I am so, so, so sorry for the wait! Hope it's worth it. Second chapter up soon.
I gaze out the window at the sea, listening to Cyborg sing. "When there's trouble, you know what to do," he begins. I hum the tune from beside him, low enough that he can't hear me. "Call Cyborg! He can shoot a rocket from his shoe. 'Cause he's Cyborg!"
I glance over at the Titan, who has now fully thrown himself into the song. "Doo-da-doo-da, something like that, oh yeah. Na-na-na-na, big fluffy cat, that's right! 'Cause he's the one that'll eat a whole barbecue. That's Cyborg, YEAH!"
Suddenly, the front panel of the T-Car rings. "Robin calling Cyborg. Robin calling Cyborg." The Boy Wonder's voice fills the car, and I lean over to accept the incoming call. Instantly, I am met with the faces of Beast Boy, Robin, and Starfire, and I spot Raven on the couch behind them.
"What's up?" the robotic teen says from beside me.
"Oh, hello, friends who I am missing already!" Starfire exclaims, her pupils dilating at the sight of us. Her feet lift off the floor and she claps her hands in delight. "The sight of you makes my eyes sore!"
"Yeah. It's been totally lame here without you." Beast Boy agrees. "Raven stinks at video games. It's like she isn't even trying!"
He points behind him to the half-demon, who glares in return. "Just because you glued the controller to my hands doesn't mean I want to play," she states, holding out the controller, stuck to her palms, for the two of us to see.
Beast Boy laughs, and Raven pulls out his purple and blue floral underwear from his shorts, over his head, and starts to laugh. "Nice undies," I comment, holding back laughter.
"So, how goes the cross-country trip?" Robin asks, almost happily.
"Don't get me wrong, we miss you guys," I begin, looking at Cyborg. I smirk at him as I say, "but the trip's going great."
"Just dandy," Cyborg adds. I watch his grip on the steering wheel tighten as he continues. "It's, like, eighty below, the hail's messing up my paint job, and WHY DID I VOLUNTEER FOR THIS?!?"
Beast Boy pushes Robin out of the way. " 'Cause after Brother Blood stole your blueprints and used them to attack us, Aqualad and Bumblebee tracked him to Steel City," he recounts. "So now, they're starting up the Titans East to take him down, and you're headed out there to help the new team set up their new Tower."
"The Titans East need your technical know-how," Robin summarises.
"Yeah," Cyborg says. "And maybe if I stick around long enough, I'll get another change to bring down Blood... personally!" Before the last word, he smashes his fist down. I move my hand out of the way with a jump.
"And even if you don't, a little time away from home might do you good," Robin says.
"Agreed. Cyborg has been somewhat lobster-y lately." Starfire smiles at this, but all of us, including myself, look at her in confusion.
"I think she means 'crabby'," Raven says, stepping forward. Her eyes turn white as she attempts to get the controller off her hands.
"Wish I could help you with that, Raven," I say. "Best I can do is get back at Beast Boy."
"Hey!" the shapeshifter yelps. When I shrug, he moves on. "Somebody's gotta show these copycats what being a Titan is all about."
Something is suddenly flung at Beast Boy and the call ends, the letter 'T' flashing on the screen. Cyborg pushes a button and the T-Car hovers in the air, before moving over to the water. The T-Car zooms towards the Titans' home--a T-shaped tower similar to ours.
"Maybe they already know," Cyborg says, looking at me.
I only shrug in response.
Once we reach their tower, the T-Car stops hovering. Cyborg parks it and we quickly get out, heading to the door. My hand attacks the door, knocking only four times before the door falls forward. I look at Cyborg and raise my eyebrow at him, and he steps forward in front of me.
"Hello?" I call out. When there's no answer, I say, "You have visitors!"
"Place looked better on the outside, but nothing a little elbow grease can't fix," Cyborg states, looking around in mild disgust, which quickly turns to extreme disgust as a piece of metal flies from behind him, headed towards the other side of the room. "Make that a truckload of elbow grease."
