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Speedy was going to object to being dragged with her, but he didn’t as he wanted to make sure she did  make it to somewhere safe. He didn’t know these hallways like a student like her did, so he had no choice but to blindly follow her.

Good thinking.... and thank God, he thought in relief as she lead them to a closet. This was where he planned to part ways, but suddenly he was being yanked into the small room along with her. Struggling would have given them away, so he kept his mouth shut for once in his life. 

His eyes weren’t adjusted to the darkness yet, so he quite literally didn’t see the girl’s fall coming. His eyes widened and his body jerked as she crashed into him for the second time in the short time since they had met. His face reddened a bit as she held onto him. He pushed away an intrusive thought- now was not the time.

“Y-yeah I’ll try,” he stuttered, as he began to fumble his hand on the wall next to him for the light switch. No luck. He turned his head to try to look at the other wall and was smacked in the face with a small metal chain. After taking a moment to recover, he pulled down on the chain, and a dim lightbulb illuminated the space. 

“There we go.”

Lockdown

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Speedy was about to up and leave the school when a small figure crashed into him with a considerable amount of force. The blonde was panicked, and appeared to perceive him as a threat, which was baffling to him. He didn’t think spandex was all that scary.

“I’m not-” he started, wanting to let her know that he was here to help, not cause harm. Then she seemed to realize that, and started stuttering an explanation. If she didn’t look so terrified he would have told her to spit it out already.

He had barely registered the sound of feet echoing on the tile when she abruptly grabbed onto him. Then they were suddenly running, with her leading. Obviously someone was chasing this girl, or something along those lines.

“Who are we-” his question was interrupted by a gun shot. Holy shit. His ears rang as his mind was putting together the pieces. A school shooting was not the ‘crisis’ he had expected, but he had to do his job. He had to stop the shooter and make sure no one would be harmed, as soon as possible. Or at least stall the shooter long enough until the police arrived.

But first he had to help get this girl to safety. Trying to take down a gunman with a civilian with him could end up being disastrous.

“Do you have a safe place to go to?” he demanded in a hushed hiss. He hoped that the shooter was far enough behind them that they couldn’t hear.

Lockdown

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“Very important,” Speedy bluffed, taking the opportunity to build himself up. “I’m not actually the leader, but I’m pretty close to it,” he told her, trying to sound convincing.  His team was on another coast, she would probably never have the chance to realize he was telling a small white lie.

“I was almost chosen as leader, but they didn’t because I don’t have any powers,” the ginger continued. “My area of expertise is archery, something I had to work towards. Maybe they’re jealous of that,” he bragged. That part he thought was true anyway, they probably were envious of his skills.

First Encounter

“You don’t say?”  God, he was mindnumbingly dense.  From what she’d seen and heard of the boy wonder, she wondered how he could even tolerate, much less befriend, someone like Speedy.  Then again, he also was rather fond of Starfire, who wasn’t exactly the brightest bulb either.  Either way, it worked to her advantage.  The fact that he was so willing to talk about Robin could mean that he had valuable intel he might let slip.  

She hoisted herself onto the countertop.  If Robin were here, he would have flipped.  But since he wasn’t, no harm done.  “That must mean you’re pretty important.  You must be the leader of Titans East too then, right?”  He wasn’t; she knew that much.  But she wanted to see what he’d say, and how he’d react.  

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“I can handle the couch. Closer to the TV,” he explained with a smirk. It was nice that they fixed up a room for him, though. Speedy would admit that much. “But thanks for the offer, Robin.” Somehow the archer was feeling less irritable. Who knew that the Boy Wonder had any sort of calming effect. 

He grabbed Robin’s hand and shook it firmly. This had become a sort of routine greeting ever since they reconnected during the twisted competition the Master of Games had hosted. 

“Things have been okay. We seem to have driven all the scum away from Steel for now,” Speedy explained, frowning. “Which is a good thing, don’t get me wrong, but I’m not really needed there at the moment,” he quickly added.

“How’s things going around here?”

Dude Stuff (Dudes Doing The Best Manly Dude Stuff in the History of Dude Stuff)

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Lockdown

Speedy was pleased that he had chosen this week to stay with the Titans West team. On this particular day, criminal activity was popping up all over Jump City, causing the team to actually require the archer’s assistance. The incidents were so abundantly occurring that Speedy was given a solo mission.

His assignment was to check out a crisis that was occurring at some private high school in the really nice part of the city. The rest of the Titans were about to attend to a large-scale bank robbery, so Robin was unable to find out any further details about the situation before sending Speedy off.

He grinned; to be entrusted with something by himself always gave him a sense of pride. He was pretty excited as well, being the hero in the presence of cute high school girls was bound to be rewarding.

