Despite Y/N's many, many years fighting the cruelest criminals in the universe, sneaking past a few prison guards proved to be quite a challenge. The sneaking part, not the attacking part. Beating things up was Y/N's specialty.
In the past, Y/N always tried his best to refrain from any violence. He never thought it was his duty to take a life that wasn't his.
However, now, he never saw the point in holding back.
Everyone is going to bite the dust eventually, so why not cut to the chase?
It could've been that due to these thoughts, Y/N ignored the fact that he indeed felt a glimmer of hope to lend this unstable team.
"Woah, hold it right there!"
However, he knew it wouldn't be an easy task.
"Who are you?"
In front of his eyes, Cyborg held his sonic arm cannon aimed at Y/N's face, keeping a strong stability in his stance.
Y/N had encountered Cyborg in a dark alleyway near the prison. Due to the pitch-black sky, he was able to sneak away relatively easily.
"Listen, Cyborg, calm down. I'm here to-"
Cyborg interjected, "No, no, I have no intention in calming down! And how do you know my name?"
Y/N replied with a smirk, "Why wouldn't I? You're part of the world-famous Teen Titans aren't you?". He began to inch a little closer, "Besides, you and Robin were talking up a racket back there. This kinda thing happen often?"
Cyborg visibly grew more cautious and hostile towards Y/N. Every instinct was screaming to get away from him.
"Don't talk all friendly to me. You're a criminal. You think I didn't see those orange Pyjamas?"
Y/N shrugged, "Yeah, I guess I am a criminal. But... that doesn't mean I'm a bad person, right?"
Cyborg's tone of voice lowered, as he corrected the position of his sonic canon, "What do you want?"
"To help."
"How could you possibly help-"
Suddenly, Y/N began to activate his powers for the first time in decades.
His eyes began to glow white, as he levitated 30 feet in the air, before firing white energy beams out of his hands, projecting them right in front of Cyborg's feet, just missing him.
"Hey, woah, woah. What are you- Ah! Hey! Stop!"
"For someone so big and strong, you certainly are a lightweight."
Y/N activated his telepathy, lifting the cybernetic teen up to meet his direct gaze.
"Please, just put me down! Whatever you want, please!"
Y/N spoke in a devious tone, "Here's the deal you bucket of bolts," He refused to let Cyborg down. "I help you catch this Cinderblock guy, and you convince the legal cats in this place to clear my name."
Y/N gradually lowered himself, along with Cyborg, as his eyes stopped glowing.
"Deal?"
"Deal."
• • • • • • • •
"Hello? Cy? Pick up! Come on, Cy, pick up! I know you're there. The phone's built in your arm!" Beast Boy paced around the Ops Room, trying everything he could to get a response from his lost friend.
Titans Tower was real quiet today. The whole-hearted laughter of the cybernetic teen was missed among the rest of the team, as it was replaced by a deafening silence.
Robin stared out the Ops Room window, deep in thought of the friend he had stupidly lost over a simple miscommunication.
The team had only been assembled a few months prior, a time span in which an impressive amount of progress had been made when it came to building bonds. However, there is only so much that can be achieved within a few months.
Especially among 5 teens, whose superpowers had allowed them to grow accustomed to being outsiders.
Catching sight of him, Starfire levitated toward Robin, holding a bowl of... something. "Taste, friend Robin. On my planet, the displeasing taste is quite the renowned for setting mental discomfort at ease."
"I'm fine." Robin slightly turns his head from the window.
That was a lie.
Raven then chirps up, standing at the Primary Control Monitors. "There is no point in pitying yourself, Robin. People come, people go. It's pointless to be upset about Cyborg." She made no eye contact throughout the whole phrase.
"Oh come on, Raven. He's our friend! We can't just let him go." Beast Boy began to speak.
Raven slightly pivoted her head, "Friends are an artificial construct. They come in and out just like everything else in life."
Robin remained silent.
Suddenly, the Main Monitor in the front of the Ops Room signified an alert from the local police.
"Robin, what is the matter?" Starfire queried.
"A prisoner has escaped from Jump City prison," Robin answered. He began to flip through the images that had been sent from Jump City council.
"Escaped? Dude, I thought we got all of them." Beast Boy chimed in. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"
"Hold on Beast Boy. It looks like Cyborg is already on it." Robin brought up an image on the Ops Room TV screen.
It showed Cyborg in an alleyway, aiming his Sonic Canon at a mysterious young man in an orange prison uniform.
"Must we still proceed to assist? Surely friend Cyborg could use our help, correct?" Starfire said, continuing to stink up the place with her bowl of... something.
Robin responded out of fear of confrontation.
"No, Cyborg can handle it. We should be on the lookout though. Who knows how many others could've escaped?"
Robin was suspicious though. Surely there was no way someone could bypass Jump City prison security.
With so much crime, maximum security had to be implanted in Jump City prison, along with neighboring cities, with prisons very often reaching maximum capacity.
Then, a photo of him and Cyborg caught his eye. It was taken on the same day the team was assembled
Man, that was a great day. Robin felt he'd finally found his people. He had just made a deal with the Jump City council to build a Head-Quarters for newly assembled Teen Titans. It took a little convincing, due to the reputation that Gotham had earned over the years, but at last, he was walking his own path.
However, now it seemed as if the pavement had run dry. Now, he felt he needed guidance...
From someone...
"Perhaps we're better off without him..."
• • • • • • • •
"Alright man, what's your deal? Why were you even thrown into prison in the first place?", Cyborg asked.
The excruciatingly dim light from the broken street lights very poorly illuminated the wasteland of their environment.
Cyborg and Y/N had been patrolling the backstreets of Jump City for around half-an-hour, the majority of which had been mostly silent, aside from Y/N spitting out the occasional "Lovely weather out there, huh?".
They found themselves strolling outside the Jump City nuclear power plant, where the smell of nuclear chemicals spread through the air like wildfire.
"Same way everyone else does: Trying to take back what's theirs that this city stole from them," Y/N responded. He refused to make eye contact.
"Yeah, right. That's what all the criminals say."
"If they all say it, maybe they're onto something." Cyborg halted in his step, as Y/N proceeded, "You just gotta open up your mind."
Cyborg then quickly caught up to the prisoner, "Listen, man, I really don't trust you, but at the same time, I imagine you'd have what it takes to stand up for yourself and do what's right."
Cyborg slightly lowered his tone of voice, "You're wastin' your potential making excuses for your poor life choices."
Y/N scoffed. "Trust me, if you knew anything about my life, you'd be watching your tongue right now."
"What're you talkin' about?" Cyborg was still visibly opposed to giving in to this mysterious guy's words.
Y/N took a deep breath.
"I've loved and lost millions of people. Taken billions of lives. And made fools out of all who looked on me with pride." Y/N looked at the floor. "Anyone I come into contact with, I destroy in every sense of the word..."
His voice lowered, "That's why I'm better off in solitude."
I need someone to save me
Before Cyborg could say anything, the two teens were stopped in their tracks. All of a sudden, a giant monster made of disgusting maroon sludge jumped and landed right before the two teens, looming over them like a Red Wood Tree.
Cyborg looked incredibly concerned, "That's.... not Cinderblock."
Y/N looked up at the creature in comedic amusement. "You're tellin' me."
• • • • • • • •
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