[ Y/N ]
I made my way to the kitchen where Cyborg and Dick were chilling while Gar was playing some video games at the couch. I smelt a familiar aura of grilled meat which made my stomach slight growled. Dick nodded at me as he invited me to sit down. I'm not going to argue, I was starving.
"Dinner?"
"If by dinner you mean disgusting then yeah, dinner." Gar playfully said which earned him a glare from Cyborg. I almost forgot Beast Boy was vegetarian.
"Heyy don't hate my cooking just cause it taste better than yours." He snapped back which made Gar laugh while me and Dick shake our head at their childish behavior but who were we kidding. Everyone has playful banter with one another at some point in their life. Cyborg plated up some delicious looking pieces of meat alongside some bread and greens. I chomped down on it faster than a cheetah chasing it's prey. It tasted so good.
"Another satisfied customer" Cyborg remarked as I went and clean the plate. I grabbed the keys to my bike and my helmet ; heading towards the elevator.
"Where're you going?" Dick asked
" Patrol. Old habits die hard."
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I dragged the last guy I knocked out to the rest who were already unconscious. I was gasping for air. Busting a drug cartel by yourself with a no-kill rule wasn't as easy as it seems, not to mention the amount of people they had in there. I leaned myself against the wall for support as my mask flipped slightly open, just enough that there was fresh air coming in. The previous bruises I had were starting to take a toll on my body. Back in Gotham, I could still rely on Bruce patrolling if I was unable to but it seems like here at San Francisco, it was only me and Dick; he's still occupied with the investigation so really, it was only me. The rest of the team were still not up for it.
I sensed a presence prompting me to look up from where I was standing as a shadowy figure wielding two swords stared at me from the structure above. We both held eye contact for awhile. Whoever it was, wasn't backing down from me and neither was I. It was like they were inviting me to face them. I flipped my visor back on as I grappled upwards where the figure was waiting for me.
The pouring rain combined with dim moonlight gave the shadow an ominous aura as it shone over the figure, revealing a familiar orange and black tactical gear with only one eyehole. I scoffed to myself.
"Slade."
"Last I heard you were dead, now look at you. Bearing the former mantle of your killer, loud and proud."
"You've been in this business long enough to know that no one ever really dies."
"True, that's why I'm not here looking for a fight."
"Well, you sure dressed up for one."
"Contingency. . .Something I'm sure Batman has taught you very well. . ." He paused
"I have a proposition for you. . ."
"Which is?"
"Join me. . . Together we will eradicate the filth not just in San Francisco, not just Gotham but the entire world. A new beginning. A new Genesis. The Titans only hold you back from the good that you can do by my side." He proposed, clenching his fist as he did.
"I take it that includes the Titans and others who's fought alongside me?"
"I know you Y/N. . ."
I was shocked when he said my name but kept my composure nonetheless. He chuckled before continuing his words.
"I know behind that red helmet of yours, you're surprised. But like I said, I know you. I know you're not a team player and we both know the people you've worked with, will never have the guts to cross the lines we're willing to cross to keep the peace. If they still live after what we will accomplish together, they will never accept what has happened." He said cunningly, like snake coiling around its prey enticing it.
"You seem certain I'm going take you up on that offer" I said clenching my fists. He scoffed at my reply.
"Don't make me do it Y/N. For your sake. Because if I do, you're not coming back this time."
" I'll take my chances." I said as I lunged forward, throwing a right. But he was trained. He unsheathed both his swords whilst blocking my punches.
" Such a shame. I thought you'd be different from Dick. I thought you were braver, had the guts to do what's necessary. It seems Daddy raised another weak orphan like himself." He said as he knocked the back of his sword against my helmet. It fazed me but not for long. In blind rage, Idid a takedown on him and started to land punches across his helmet. He pushed me off before landing a side kick, knocking me a few meters back. I pulled out my guns, firing a couple of rounds at him. He blocked his face with his left forearm as he chuckled.
"Guns with rubber bullets? I don't know if Batman would be impressed that you're following his no kill rule or pissed that you're using guns." He taunted as he leaped forward landing a 360° kick followed by a turning kick. I stumbled back for abit. I was no way fit to face him after beating up a bunch of thugs a few minutes ago but I wasn't one to back down. I threw my guns aside before throwing a couple of smoke grenades, subduing his vision. He looked around, using his senses to his advantage. I got up to higher ground and attacked, knocking the swords out of his hand. I started to land punches on him once again, seeing as how he was fazed for some time. He kicked my back knocking me forward, but as I moved away from him, I picked up one of his swords. My training with Bruce immediately flooded my mind as I took a defensive stance, waiting for him to strike. Slade on the other hand, twirled his sword gracefully before pointing it at me.