When he arrived at the prestigious looking school, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Maybe a little quiet. He pushed his way through the large doors, and found himself in a dark hallway. The adjoining classrooms also seemed lifeless. He wiggled a door handle- it was locked. Speedy frowned. 

He stopped and checked the time on his T-communicator. Hm, school was still supposed to be in session. Maybe they had the day off. He was starting to wonder if Robin had given him the wrong location. 

“Hellooo- anybody in this place?” his called out, his voice seeming to echo off the walls of the long hallway. He was going to be irritated if this turned out to be a waste of time.

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Dude Stuff (Dudes Doing The Best Manly Dude Stuff in the History of Dude Stuff)

Crime seemed to be at an all-time low in Steel City. Simply put, Speedy was bored and itching to do something. Bumblebee had provided some grueling training to take up some time, but even that didn’t seem all that satisfying. The Titans East leader must have been getting fed up with Speedy’s whining & lounging about the tower as she began specifically began calling him out on everything.

After another argument, she ended up abruptly dismissing Speedy from a training session.The archer was also told he could take the week off. This only further irritated Speedy as having nothing to do was the issue. Now he had even more free time. But he held his tongue and accepted it.

On a whim, he called up Robin and told the Titans West leader that he was headed his way to the West Coast. Maybe he could mess with the villains there, or if not, the team was always exciting to be around. 

He’d also like to spend some time with Rose, but if he was unable to, there was always Robin to hang out with. It was a shame that they were so far apart; Speedy had always enjoyed Robin’s company when they crossed paths in the past when they were mere sidekicks. 

-

Traveling across the country to Titans West HQ was worth it, Speedy had told himself when he left. After a 6 hour flight, Speedy was far from that mentality when he arrived on the little island that housed the T-tower. He smoothed his hair one last time and stormed through the doors. 

“Sorry to keep you waiting- your favorite Titan has finally arrived,” he announced to all present as he made a beeline for the couch. He flopped onto the sofa and made himself comfortable. 

“And he’s here to stay. For a bit.” 

“

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“Yeah, we're good pals. I’m like his right-hand man,” he bragged. Being close with the leader Titans West probably made him seem impressive- at least that’s what Speedy assumed. Rose certainly seemed impressed with his connection. 

Speedy was surprised that Robin had taken a dislike to Rose, she seemed charming to him. He figured that the Titans West team was just... weary of new members. Speedy hadn’t heard the entire story, but evidently something had happened with the last Titan they had taken in. 

From what Rose was saying, it sounded like they were being more careful about who they were letting in the Tower. He imagined that she was under strict surveillance. Understandable, but annoying. Especially when Speedy would really prefer not to be closely watched around said new team member. He’d have to work on Robin and his rules.

First Encounter

Rose was certain that at some point or another who she was related to would come out.  However, she was hoping that Robin would at least keep his lid shut on that for the time being and wouldn’t list that as a reason for her not being able to hang out with Speedy.  It would be a low blow if he brought it out, but she wouldn’t put it past him.  Her father had told her of his obsession, and she still sensed some reluctance on his part about her being here.  

Still, she would play it cool and hope for the best.  That’s all she really could do at this point.  “Oh, so you two are that close?  I don’t think he really likes me all that much.”  Lips pulled back into a half grin.  “But maybe you can convince him I’m not all that bad.  I’m sure a weekend with you couldn’t hurt with that.”    

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Speedy could sense that Jinx was getting impatient. That was no good; he needed to keep stalling her and find out what she had planned. It was irritating how defenseless he was without his bow. It wasn’t that he didn’t have the ability to take on a girl of her size, it was more that powers such as hers trumped brute strength. He really didn’t want to get zapped.

He didn’t admit it, but she was correct- evil would never truly go away. Someone would always be trying to cause harm, and unfortunately someone would always elaborate evil schemes. The Titans knew that, that was why they still had a job despite most of their former enemies being frozen in blocks of ice. (Speedy vaguely wondered what Robin had in store for those villains, as it seemed inhumane to keep them in that state.)

"You’re wrong about the Titans not always being around. We’re here to stay. Look at our resumes- we’re an unstoppable force,” he boasted. Well, they were when they had their weapons on them.

Speedy gritted his teeth as Jinx threatened him with her glowing hand. He weighed his options. It didn’t look like Jinx was in the mood to be spilling information to him. She was stubborn, and probably would not hesitate to throw a hex at him this time. Fighting her without his weapon wouldn’t amount to much. Best to stand down, and report back to his team. 

Silently, he stepped to the side and crossed his arms. She may have thought she had won, but that wasn’t the case. The Titans would now know to look out for Jinx, as well as this possible new ‘big bad’. This wasn’t a victory by any means, but it was something. And Speedy thought it was better than getting his ass kicked by a girl.

