Fan Fiction ❯ Titans Revealed ❯ The Robin Problem ( Chapter 3 )

Notes: You will notice I don't actually say what's wrong with Robin's face yet. That's not a mistake.

Chapter 3: The Robin Problem

Raven knew better than to enter Robin's room and expect him to be asleep, even at such a late hour. By now, he'd probably heard all the commotion, and she'd have a real fight on her hands once he realized she was the one doing all the damage.

Of course, it was going to be hard enough to expose Robin, especially since Starfire had made Raven promise not to injure him. Raven honestly didn't WANT to hurt Robin, but he was a natural-born fighter, and would probably instinctively lash out if he sensed something was wrong.

Raven finally decided to settle with a knock before poking her head into his room.

Robin was perched on the edge of his bed, apparently waiting for her. "So it's my turn now?"

"Just let me read your mind…or take off your mask so I can match it up in the data-"

"Sorry, Raven. I can't do that."

"Somehow, I knew you'd say that." Raven stepped into the room and closed the door behind her.

"You think that's going to give you the advantage?" he asked skeptically.

"No. I'm hoping it'll keep Starfire out for at least a few minutes. She always hesitates when the door's closed. Just try not to yell and we should be able to do this uninterrupted."

"If you insist." Robin leapt lightly to his feet and waited.

Instead of attacking, Raven tried to pierce his thoughts.

~"Sorry, Raven. No peeking."~ Robin suddenly lunged and grabbed her arm, turning and dropping to his knees as he tossed her over his shoulder.

Raven righted herself in midair and landed on the bed, her eyes narrowing in concentration.

Suddenly, Robin's mask was jerked off, and his forearm flew up just in time. He kicked the door open and ran from the room.

Raven flew after him, her mouth gaping slightly. ~"I couldn't have seen…what I thought I saw…"~

* * * * *

Cyborg sighed in relief as the huge green gorilla tugged off the last weight. "Thanks, BB."

The gorilla reverted to a worn-out Beast Boy. "Dude, have you ever heard of moderation? You should give it a try some time."

"It wasn't MY idea to bench press them all at once," Cyborg protested, wincing as he sat up.

"But still. Just HAVING weights that heavy should be illegal."

"Whatever. Raven got you, too?"

"Yeah. What's got her so pissed at us?"

"No idea. She wanted to know my real name, for some reason."

"Me, too." Beast Boy got a thoughtful look. "I wonder what HER real name is?"

"Who knows? But we better go warn Robin before she gets to him, too," Cyborg suggested.

"Good idea!" Beast Boy transformed into a green cheetah and sprinted into the hallway…only to slam directly into Robin. They both tumbled to the ground, with the heavier cheetah pinning Robin unintentionally.

"Guess it's too late for that," Cyborg observed as Raven came zooming into the hallway, followed at once by Starfire. Then he happened to look down. "Hey, Rob. You lose your mask or something?"

Even in the fall, Robin had managed to keep his face covered with both his arm and his cape.

But that ended as soon as Raven flew over and tore the cape away. Even then, she needed Starfire's help to pry his arm away.

For a long moment, none of the Titans moved as they finally saw their leader's true face for the first time.

The cheetah reverted to Beast Boy and backed away. "Dude. That is just…WEIRD!!!"

* * * * *

Cyborg shook his head, still in disbelief. "I still can't believe it. I mean…how is that possible?!"

"This from a cyborg with superhuman strength and agility?" Raven asked.

"…okay, but at least I can explain that! You explain THAT!" He pointed forcefully at Robin's face.

Raven sighed and stared through the glass at Robin's shackled body. "I don't know where to start. He doesn't have any fingerprints or facial descriptions that match up with anything in our database. I tried contacting Batman through the Justice League, but…"

"But what?" Beast Boy asked.

"Well, according to him, the person we have here is an impostor. Robin is currently in Gotham City cracking a smuggling ring with Batgirl, and Nightwing is operating out of Bludhaven. That covers all known Robins…except ours, naturally."

"So he's a fake? Doesn't that make him…a criminal?" Beast Boy asked uncertainly.

"Not exactly. While he has stolen under the guise of Red X and as Slade's apprentice, those were forgiven because we assumed he was Robin. And while impersonating a superhero IS a crime, the fact is that he IS a superhero. He's done too much good to ignore. He even brought us together."

"…so he's NOT a bad guy?" Cyborg asked, clearly confused.

"No. We can't exactly punish him for leading us in rounding up bad guys. He DID lie to us, but…well, it wasn't like he could tell us the truth, either. I doubt any of us would have united so willingly under his command if he'd told us about this."

