4Rating: M for Mature. The following tale contains some language, drug and tobacco references, moderate violence, and yaoi suggestions that are not appropriate for youth under 16. Reader discretion is advised.
Disclaimer: I do not own the DC Comics, Teen Titans, or any songs, books, places, titles and movies I may reference throughout the tale.
Title: The Red Valley
Universe: Teen Titans, Batman: The Animated Series, & Batman: Arkham City
Themes: Time, dark comedic crime, ironic humour and violence, and non-linear narrative.
Summary: Life at Titans' Tower is a complete train wreck: Robin's behaviour is schizophrenic. Starfire's apprehensive to share her feelings with Robin after hearing rumours of his recreational activities & Raven is actually best friends with Beastboy. Meanwhile, calamity is happening in Arkham City. Can Robin deal with his issues in time to save Batman when a pair of eyes are watching him?
Chapter Two: It's for the Best
"Starfire, it's just a dream. They don't always have to mean something-" Raven paused, looking to the floor. Starfire had just went on a tangent for the last ten minutes about her dream. "But sometimes, things are what they seem," she continued.
"What is it that you are saying," Starfire whispered with tears overflowing her eyes.
"What I'm saying is that sometimes we second guess ourselves. Make sound judgements for yourself. Don't rely on others to do it for you. Listen to you heart."
Beastboy fixated his eyes upon his best friend for the entire time. He understood what she was uttering: The truth hurts, but it will set you free. "Star, if it's all right with you, I'd be more than happy to be your wing-man, the grass-stain smiled shyly."
"Beastboy...Raven, I all appreciate your help, but I wish not to burden you, for I feel the heaviness. I am not ready to let go; I cannot. I am not ready to do the moving. I want to believe you, but I cannot. I have to see it for myself," Starfire looked each of the two in the eyes.
"Like we said, 'We're here for you'; we're Titans," Beastboy nodded.
"If you wish to aid me in my sorrows, then I hire you to be my secret eye."
"You mean private eye? What for?" Raven questioned.
"Not only do I wish to make certain what I believe you are saying is true, but Robin's behaviour as of lately. It is not subtly, yes?"
"Understandable," Raven concurred. "And yes."
"Star, you could never be a burden to us" Beastboy reassured, smiling. "Besides, being a private eye is way better than Ninja Space Monkeys 3."
"Wait. When did you first notice?" Raven raised a brow.
"It has seemed recent—a year ago," the alien estimated.
"What happened a year ago?" Beastboy asked absent-mindedly relighting the joint.
"Deathstroke," Raven mumbled. "He disappeared a year ago after the defeat of my father."
"Right. Then about a year before that, he first appears," Beastboy continues.
"Robin was hallucinating the return of him between this time after Deathstroke fell into the lava and Terra's demise," Raven finished.
"So, you think that Robin started to go coo-coo any time that Terminator disappeared?" the beast asked.
"Yes, then some. Robin was—is obsessed with the man after all," the demon furrowed her brow. "We're going to need to get in close to collect solid evidence for our case," she continued.
"I'll get the secret cams," Beastboy smirked.
"I am pleased to hear about such observations between you two. What did you have in mind?" Starfire chimed in.
"We'll start with a physical exam. I'll need to assist Cyborg for it.," Raven decided.
"Will you be wearing a nurse's costume for somebody," he trolled.
"What!?" Raven hissed.
"He did not hear me," Starfire said off-handedly, gazing at the sorceress.
"What?" Raven asked confused.
"Cyborg did not hear me scream because he is in the garage. That leaves—"
"...Robin," Raven caught on. "Now that you mentioned it, I haven't seem him since this morning."
"We need to keep a better eye out on him," he chided. "Dude, where is Robin?" Beastboy took another puff of the joint.
"Why didn't he..." Raven scowled, trailing off. Before anyone could react, Raven bolted out from her room and into the corridor, sprinting. She phased through Robin's door, pausing upon entering, she found him in a deep slumber. She confirmed that it was really him asleep in bed due to his unique aura. "Dammit, Robin. You've had me worried. Look at yourself. You've been sleeping all day. Just sleeping in bed like everything is right and just in the world. Since when do you sleep anyways...and so soundly? Whatever demons you're fighting, you don't have to go through it alone. We can help you, but you have to allow us to. We'll see you in the morning." Without another telepathic word, Raven chastely kissed Robin on the lips. (Note: Raven was worried that Robin had committed suicide. Robin almost killed himself from insanity from the episode "Haunted". Ever since then, everyone has worried about his mental health.)