A Hexing Problem

This wasn’t worth her time. Jinx’s head tilted to the side and she pressed her lips together tightly. It was getting annoying, though, despite everything, she didn’t want to hurt him. Yet. She couldn’t bring herself to. That would need to change in the immediate future.

But Jinx just scoffed at him. “Yeah, I was there for that,” she agreed. “But what you stupid Titans fail to understand is there will always be evil in the world. There will always be some other big bad rising up,” Jinx muttered. She knew she was right. She just hadn’t figured out who it would be yet. “And you guys won’t always be here to save the day.”

 Jinx grinned at him, though her usual mischievous light didn’t exactly reach her eyes. It would be nice to screw with them, wouldn’t it? Put them on a red alert for a little while– she was no big threat to the world. Yet, anyway. “You don’t know who I work for,” she snorted at him. waving him off. A hex shot out of her hand and into a nearby wall. Jinx immediately frowned. This wasn’t worth her time. 

Jinx held out her hand out to him, the pink energy surrounding. 

“Out of the way.” 

The last warning. 

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“Me and Rob go way back,” he agreed. He probably could get Robin to loosen up on his tight ‘new member’ rules. Maybe it was just the hormones talking, but Speedy didn’t see what there was to worry about. She seemed completely harmless and he bet she was a great asset to the Titans West team.

“I’ll see what I can do. He just needs some new hobbies; maybe I can get him to take up gardening or something,” Speedy snorted. He imagined that Robin would be the type that would sit next to his petunias to watch them grow, and measure them with a ruler.

“After working my magic on him, Robin might just let me borrow you for a day- maybe even a whole weekend,” he teased. “I’ll keep you out of trouble.”

First Encounter

Arms folded across her chest, grin spread wide across her face as they continued to speak.  He sure was cute, absolutely clueless, but cute nonetheless.  Which is what made him perfect.  Sure, Robin would have been the ideal person to extract intel from, but he was guarded.  Everyone in the Tower knew better this time around. 

But Speedy lived in a different tower.  

“I guess we’ll just have to see about that,” she replied teasingly.  “If you could convince the Boy Wonder to let me join you, I’d love to take you up on that.  Since I’m a new member, he likes to keep a pretty close eye on me.  But I’m sure he’d have no problem with you and I spending some time together.  After all, you and Robin are pretty close, right?” 

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He knew she was toying with him. She held the upper hand here: powers, stolen merchandise, and worst of all, secrets. With the way she was acting, Speedy was almost certain that Jinx had gotten something out of his friend, which he figured had probably been her aim in the first place. 

He was furious, but he had to tread carefully. If she felt this wasn’t worth her time, Jinx would probably be able to disappear with ease.  “Who’re you going to tell? The Brotherhood of Evil was taken down a while ago- you were there for that. All of the ‘big bads’ are gone, sis,” he told her, trying to keep his cool. Currently, almost every villain the Titans had previously encountered was still frozen. Slade was the only one they hadn’t rounded up, but he wasn’t about to tell her that.

He shook his head. “There’s no one to work for, and the Titans’ numbers are increasing all of the time.” Unless she knew something he didn’t.

A Hexing Problem

“You never had me fooled,” Speedy bluffed. “I doubt anyone else was, either. We just wanted to support Kid Flash.” In truth, from what he had seen and heard of her, Jinx had seemed like she truly reformed. Was that really all an act? He pitied Kid Flash; he knew that Wally had really given his heart to this girl. 

“Did you even get anything out of pretending to be a hero?” he demanded. What had Wally told her? How many secrets did she know? If this wench knew any secret identities, Speedy might just have to strangle her and his friend.

With his broken weapon, he knew he didn’t really have any leverage over her, but Speedy hoped she was in the mood to brag.

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Beast Boy: Would you shoot your best friend in the leg for 10 million dollars?

Speedy: [to Robin] You shoot me, and then when my leg gets better, we buy a big ass house and range rovers.

Robin: You can shoot me too, we’ll have 20 million.

Speedy: Good thinking, fuck the system.

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Speedy was grinning stupidly; this was just too much fun. He himself hadn’t been in the presence of a pretty lady in a while- at least, one that wasn’t off limits. He hadn’t been in the habit of visiting Titans West often, but now... he might have a reason to. As long as his friends would believe whatever bullshit excuses he could come up with it 

“I’ll be able to take all that you can throw at me,” he asserted. He was sure he was capable of keeping up with her- be it a training exercise, or whatever else she had in mind.  

First Encounter

Rose knew that she was attractive.  Yes, she had a few unique features ( her white hair and her missing an eye ), but overall, she knew she was attractive.  She was the perfect mix of both her father and mother, having pale hair and a blue eye in combination with some of her mother’s Cambodian beauty.  But, living with her father for all those years, training with him, tutoring with Wintergreen in lieu of school, there was literally zero opportunity for her to meet guys.  