"Agreed," I say. "This place looks terrible."
"Fish tacos?!?" Aqualad's distant voice rings out. "What were you thinking?"
"I'm gonna run ahead," I tell Cyborg, now hovering in the air. "You examine the..." I look around and circle the room with my finger, "yeah. Bye!"
"I'm from the ocean! These were probably friends of mine!"
"You said 'get lunch', I got lunch. Chow down," a familiar voice replies, and I find the room as a redhead with a mask similar to that of Robin shoves a taco into his mouth.
"Some friends if you can't even recognise them," I call out. Aqualad narrows his eyes at me, and I add, "Kidding. Of course."
Aqualad's expression quickly turns to a relieved one, and he smiles at me. "Ember! You guys made it."
"Hi there," Speedy says smoothly, a small grin seemingly etched on his face.
Aqualad clears his throat, and I glance back at the telepath. "Ember, this is Speedy. Speedy, Ember."
I nod at Speedy, before smiling at Aqualad. "Thanks. We've met before." I turn to the archer, offering him my hand. "Nice to see you," I say civilly.
Speedy eyes my hand suspiciously, before taking it in his and shaking it. "The pleasure's all mine," he replies, and I struggle to free my hand of the embrace.
"Tacos de pescado!" someone yells, and I whip around to see two young boys, around twelve years old, run into the room, towards the food.
"Delicioso!" the second boy says, as they both pull out tacos, driving Aqualad mental. Speedy pulls out a hand mirror and begins to adjust his hair, and I hold back a snort.
"All right. The sensor grid's up on level four, and--" I turn around to see Bumblebee deflate as she glances around the room. "Well, don't you fellas look comfy," she remarks. "Come on, guys! This Tower isn't gonna build itself!" She flies over to Speedy, pointing the drill in his direction. "And that's a super computer, not a footstool!"
He doesn't move his feet, instead choosing to cross his arms and glare at Bumblebee. "Thanks, Mum."
"Can't work..." Aqualad mutters, a tear working its way down his face, "tacos."
"That's why I'm here, Bee," I say, and Bumblebee turns around to me.
"Ember! I didn't see you there!" She looks around, eyes turning to slits as she eyes the exits. "Where's Sparky?"
"He fell behind," I state, looking in the direction I came for any sign of the robotic teen.
The two young boys pull more tacos out of the bag and run towards me. "Quieres?" they both ask simultaneously.
I look around, before bending down to the twins' height. "Gracias, pero no," I say, and they share a look before turning back to me. "Tal vez no preguntes Aqualad."
They hesitate before running to the telepath, who stares wearily at the food items in their hands. "Oh, man..." is all he manages before running off, away from us.
I sigh, hitting my forehead with my hand. "Por favor, escucha la próxima vez."
"Sí," the two redheads say at once.
"You speak Spanish?" Bumblebee asks casually.
I nod. "A little. I get bored a lot."
Bumblebee lets out a satisfied hum, causing Speedy's attention to be brought back to her. "So who died and made you queen, anyhow?" he spits.
"Well, maybe you could call the shots if you spent more time working and less time messing with your hairdo!" Bumblebee hits him across the head, dropping her drill in his lap right before she does so.
"Mírame!" the twins call from on top of the table. "Soy Pelo Grande! A la orilla cede y adora mío pelo hermoso!"
I erupt into laughter, not even stopping when Speedy turns on the drill and stalks towards them. "You're lucky I can't understand that, you little--"
"Hey, leave 'em alone!" Bumblebee shouts, stepping in front of the pair.
"Don't tell me what to do!" Speedy shoots back.
I close my eyes before shouting, "Stop, both of you!" Of course, they both ignore me, and continue to argue amongst themselves.
Aqualad suddenly pops up from behind us, holding a soggy bag of tacos in his hand. "If you're going to eat my friends, at least have the decency to get rid of the evidence!" he says to us. They all begin to yell at one another once more, raving about the tacos.