"Why do you persist to live by his rules when you can achieve so much more without it?" He taunted again as we clashed our swords. That lit a spark in me that I didn't even know existed. He pushed me off before standing back proudly.
"I. Don't. Live. By. His. Rules!" I said, swinging the sword hard at him.
"Yet you try your best not to kill." He rebutted as he blocked my attacks with ease. Realizing I wasn't going to win this one on one playing by the rules, I shot electric darts hitting his undersuit beneath the armor, giving him a slight shock. Distracted, I lifted him up in the air before slamming his back into the ground. He did a kip-up, simultaneously knocking me with his legs. He then threw a flashbang right at my face which made me look away as he took advantage of it, knocking me down with another 360° kick. I immediately got back up as he lunged forward, ready to land punches on me. I blocked every single one of them but barely as he begin to swing his sword at me. I took a risk, using my forearm as a guard, hoping the armored gauntlets could protect me. The final blow, the sword was able to cut through my gauntlet due to the momentum which jammed the edge of the sword, a few inches into my forearms. I screamed out in pain and stumbled to one knee as the rain grew heavier and heavier. The thunder crackled as Deathstroke loomed over me. He was then tackled down from behind which surprised him but not for long.
"You and Batman always had a way of interrupting an enjoyable moment." Slade sneered as he stood up to face Nightwing.
"I should've known it would only be a matter of time before you broke out."
"Smart boy."
"So you're the one behind everything?"
"Now that would be telling wouldn't it? Patience dear boy. Time will tell." Slade said warningly as he threw a smoke bomb and disappeared. I let out a sigh of relief before gritting my teeth as I pulled out the sword from my forearm.
"How'd you know where to find me?" I asked Dick.
"You weren't responding to your comms. Figured you'd probably be in some kind of trouble and besides the comms has a tracker built in." He replied, his eyes still looking elsewhere. I looked at him as he said tracker. He knew how what my stand was on that.
"Really Dick?"
"Hey. . . You try running a team of young adults who get lost at times."
"Yeah. . . Thanks for the save" I groaned, limping to his side as he stood by the edge of the building, staring at where Slade disappeared. The mood changed drastically from playful banter to all seriousness.
"If Slade's behind this, then you and I both know what lines he'll cross to see it come to completion." Dick said slightly shaking his head as we both looked to each other. I dwell on what he said before turning back to where we were looking.
"We'll be ready. We have to." I said placing a hand on his shoulder, patting it before limping off. I stopped at Deathstroke's dual katanas. I looked at them before picking them up and headed down to the alley where my bike was
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Back at the tower, I sifted through the drawers in the medical room before I found a first aid kit. Dick stood by the doorway, arms crossed.
"Need a hand with that?"
"I got it. Thanks." I said as I headed upstairs to the roof with the kit. I find myself being up here a lot which is odd considering I had my own room, but being here, it was like a safe place. I tore open the antiseptic wipes; wiped my wounds and stitching them up before wrapping my forearm with bandages. This is gonna hurt for a good while. As the wind blew, I started to wonder about Slade's words and how did he know my name. He did raise some good points. Bruce's way of crime fighting wasn't a permanent fix. It could just as easily come back when there's no longer a Batman or vigilantes to guard the city. But then again Bruce would have thought of that possibility and made a plan for it. I was still deep in my thoughts when Dick joined me, bringing two glasses and a bottle of whiskey. He poured it out and handed me one of it to which I gulped down.
"How did Slade know who I am?" I asked him as we both sat there enjoying the atmosphere. Instead of an answer, he just shook his head.
"No idea. He knows mine as well and I don't think Bruce would just tell everybody our secret identity now would he?" He asked back.
"Yeah. . . But I wouldn't put it past him to try and hack into the Batcomputer."
" The Batcomputer is unhackable."
I scoffed at his statement as I took a sip of my drink.
" We both know that's a lie."
"Y/N, we were both Robins so we'd know how to hack Bruce's firewall. . ." He sarcastically said which made me chuckled. It was so weird for us to be so normal. To be like brothers. Our lives were always packed with actions and supervillains that we'd never have the time that we did to just sit around and cherish the bond that being Robins gave us. The bond between us as well as the bond between us and Bruce. After a while of small talk, Dick got up and headed downstairs to get some sleep while I stayed up there.
I headed to the kitchen to make some tea. I guess Alfred and Raven's habit is really rubbing off on me. I grab the nearest teapot when I was reminded of the tea Raven offered me just hours ago. I took a look at the time.