"Batman, why are you leaving me," Robin pouted.
"I have some unfinished business. I should be back in a few months—maybe several," the vigilante mumbled. He was double checking his belongings while speaking to his ward.
"But we were just getting to Jujitsu and you gave me my red belt in Karate. What am I suppose to do by myself? Who's going to train me. You know 128 martial arts. How am I suppose to learn them, then some when you're gone?" The boy rambled off.
"Robin...I'm not leaving you; I'm just taking an extended trip. And I didn't forget about your training. That's why I have a teacher for you in the meantime." A very tall man stepped out of the shadows. He sported a white goatee and a black-eye patch over his right eye. He had a widow's peak with a crew cut hairstyle and his features chiselled and handsome to say the least. His one eye was of the colour blue. He was wilding a sword over his shoulder. His body was clad in a type of suit armour, but it was less bulky and lighter looking than Batman's ballistic armour. "This is Slade. He will be replacing me in the meantime of my absence."
The boy gasped along with his dilated pupils fixated at the appearance of the man that looked relatively young except for the fact of him having white hair. "Please to meet you," Robin finally muttered.
"The pleasure is all mine...little bird."
June 9th
Robin woke up the next morning at a quarter past nine from his dream. He knew that this was more than just a dream, but he could not just place from where those memories came for the life of him. These reacquiring dreams have been occurring as of last month. For someone that had more than plenty of sleep, he felt incredibly lethargic. However, like yesterday, he managed to roll out of bed to take a hot refreshing shower.
"Aaaargh!" he growled. "Dammit, my back. That's what I get for staying two whole days in bed," he grumbled. He stumbled over to his bathroom and turned on the water, waiting for it to warm-up. He crossed his arms and pulled his grey shirt over his head and stripped off his Superman pyjama bottoms and briefs. He stepped into the hot spray and pulled closed the curtains. He moaned in relief, for his muscles ached more than usual lately. He gently pulled off his domino mask due to the shower being the only relatively safe place to do so. The teen wonder took a gander at himself in his shower-mirror. He was amazed to find how much he grew in the last two years. He weighted in about 175 pounds and was five feet and ten inches tall. Although, he was not very tall, at least he was not short either and he packed on some decent muscle mass as well.
The bird could not help but notice his unusually dual eyes this morning. He felt so empty and hopeless. He felt that his life loss meaning when Deathstroke disappeared. He was obsessed with the mysterious man and he was captivated by the young man. When Robin had returned from those several months of being Deathstroke's apprentice, his friends acted like everything was going to be 'okay'. But everything was not okay. No one, not even Raven knew what happened to him. And he wanted to keep it that way. From the time of being Red X, to Robin's hallucinations, to the Titans finding out that he worked with Deathstroke in the terror of Trigon, they all one by one began to lose trust in their leader...and he knew it. And for that, that was the beginning of his depression.
Dick Grayson was both youthful and androgynous and he knew it. He had high check bones, rosy lips, long black hair that brushed against his shoulders, long eyelashes and sky-blue orbs. At one point in time, the young protégé of the dark knight had Wally and Barbara wrapped around his fingers without a shadow of a doubt. However, his beloved Babs distanced herself after her 'accident'. She wanted to be independent and much more capable than someone waking up at eleven in the morning, watching the boob-tube all day and collecting their Welfare-checks. No. Barbara Gordon was a very special woman.
Dick hopped out the shower upon washing his body, face and hair and re-gluing his mask to his precious face. He had the sensation that someone was watching him. Robin was on edge already, for he did not need this extra eerie vibe. After drying his body, he paused, deciding if he should or should not wrap the towel around his prized jewels.
"Screw it," he would give whomever a show. Folding up the towel, he made his way over to the sink for some dental hygiene. The perfectionist spent the next ten minutes brushing, floss, rinsing and whitening his pearly teeth-one of the teen wonder's idiosyncrasies.