I turn around, giving up, and see Cyborg in the doorway. "As you can tell, I've not had much luck," I say. The group stops their yelling and turns around to Cyborg.
"Cyborg!" Aqualad calls, and the two fist bump."Now that you're both here, thank you for coming. Say hello to the..." the group disbands and begins to walk off, and Aqualad's face drops. "... Titans East."
The two young boys dash up to Cyborg and I, causing Cyborg to recoil. "Meet Más and Menos," Aqualad introduces.
"Hola!" they greet, smiles plastered on both of their faces. "Somos gemelos. Nacimos con siete veces la habilidad de ser más rápido que el sonido, pero sólo somos poderosos cuando nuestros cuerpos se rozan así!"
I furrow my eyebrows as their words echo through my brain, and eventually I smile at them knowingly. "Ah. Gracias."
"Sí," they say, before running off. When they come back, they're wearing two hats, which they pull off and put on our heads. "Fuimos a Guatemala." They shove a photo in our faces, and I nod somewhat absentmindedly.
"Okay," I explain, turning to Cyborg. "Basically, they're twins, they can go... I think it was seven times the speed of sound, but only when they're holding hands." I let that sink in, for the Titan next to me, before remarking, "Very cute."
"And they only speak Spanish," Aqualad adds.
"How could I forget that?" I grin at Aqualad, before turning to Cyborg and nod. "There you go."
Cyborg turns to the twins on his shoulders. "Hola!" he bellows, in an accent that essentially screams western. "Mi amigos, soy nombre El Cyborgo."
Más and Menos jump off the robotic teen's shoulders and walk off, most likely exchanging glances over his poor Spanish. "And, of course, you already know Speedy and Bumblebee," Aquqlad states, gesturing over to the other side of the room.
"Hey, Sparky." Bumblebee flies forward as she begins to talk, holding a crowbar in her hand. "Welcome aboard the happy train. We're having loads of fun." She aims this last part at Speedy before continuing to hack at some boxes.
"I can tell," I comment, before turning to Aqualad, who rubs his neck anxiously and sighs.
"Rough day."
"I can tell," I repeat.
"Then let's smooth it out," Cyborg resolves. He nods at me and I ignite a flame that quickly turns blue due to its temperature. "What say we get to work?"
~~~
I place the last panel on the controls and Cyborg pushes his hand to the sensor. "Security system online," a robotic voice states.
"Ha!" Cyborg exclaims, high-fiving me.
"Muy bien, Señor Cyborg!" Más and Menos call from the right gantry. They drop everything in their hands and zoom down, clapping. The bucket that was in their hands falls on to Speedy's head, and his finger pushes down on the trigger of the tool in his hand.
Instantly, I duck, covering my ears. I roll onto my back and look up to see Bumblebee frantically dodging the blasts, and my eyes flicker white as I pull her down. Slowly, I stand up, but another blast sends me flying into the wall.
The blasts stop and I brush the imaginary dust off my shoulders with a sigh, before walking over to Cyborg and the twins. Just as I think I am safe, however, we are hosed with water. The impact sends the three around me back, but I am unharmed.
Once everyone realises that was the end of the series of attacks, they all turn to Speedy and begin to shout obscenities at him. He glances around hopelessly before his gaze hardens, and I see that he has caught Más and Menos' eye.
"Aw, man," Cyborg says, looking around.
"Look what you made me do!" Speedy roars, not missing a beat.
"Qué pasa..." either Más or Menos begins. My brow furrows as I realise that I can't tell the difference between the two.
"...Super-Macho?" the other finishes.
"Watch it!" Aqualad joins in, waving his arms about. "You almost hit me!"
"Hey! Cool it!" Bumblebee hollers, doing the same action.
A full-scale screaming match emerges, and Cyborg and I both try to interject. Eventually, I tap him on the shoulder and shake my head, pushing him back as I cup my mouth with both my hands.
"SHUT UP!!"I bellow, instantly catching the attention of the Titans.