445AM
She'd be up soon, I should return the favour. So I brew some tea and headed up to the roof with a teapot full of tea and two cups.
[ Raven ]
I woke up groggily as I dragged my tired body to the bathroom to shower. I changed into some leggings and an oversized tee. ' I wonder if Y/N is gonna be up there ' I thought to myself as I made my way to the kitchen. I searched for my teapot but it was nowhere to be found. I've always put it at the same place, but now it just disappeared. At first I thought it might have been Beast Boy but he doesn't just randomly touch my stuff without telling me. ' Did Y/N use it?' I thought to myself as I headed to the roof, hoping he was up there.
The door slid open and I turned to see a familiar figure standing at the edge, looking towards the rising sun. A small smile crept across my face before disappearing. Noticing I was here, he turned around as he gave me a nod and a smirk. Admittedly that smirk did make my heart do a little jump. I've never seen him do it and it was sort of cute. I noticed an empty cup by the table as well as my teapot. Realizing he made tea for both of us, I poured myself a cup before walking up to his side and leaning against the glass surrounding the roof.
"Late night?" I asked to which he just nod. I noticed two swords standing on its points in the soil next to Y/N.
"What's that?" I asked curiously.
"New toys, just picked it up a few hours ago." He said as he removed it from the ground and handed to me. I noticed his bandaged arm as he handed the sword to me. I placed my hand under it as my eyebrow arched, looking at him.
"Got into a fight. No biggie." He said dismissively. He had so many injuries that I was beginning to lose count.
"Do you want me to . . . . You know?" I asked him, slightly hesitant.
"Nahh it's okay. You said you couldn't control your powers the last time you did it. I don't want you to go through what I went through. My mind's a different kind of hell."
I looked down on the ground. He was right. I couldn't control my powers and it made me feel slightly insecure. He noticed the sudden change.
"Hey um. . . Don't be sad? I don't know how to deal with it." He tried to console me. I let out a small laugh at his bluntness before sipping my tea. I picked up the sword as I began to slowly swing it. I could sense Y/N's gaze on me.
"Ever used one before?" He asked me. I looked up at him as we locked eyes for a good while. I never really realized how tall he was until now. I was only up to his shoulder height. I broke up the eye contact as I looked away, slightly flustered.
"Umm. . . No. I've always had my powers to help me even though I may not be able to control it at times." I said as I looked down at my palm with a purple haze emitting around it.
He smirked as he picked up the other sword, clinking it against mine.
"Guard up." He said as he stood across me, sword in his hand. I did as I was told as he started to swing his sword at me but he was definitely taking it slow. Even so, I was struggling to deflect his light attacks, learning to control the weight of the sword and the rebound of the impact of both swords clashing. He was training me when I was supposed to be meditating but I felt as though there wasn't any need for me to meditate. I felt in control of my mind as I focused on training. We spent a couple hours up there training, taking a break every so often to drink some tea before continuing. After a good while, we both stood there talking to each other as we leaned on the edge, tired but a good kind of tired. A smile was on my face the entire time we talked.
The door then slid open as Cyborg stepped out, seemingly finding someone. His eyes stuck on to us as his mouth slight twitched upwards before going back to its previous state.
"Ahh umm. . . Y/N I didn't know you'd be up here. Dick wants to see you Rachel." He cleared his throat as he turned around quickly and headed downstairs with his eyes wide open, seemingly shocked.
"Well. . .that was a good training session. Thanks Y/N. Catch you later." I said as I walked off to find Dick.
[ Y/N ]
I drank the final sip of my tea as I took the swords and the tea set down to the building. I was hoping no one would be in the kitchen so they won't get any funny ideas about me holding Raven's teapot. To my misfortune, Cyborg was standing there, whipping up some breakfast for the team. I let out an inaudible sigh as I made my way to the sink. As I was washing, I felt Cyborg's eyes bore holes into the back of my skull
"Is there something I should know Cyborg?" I asked as I turned to face him
"Is there something I should?" He asked back with a smirk and wriggling his eyebrows at me. I groaned.
"Don't get any funny ideas." I half playfully, half seriously threaten him. He put his hands up in defense.
"Funny ideas?~ . . . Nu-uh. Nope. Just wondering you know~" He said sarcastically. I let out a sigh once again as I grabbed a bottle of beer and went to the balcony. As I was walking past the couch, Raven came into the living room, giving me a nod and greeting Cyborg along the way before disappearing to the hallway.