"All right. What's next on the agenda?" Robin opted to dress himself in his usual uniform. He would be taking a very long patrol out with no motorcycle for some exercise and sunlight exposure. "It's for the best."
20 minutes earlier...
"The squirrel is in the hole. I repeat. The squirrel is-."
"Cyborg, we're right here. You don't need to use code or intercom us," Raven interjected.
"Ah, right," he rubbed the back of his neck.
"What did you find, bro?" Beastboy asked.
"Let us see," Starfire answered. The four titans watch closely the live footage of the spy cams of Robin undressing.
"Damn. Rob is hung like a horse," Cyborg gaucked.
"Holy shit, dudes. I would of bet money that Robin shaves."
"Guess you lost that one," Raven smirked.
"Hey, it's not a stereotype. It's a fact that gay guys shave," Beastboy insisted.
"Apparently, not this time. He's well groomed. Nothing wrong with body hair," Raven finished.
"Most fascinating. I will add this to my notes," Starfire hummed.
"You do that, Star. Good thing we didn't put cams in the fucking shower," Raven scoffed.
"Hey, don't be mean to Star! At least she shaves," Beastboy crossed his arms.
"What!?" Raven's eyes turned red and was about to strangle Beastboy with a tentacle when Cyborg interjected.
"Guys, I'm not seeing anything useful. All we doin' is being a bunch of peepers." Cyborg paused, processing the third to last statement. "Wait! You were gonna put cameras in the boy's shower!?"
"Cyborg is right. I feel most ashamed," the alien sighed.
"Look. Robin's on suicide watch. As harsh as that may sound, it's for his own good. It's for the best."
"Ah, Raven, could you all please explain to us as to why our leader is on suicide watch," Cyborg raised his finger, speaking matter of factly in his scientist voice. (Note: If you're wondering what the hell I mean by 'scientist voice', check out the episode from Teen Titans Go! where he explains the different components of a hamburger, pointing to a chart.)
"When he started hallucinating Deathstroke. This should have been implemented a long time ago. I know that is sounds harsh, but it's for the best. Better safe than sorry."
"Earth to Raven, Robin never tried to purposely kill himself. It was the dust from the mask that did it. He's all good now," Beastboy affirmed.
"I know that, Beastboy. But in case you've forgotten, he hasn't been the same sense. Were you not listening to anything we were saying last night!?"
"Ah, hello! We were both high last night remember, Raven?"
"Woah, woah, woah! I know that I didn't just hear you say that ya'll were smoking in the tower," Cyborg's voice became dangerously low. Raven and Beastboy looked wide-eyed, unsure of what next to say.
"...Without me!"
"You had us going for a second, bro," Beastboy laughed nervously."
"That's 'cause I did, fool!" Cyborg slapped the back of Beastboy and Raven's heads. "You two should be ashamed of yourselves!"
"Apparently, everyone here likes to do the joking," Starfire sneered. She was crossing her arms and scowling at the three for the last minute. "Raven, you think that Robin is a suicidal schizophrenic. Beastboy, you think that Robin is being paranoid about the Batman doing the snooping on his recreational activities on the toys of sex. And Cyborg, where have you been, man!?"
"C'mon, Star, we're sorry-" Cyborg started.
"I am the one that is sorry. You three are impossible! This is not a game! I wish not to be subjugated by such stupidity no more!" With green, glowing eyes, Starfire smashed through the roof and flew away.
"Dudes, were gonna need a lot of mustard to make up for this shit."
Robin made his way down the corridor to the elevator, waiting for it to descend to the living room. When he stepped out, he was not expecting a welcome party.
"Most pleasant morning to you, friend," Starfire greeted, keeping her emotions at bay.
"Starfire, get in the car! We gotta go! No time to explain!"Robin screamed, flailing his arms.
"Hey, Rob! We've got bacon and pancakes," Cyborg sung.
"This is serious shit you guys!" Robin reprimanded.
"Go where, dude?" Beastboy asked.
"Ha! Like you care! Starfire asked to help me in my plot to get back at Speedy after I lost in the archery match. Didn't we already discuss this?" he placed his hands on his hips.