"While we're talking about it…what IS the truth?" Beast Boy wondered aloud. "We don't know who he is, where he came from, or what he wants."

"I intend to get those answers, Beast Boy," Raven replied. "Even if I have to go to the Watchtower myself."

"Hold on, Raven," Cyborg said. "You can't just go barging into the Justice League's base! I mean, how would you feel if Wonder Woman kicked in our front door?"

"The real question is, how would SHE feel when I got done with her?" Raven corrected as she walked away.

"…dude, I would PAY to see that chick fight," Beast Boy swore when she was gone.

Cyborg swatted his friend on the head. "Can you get your mind out of the gutter for a second?! We've got a real situation here!"

Beast Boy frowned and rubbed his head. "But you heard her! We can't really do anything except keep him locked up…and technically, if we locked somebody up every time they lied around here, well…"

"…you'd never see daylight again?" Cyborg quipped.

Beast Boy slapped his forehead. "I walked right into that one."

"Yeah, you did. You're losing your touch, little buddy."

* * * * *

Starfire could not help feeling that this was somehow her fault. If she had sided with Robin instead of Raven, maybe his secret wouldn't have been revealed, and then he wouldn't be locked up right now.

Of course, it wasn't like Raven had hurt him in the end. Starfire had felt that encasing Robin's entire body, save his head, in solid steel was a bit extreme, but even Beast Boy had been forced to admit that anything less would be too easy for Robin to escape.

Despite her binding oath to Raven, Starfire had not left Robin's side…even after she'd found out that he wasn't really…well…Robin. No matter who he was, the person under that mask was still her best friend…even if she wasn't quite sure he really was a person.

"Star?"

She blinked and looked up to see Robin (that wasn't his true name, but he had no other at the moment) staring at her. "Yes?"

"Are you…mad at me?"

Starfire had to think about that one. "I suppose I should feel betrayed…but I don't. I understand why Raven is upset, but I don't feel the same way. Each of us has separate identities that we wished to keep secret, but she forced us to reveal them. If anything, I am more displeased about that than anything else."

"But you didn't say anything to her?"

"No." Starfire sighed. "Raven is my intended now, and while I will not agree with everything she decides, unity is key to our continued existence together. I will not question her…at least, not right now."

"Your people take these…unions really seriously, don't they?" Robin asked.

"Yes. It is one of the most sacred oaths one person can make to another."

"And you don't think Raven made that decision a little prematurely? The last I heard, you two were just friends, and now you're betrothed?"

"She…did seem to be in a rush at the time," Starfire admitted. "But she has made no attempts to break our union, so I must assume she has no intention to."

"I just don't want to see you get hurt," Robin said. "Maybe you should go talk to Raven right now."

"Raven has already made it clear to me that I am not to leave your side for any reason. She seems to think you'll try to escape if I'm not here."

Robin smiled faintly. "She's smarter than I ever gave her credit for, then."

Starfire hesitated. "Robin…? Could I possibly…?"

"Go ahead," he answered before she could finish.

Slowly, Starfire reached up and removed his mask.

He did not blink at all as his eyes were exposed to the light, nor did he look away from her face.

"How bad does it look?" he asked after a moment of silence.

"I fear I am not the right person to ask. I am not certain how appearances are judged here, and-"

"Okay, how do YOU think I look?" Robin interrupted.

Starfire carefully pressed a hand against his cheek. "Vulnerable," was all she said.

His small, cloudy gray eyes locked on her briefly before finally shifting away. "That's not what I meant."

"You asked me what I saw, and I answered truthfully." She came a step closer. "I have never seen you look more vulnerable, Robin. Is it because you no longer have your mask?"

"Mostly."

"Then what else is there?"

"With the mask, I'm somebody. I'm Robin of the Teen Titans. Without it…I don't exist."

"That's not true. You're still my best friend, even without the mask."

He shook his head slightly. "There's no way I can make you understand right now, Star. But you will, once Raven does some digging. She'll be able to tell you what I never had the courage to."

"I don't care what Raven finds out," Starfire said firmly. "Nothing she could tell me will change the way I feel about you." She paused, and then nodded, almost to herself. "If you like, I will even take an oath of loyalty to you."

Robin stared at her. "…that's the most sacred bond of your people, isn't it?"

She nodded. "Shall I begin?"

"No, Star. I know you would never turn on me. There's no need to take the oath."

She smiled and replaced his mask. "Is there not some oath that Earthlings make to their friends?"

"Sure, all kinds. But people who really have faith in each other don't need them."

* * * * *

Next Time: Raven visits the Watchtower uninvited, and Batman uncovers the odd truth about "Robin".