"The problem isn't your Tower," Cyborg tells them, his voice marginally calmer than mine. "It's your team." His forearm begins to blare and he glances down at it. "Trouble!"
" 'Least something around here works," Bumblebee says from behind the mechanic male, causing both him and myself to shoot her a glare.
"All right," I say, clasping my hands together loudly. "Move it along, people. We've got a baddie to catch." I look around at the expressions on the Titans' faces, before adding, "and if I see any of you fighting, I swear, I'm going to lose it."
~~~
Cyborg reaches the garage door of the building and pulls it up without hesitation to see a giant, almost robotic man enter the building through the roof. Bumblebee instantly ignites her stingers and I ready a collection of rocks behind her.
"Congratulations. You're the first lowlife to get busted by the Titans East," she states, but is unable to finish when Más and Menos run through her, knocking her flat. Cyborg lets out a disgruntled sigh, and I move over to help Bumblebee up.
"Aquí! Aquí! Aquí!" the twins chant, avoiding being hit. Bumblebee joins them in laughing at their adversary, who swings at them. Más and Menos run out of the way, but the sassy teen is caught off-guard and flung away.
Más and Menos continue to run around the giant, and Aqualad breaks the pipes around him with the water inside, before pulling it towards him. Speedy stands on the other side of the villain, firing four arrows as Aqualad throws a ball of water at the giant, who avoids both attacks with ease.
I leap into action, pulling the ball of water to a halt before leaping at Aqualad and pushing him out of the way as the arrows fly past. Aqualad groans in agony, but I push off him with all of my momentum and towards Cyborg, who engages in a fight with the villain.
"Alright, Cy, ready to send them back?" I ask.
"You bet," he says, before launching. I barely have time to collect myself and ready my attack before Cyborg is thrust to the ground. The giant sticks in a wire that instantly flares red, visibly angering the robotic teen.
"Get off my back!" he spits. With one swift motion, Cyborg flicks his arm back and blasts his opponent back with his sonic cannon, meeting us back at our entry point.
"Esto es ridículo!" Más and Menos shout, clearly exasperated. "Parecemos aficionados! Somos seis contra uno, tenemos que ganar! Pero ella está en nuestro camino y estos dos se estén disparando, y este viejo no está jodiendo!"
Everyone looks at the pair in confusion, with Speedy eventually muttering, "What they said."
"Hate to say it, but Sparky was right," Bumblebee says. "We're not working like a team."
The giant stands once more, ready to fight, and Cyborg turns to everyone else. "We are now. Follow my lead." Cyborg whips around, before shouting, "Titans! Together! Speedy! Bee! Push him back!"
The pair oblige, with Bumblebee becoming microscopic and jumping onto the tip of an arrow that comes out of Speedy's arsenal. At the last second, Bumblebee jumps off, and the villain is hit with both her heel and Speedy's arrow.
"Double M! Heat him up!" Cyborg calls.
Más and Menos connect their hands. "Más y Menos! Sí podemos!" they chant, before running near the pool of lava and dragging the liquid onto their enemy.
Just as I see what Cyborg has in mind, the Titan shouts, "Aqualad! Cool him down!" Pipes shoot from the ground and douse the giant, the sound of sizzling filling the room as it touches the lava.
"Boo-yah!" Cyborg shouts, and the Titans cheer.
I stroll over to the team slowly, no doubt grinning from ear to ear. "As much as I like being a hero, it's nice to not have to do anything for once," I muse.
Speedy slaps me on the back, and I ruffle his hair. "Good job out there," he says to me. "You're so much better than back in the day."
I pout for a second, before narrowing my eyes. "You too," I reply. "You used to be so much worse than what you are now."
"Hey!" Speedy exclaims, and I grin before waltzing over to Cyborg.
"Nice leadership," I state. "Now, all we have to do is fix the nightmare that is the Tower."
Cyborg ponders this, a look of hesitation flashing across his face before he says, "Yeah. We'll be back before we know it."
