly nodded as Robin walked out of the room. Even though he was gone, Cyborg still mumbled, "Goodnight Robin."

He had a lot to think about.

Alice: Wow that was long.

Emily: Thanks for reading! Let me know what you thought!

Alice: I tried making Cyborg and Robin's backstories really similar (an accident changing them, failed relationships due to that change, running away from a father/father-figure) since the two of them seem so alike but very different at the same time (which is probably why they fight so much).

Alice: The next chapter will be X!

Emily: If you thought there was a lot of RobRae fighting in Deception... let me tell you, X will have a ton of RobRae fights.

Alice: But at least they're interacting!

Emily: Remember to vote on the poll!

Alice: So far, I've gotten through the backstories of Beast boy, Robin, and Cyborg.

Emily: There will be a Starfire and Raven backstory, but those will most likely not be in this story but in upcoming ones.

Alice: Next chapter will be up by next Wednesday August 5th.