"Hey Rae!" He replied before letting out a dry cough, I could sense his eyes on me as he said that to which I flipped him off as I stared outside at the city. I could hear his chuckle which made me join in as well. He walked over to join me as we both admired the view of the city. So peaceful. There was silence between us for a short while.
"Raven's had a tough upbringing. Learning you're a half demon in a world that basically views them as monsters isn't particularly an easy pill to swallow."
" Neither is learning that you're living on borrowed time or even. . . That you're a half robot eh?" I said motioning to the both of us.
"Guess we gotta live with what hand life deals us."
" How did it happen? This?" I asked him. I was genuinely curious.
" There was an explosion at S.T.A.R. Labs. Dad did whatever it took to save my life. Even if it meant hooking me up to an alien technology for life support." He replied looking at the palm of his hand. His voice was slightly robotic yet held so much more emotion than mine.
" That was three years ago. I saw the news" I said, remembering the headlines that day about an explosion in a lab.
" You? I heard a few stories from Dick but. . . Never really got to hear it from the source."
I took a long swig of my beer as I gave him ; to quote Dick here, a Bat-Glare, something everyone in the family eventually picks up from Bruce. Cyborg tensed up slightly, afraid he might have just touched a nerve. But I just smirked.
"Bosnia. . . It was a setup for me and the Bat. Joker laid out a bait and I fell for it, hook line and sinker."
We continued on talking about tech and gear for a bit before we both decided to head to the training room.
" No weapons" I said as we warmed up for a spar.
" Sure you won't be at a disadvantage?" He asked with a smirk.
" Prepare to get your ass handed to you." I said with a chuckle as I immediately went for an attack.
[ Dick ]
After finishing up a couple of things in the surveillance room, I grabbed a bite to eat from the kitchen. Kori entered the room, greeting me. I gave her a shy smile.
" Kori." I said acknowledging her.
" Morning Dick."
" Got any plans today?"
" Might head to the mall with Rachel."
I slightly chuckled at that. Rachel wasn't one to go out. She's the type to stay at home by herself.
" Well you might need to drag her there then huh?"
" She's fine if it's me."
I gave her a nod, smiling as I headed down to the training floor where grunts and thuds could be heard. The sounds were heavier than usual. Must be a hard sparring session. I walked in to find Cyborg in a rear-naked chokehold by Y/N. Although Cyborg was struggling, I knew for a fact Y/N wasn't using his full strength. I chuckled, folding my arms as I enjoyed the little show unfolded before my eyes.
" Ughh Dick. . . A little help here?" Cyborg sputtered out, gasping for air. I chuckled before telling Y/N to stop. I helped Cyborg up as he stared at Y/N shocked.
"How- I-.... "
Y/N let out a slight chuckle as he took a swig out of his gym bottle.
" The Sons of Batman pick up a thing or two about fighting." I replied to his unasked questions.
" You call us Sons of Batman one more time, I'll kill you." Y/N said, pointing at me as he took a swig of water which made me laugh. Garfield eventually join us.
" How come I wasn't invited to this little party huh?" He jokingly said.
" Well you're here so why don't we spar?" I asked Garfield as I got ready.
" Go easy ey? You almost broke my arm the other day." He warily said as he got himself ready.
" I'm always easy on you. You fell down that's why you nearly broke your arm. Come on!" I said as he jumped at me, displaying the fighting style I've taught him. It was aerial to say the least but not as flashy and complex as my move-set. That takes years of practice to pull off. We went at it for a while or rather he did, I wanted to see his progress and surprisingly so did Y/N.
" Alright pause!" Y/N said loudly as he made his way over to us. I was surprised. Y/N's not really one for giving someone pointers.
" You're pushing your offense too long. Take a step back and analyze your opponent's move-set, the way he fights. The best defense is a good offense and you're not going to get a good one if you keep swinging mindlessly."
Beast Boy allowed his words to sink into his mind before nodding but Y/N wasn't finished.
" If you're up against someone as acrobatic as this dickhead right here. . ." Y/N voice trailed off, pointing at me. He immediately flipped me over his shoulder and onto the ground, catching me by surprise.
" WOAH!!" I shouted in surprise.
" Catch him off guard and plant him on the ground." Y/N finished off his sentence, releasing his grip on me.
" Couldn't give me a heads-up?"
" I could but then you wouldn't scream like you did."
Cyborg and Beast Boy snickered at Y/N's comment as I punched his shoulder playfully.
" Well this has been fun but I gotta go patch up my gear. See ya." Y/N said, patting my back, nodding to the guys before leaving.
"Shall we?" I asked as Cyborg joined the fun.
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