"Robin, we never had such a conversation and we never went to see Speedy play archery," Starfire's eyes became shiny.
"No. Liar. You're all liars!" Robin screamed and pointed, slowly backing up.
Cyborg came up from behind and gave him a bear-hug before he could escape.
"This is for your own good, Rob. Raven, to the sickbay!" he yelled. Raven teleported herself and the two to the very own Titan hospital. Cyborg held the fighting teen back until Raven readied the bed.
"Now!" Raven ordered. Cyborg shoved Robin down on the hospital bed and Raven summoned her powers to strap the restraints in place.
"LET ME GO!" Robin commanded.
"Raven. The tranquillizer. Now!" Raven grasped the syringe and filled it with the sedative from the drawer.
"Rob, man, this is for your own good. It's for the best."
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Robin jerked himself awake from his scream of the nightmarish incubus. Now, he knew that the game of archery that he had with Speedy was also a dream. Reality was beginning to become foggy for the you man. He found himself lying on the cold concrete of a nondescript building, slowly sitting up. He must have dazed of after extensive gymnastics on a warm spring day. Rooftops were his second home after all. It was late evening and dusk was approaching. Robin was beginning to feel a tad nippy.
"Bad day, kid?"
Author's Note: For those of you that have read my very first story "Two Souls, One Love", I do hope that you see some improvements with my writing in this one: Characterisations, storyline...I'm not rushing through things like I did in the past. I am enjoying my writing of the conversations and interactions with the characters, building up to the climax. I do hope that you enjoy reading my stories as much as I love writing them. I'm trying to upload chapters every two weeks, but I am not doing so swell. Well, perfection can't be rushed. Also, me and choosing titles equals fail. I changed the title and summary of this story so many times. Now, I'm finally satisfied. I have finished my complete summary for this story. I'm trying to add lore to every chapter. If you're a big Batman fan like I, make sure to check out Kwing on Youtube. He just finished the walk-through for Batman: Arkham Origins. Make sure to give him a big thumbs up. Also, don't forget to give this a review; it really helps me out.
Barbara Gordon Lore: silver age ..She came out simultaneously in the comics with the 60's television show. She's the daughter of Gordon. She has a doctrine in library science. She's head of Gotham city library. Biggest library ever. Elected for congress. She was older than Dick vs the 80's and the new 52's where they're relatively the same age... Graduate vs starting college. He had a crush on her. She was my interested in older men though.(Batman). Original début issue—dressed as batman. Rescued him from Killer Moth. 60' and 70's most popular in the detective comics. 70's silver age: reveals identity to dad, but he already knew. But in the bronze age: went back to 'we don't know who she is'. Moves to Washington DC to become senator, but she doesn't want to give up on being Batgirl. Issue # 268 in the Superman Comics, she's brought back: she goes on a blind date with Clark Kent. They make a friendship. She teams up with Supergirl later too. She continued to be in the Detective Comics until issue # 519. In 2003, changed her origin: She's a gifted child, wants to join law enforcement instead of being a vigilante—Batgirl year 1. Before that, in 1989, she was in the "Killing Joke". Spine was shot and she became the Oracle. As Oracle, she provided intelligence and hacking skills like Justice League & Birds of Prey: 1st appearance: Suicide Squad #23...1989 was her first appearance. And 1996 for Birds of Prey. Dick and Babs had great times in this era. I'm not a fan of Star. Especially when they rewrite her and she had a fight about Babs before the wedding. Babs trained the third Batgirl—Stephanie Brown. Woobie was her teddy bear in the animated series. Batarangs and smoke pellets, Dick would give them to her under Batman's nose in year one, which was cute.
More Lore/Trivia: The nickname 'Little Bird' was given to Tim Drake (3rd Robin) by Lady Shiva. He was the orginal Robin to have a bo-staff that he chose from her assortment of weapons.
Unlike her sister Blackfire, Starfire can't use conjunctions when speaking. Starfire may have been ignorant to Earth's customs for the longest time, but I certainly do not think that she's stupid as a lot of writers have her be in their stories. I like Starfire, but I don't like her paired with Dick. Sorry. But by the way I'm writing this story, I'm sure that could have already deducted that...or maybe I'm just spoofing you.