~~~
After almost an entire day's labour, the seven of us look out from the balcony at the sunset. "Well, how about that. We actually finished," Bumblebee remarks.
"Place doesn't look half bad," Speedy states.
"Matter of fact, it actually looks good," I agree, staring out the window serenely.
"Está loco?"
"Se ve fantístico!" the twins say together.
I feel a tap on my shoulder and turn around to face Aqualad. "We couldn't have done it without you both," Aqualad says to Cyborg and I. "Thanks."
Cyborg is about to reply when his face contorts to that of shock. "Oh! Almost forgot." Just when I think something terrible's about to happen, music sounds out of nowhere and colourful lights flow throughout the room.
"Disco lights?" Bumblebee questions as she approaches Cyborg, who has a smug smirk etched onto his face.
"Robin never would let me install 'em in our Tower," he replies.
In an instant, I'm by the mechanic teen's side, gripping onto his forearm panel to get him to look down at me. "How come I never heard of that outrage? I would've loved to have these!"
Cyborg's mouth gapes open, then closes, like a fish's. "You're right. I should've gotten you to talk to him. He never says no to you!"
This time, it's my turn for my mouth to open in a fish state. "Wha--?"
"Well, what are y'all waiting for?" he interrupts. "It's party time!"
Aqualad jumps down into the water, and Speedy smiles softly. "In that case, I'm making ribs," he says, before walking off.
Bumblebee begins to dance, and looks up hopefully at Cyborg, but the disco lights turn off and Más and Menos run into the room, holding up a console platform. "Señor Cyborg! Señor Cyborg! GameStation 2!" they chant.
I watch Bumblebee's face drop slightly as they show up, then drop more as they request this. I look up at Cyborg, who is seemingly unaware of the girl's emotions, before grabbing the console from the twins.
"Que bailen. Jugaré contigo," I mutter, and they nod eagerly before calling out to me and running off.
I sit down beside them as the disco lights turn back on and the music grows louder. I taste blood in my mouth and release my lip from my teeth's grip as I fumble with the controller.
"GOOOOOOLLLLLL!!" Más and Menos shout, and I grit my teeth as we continue to play. What feels like only seconds has passed by when Cyborg taps me on the shoulder, a tired look on his face.
"Robin wants us back in Jump City," he explains, and I press pause on the game.
"Okay," I say, giving the remote to the twin without one. "What's the occasion?"
"Professor Chang broke out of prison," he states, voice monotone, before turning away. I look down at Más and Menos, who run for me and cling to my calfs.
"Señorita Ember! Por favor no vayas!"
I trudge along, struggling with the additional weight. "Tengo que, lo siento," I argue, trying to pry them off my legs. When they don't budge, I cup my mouth and holler, "Cyborg!"
Cyborg turns around, and I notice that he's almost at the door. "Yeah?"
"Can you..." I begin, taking a step forwards. "... help me?"
Cyborg lets out a reluctant hum and moves over to assist me. "Y'know, I'm not sure if I'm ready to leave yet," he states, prying the first twin off me and placing him behind.
"I had noticed something was different about you since we've been getting ready to go back," I note. "Why the change?"
"I dunno." Cyborg grips onto the second twin, and I feel the speedster's nails dig into my leg, making me moan in pain. "You okay?"
"Yeah," I rush out. "What were you saying?"
Cyborg clears his throat. "Right. It's just... it felt right to be leading my own team, y'know? As if, it's what I'm supposed to be doing. As if this is the next step."
"Well, don't overstay." I tilt Cyborg's chin up so that he meets my eye. He stands up and the second twin jumps off my leg to join his brother. "They haven't asked you to stay, and they may not. Either way, that's up to them." I sigh, knowing that what I'm about to say is not in my best interest. "As much as I want you to stay, if they ask... well, it's a good opportunity. You should take it."
Cyborg smiles softly. "Thanks, Em."