Shit.

A wry grin played on her lips at the nice girl comment, but she bit her tongue and simply shook her head.  Slade was going to kill her.  Or maybe not.  Although she had started making baby steps with the Titans, she still had a long way to go.  Getting close to Speedy could only help in the long run.  

“As long as you think you can handle it,” she replied teasingly.  “But I’m sure it’d be no trouble at all for a master archer such as yourself.” 

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“Yup, I’m a rare breed of guy,” he boasted, only half-joking. Speedy really didn’t have any self-esteem issues; he knew what he was about. He knew he had talents, and he wasn’t afraid to let people know about them.

“That’s me, a complete gentleman. Anything for a nice girl like you.” Thank god- it seemed like she had bought his bluff. And damn, was she a nice girl. He hoped that with his mask covering his eyes, she wouldn’t be able to tell where he was staring right now.

“Oh? I might just have to take you up on that offer,” he said with a teasing smirk. Was he reading too much into her words? Something about her tone seemed to be hinting at more...

First Encounter

“So you’re a genius and a master archer then?  What a combo.”  He certainly was confident of himself, that much was obvious.  But then again, so was she.  Right now, however, she was just choosing not to boast, opting for sarcastic replies and teasing remarks.  For now.  

It was almost cute, the look on his face when he’d realized his mistake with the sandwich, and his trying to play it off like he meant to do it.  So much for genius, she thought.  The grin on her face widened.  This might have been one of maybe two genuine smiles she’d given since her coming to the Tower.  

“Well aren’t you just the gentleman.  How thoughtful of you,” the white haired teen replied with a cheeky smile.  

“You could say that.  I’d argue that I’m much better than pretty good.”  She paused, tilting her head.  “I can show you sometime if you think you’d be up for it.  That way you can find out for yourself what a ‘Ravager’ really does.” 

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“I’m a genius, is all,” Speedy replied teasingly, laughing. This girl seemed alright in his book. (And damn, she was smoking even with an eyepatch). He had thought it was a clever jab, though.

Not hungry...? He looked down at his hand and then back at her with a sheepish grin. Oops. He quickly lowered his arm, trying to hide his embarrassment.

“Yeah, didn’t want to be rude eating in front of you,” he bluffed in explanation. He felt the need to make a good impression.

“The Titans only take the best, so you must be pretty good,” he noted, flattering her. “But what is it a ‘Ravager’ does, exactly?” he asked with a grin and an arched eyebrow.

First Encounter

Now that she was able to see his face, she could see he looked very similar to the Boy Wonder.  Their costumes were similar and wore identical masks.  However, he was taller, not to mention a ginger, and a little bit hotter if she was to be honest.  

Rose shook her head and rolled her single blue eye at his comment, having heard that one all of oh, maybe only a million times before.  “How original of you.  How long did it take you to come up with that genius comeback?”  Even still, she managed to crack a grin.  

Her eye moved from his face to his extended hand, and she arched a brow.  Was he offering her a half eaten sandwich?  

“Uh thanks, but no thanks.  I’m not hungry.”  

Her grin widened.  This was too good.  “Master archer, huh?  Call me Ravager.  I’m the latest addition to the team, should all my paperwork go through.”  

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Speedy quickly swallowed the remainder of the food in his mouth, and looked at the girl with slight irritation. Insults about his uniform were one of his biggest pet peeves. Who did she think she was?

“Nice eyepatch. Where’s you parrot?” he spat back, pretending to look around for it. He smirked, proud of his comeback.

He peered at her (he thought she was kind of hot, but that was besides the point), trying to read her. If she had meant him harm, he supposed she probably would have done so by now.

He extended his hand, the one still clutching the sandwich (he had forgotten about it), for a handshake. His other hand he ran through his hair, trying to smooth it.

“The name’s Speedy,” he told her. “Master archer at your service.” 

First Encounter

They’d opted to go out on their mission without her, which was fine in her books.  It meant she got to sleep in and have some much needed alone time.  What that also meant was that the tub would be free for once, and she was not about to miss out on that opportunity.  

By the time mid-afternoon rolled around, Rose was surprised that they hadn’t returned yet.  Still, she didn’t pay too much attention to that fact.  What she did pay attention to was the stranger with his red spandex-clad ass up in the air while he was bent over looking into their fridge.  Who the hell was this guy? 

She thought about making a comment or coughing loudly, surprising him so that his head would no doubt hit one of the many shelves in the refrigerator.  But he had a nice butt, so she stood in silence, arms folded across her chest, waiting for him to turn around.  

She didn’t have to wait long.  The white haired teen had to hold in her laughter as she watched him nearly choke on whatever he had managed to find in there that was edible.  

“Nice boots.  You going to Saturday Night Fever?”