"It's what I'm here for," I shoot back, taking a step backward. "If you are asked to stay, though, be careful on how you tell the team. They won't be as... understanding. Especially the boys."
Cyborg only nods before turning around to the door, and I follow suit as he prepares the T-Car for Jump City. Before I do, however, I wipe the threatening tears from my eyes at the mere thought of Cyborg, my brother, leaving the team.
~~~
"Wish I could hang, guys. But they need me back home," Cyborg says to Más and Menos, turning to look at me.
"We need you here, too," Speedy says.
Aqualad motions to speak from behind the archer. "We took a vote, and... we'd like you to stay, as the leader of Titans East."
"Leader? Me? Seriously?" Cyborg questions, and his inquiries lead me to believe that although he had hoped for this to happen, he wasn't expecting it to, something that makes me feel not at all better.
"Well, don't get all misty," Bumblebee says. "Do you want the job or not?"
Cyborg looks at me, and I give a resigned nod. "I, uh, don't know what to--" Suddenly, the garage shuts and the lights flicker off. "Security's down. We're locked in. Must be a glitch in the encryption keys."
I whip around at the sound of motion, as does Bumblebee, and we share a glance. "I'm thinking this is more of a glitch," she states.
"What makes you say...?" I trail off as I spot dozens of beings in violet hoods surrounding us. "Oh."
"Titans! Go!" Cyborg shouts, and I launch towards the nearest hood, knocking it over. I punch it across the face, before heating up my hand, pressing it to its chest, and bouncing off.
I barrel my way through several hoods before Aqualad lets out a yelp. "Ow! Who are these guys?" he asks.
"One way to find out," Bumblebee says, and I jump over beside them as she pulls the hood of the nearest one, revealing them all to be replicas of none other than Cyborg.
"Whoa," I mumble, stepping back. I feel a sharp elbow in the back, concluding it to be that of the Titan with the drawn bowstring.
"They're... you!" Speedy exclaims.
"No, they're not!" Cyborg shouts, punching two of them and knocking them to the ground. "Titans! Move!" Cyborg runs past us, leading the way, and we all follow him into a room that leads in seven different directions.
"All right. We have to get to Ops and change the encryption keys, reset the security system," the mechanic male states.
Instantly, everyone begins to head off in a different direction, before stopping. "Follow me!" \
"Um, I thought Ops was that way," Aqualad states, pointing behind him.
"Well, one of us must be right. Split up," Bumblebee orders.
"No!" Más and Menos call, hugging each other for dear life.
I turn to Cyborg. "Do you have the tower's blueprints?"
"Maybe," Cyborg replies. "But it would take me too long to find, and even then, there's no guarantee."
Suddenly, the replicas break through the wall and begin marching towards us. "There's too many! We can't win!" Speedy calls.
"Yes, we can," Cyborg says. "We'll get through this if we just stick together as a... team." He barely finishes his sentence before the five members of Titans East run away.
"So much for that," I comment. "At least you have me."
"Only because you didn't run away," Cyborg states, before growling in anger and attacking the replicas. He hops between them, leaving a wave of destruction wherever he goes. I do the same, pulling chunks from the wall and slamming the replicas into the wall with it, on the opposing side to Cyborg.
The fight takes us to the main room, and Cyborg blasts the door open for us with his trusty sonic cannon. I pull five or six of the robots into the air before hitting them between the floor and the roof, until Cyborg finishes off the last of them.
"Sorry, fellas, but you're nothing compared to the original," he proclaims.
"Damn straight," I say, nudging Cyborg with my elbow.
"I couldn't agree more," a voice says, and my eyes trail up to the rooftop where Brother Blood stands. "My old student Cyborg. Welcome to the new H.I.V.E. Academy. You do owe me a headquarters, remember?"
I feel my feet lift from under me and I slowly rise up, grabbing Cyborg by the armpits. "The only thing I owe you is a case of canned butt-whoop!" My muscles strain under the robotic teen's weight, but I don't let it show and my determination wins out as I continue to rise through the air.
"School is in session," Blood says. "And here's lesson number one: NO ONE DEFIES BROTHER BLOOD!" Blood jumps off the railing and down towards us, and kicks me in the head, sending me back.
A scream rivets through my body as I crash onto the floor, unable to save myself. My vision goes blurry and I clutch the sides of my head as I try to focus. I see three Cyborgs fighting three Brother Bloods, each doing the same thing. The Bloods strike, and the Cyborgs avoid the hit before firing their sonic cannon, which is easily deflected.
Cyborg relentlessly punches Blood, who avoids every single blow before throwing Cyborg towards the other side of the room without much thought or effort. "Well, I can tell someone hasn't studied since our last little pop quiz."
"How'd you build those second-rate tin men?" Cyborg demands. "You stole my blueprints, but we stole 'em back!"
"Did you think someone with my mental abilities wouldn't have a photographic memory? Your secrets are all right here." The telepathic villain somersaults over Cyborg and kicks him back, my vision finally clearing. Despite this, my head still throbs, and I fall over the second I attempt to stand.
"And just wait 'til you see what I really have in mind for you!" Blood says excitedly, walking over to Cyborg. I ready a ball of fire and throw it, but it falls several feet short of the villain, who begins to stalk towards me.
"Ember, Ember, Ember," he says. "Such a shame, really. So much power, so much potential, wasted." Before I know it, he is kneeling in front of me, and he tilts my head up with a single finger. "I could help you with that, you know."
I close my eyes, and when I open them, they're red. I work up enough spit to throw it in Blood's face. "Don't patronise me," I growl.
Brother Blood must work out I'm too weak in my current state to defeat him, so he doesn't retaliate. "Imagine everything you could do with my help. You would be unstoppable, thanks to me."
"I'll pass," I state. "I don't need your help."
"So be it, then," Blood says, and with one swift knock to my head, my vision blurs once more and my eyes flutter shut.
~~~
"... finally got the place looking decent," Cyborg says, and I groan, trying to push myself up. Instantly, everyone is at my side.
"Whoa, whoa, Ember. Take it easy, there," Speedy says, and I grab onto his shoulder in an effort to sit up.
"Are you okay?" Cyborg asks.
I nod slowly. "Yeah," I say. "I'm fine. What about you?"
Cyborg frowns. "Just dandy."
"Well, I know you haven't had much time to think about our offer, but--" Aqualad begins, but Cyborg cuts him off.
"Yeah. Look, I--" the robotic teen is in turn cut off by his forearm beeping, signalling his communicator going off.
Despite my state, I still hear Robin's clear, angry voice. "Cyborg! What are you still doing there? I told you, we want you back home!"
Cyborg pauses, before saying, "Robin, I am home. I've decided to stay on permanently, as leader of Titans East."
"What?" I mumble, dazed.
"But, Cyborg... we need you."
"Sorry, man," Cyborg replies. "They need me more." When the call disconnects, Cyborg turns to his team. "Y'all better get some rest. Combat practice starts at, oh, six-hundred sharp!"
With that, the mechanic teen turns around and heads towards the door, it closing behind him.
~~~
I haul my duffel bag out of the boot and sling it over my shoulder. "Well, I better get going," I state.
"You sure you can get to Titans Tower?" Cyborg asks, concern written on his face.
"Yeah. I'll just fly, or swim, or... something." I pause, before diving forward and embracing Cyborg. He returns the gesture, and only pulls back when I do. "I'm really gonna miss you, Cy," I tell him.
He squeezes my biceps and smiles. "I'll miss you too, Em," he replies. The room fills with silence, but it feels comfortable.
"Visit?" I make one final request before leaving, my back still turned.
"Of course."
"You promise you'll be okay?" For this question, I turn my head and lock eyes with the former Titan.
"I promise."
Coming back to what I said at the beginning, I'm so sorry for taking so long. Thank you all for sticking with me--I've said it so much, but it's true. It means the world to me.