The concept portrayed here was inspired by a fan art coloring contest over at the R&S shrine, featuring a picture of Robin in his Slade's Apprentice outfit, accompanied by Starfire in a Blackfire-esque outfit. Upon viewing it, I got the strangest idea in my head: what would it be like if our favorite cannon couple really were evil? Not brainwashed, controlled, or burying the good deep inside them, but truly evil. And always have been, not just converting sometime in the future.
A plot just didn't seem to want to form without spanning over multiple chapters, and as I want to keep this less than two and more than zero, I opted instead for a one-shot Scenario. One story, one chapter. This is what I like to refer to as a "scenario fic," meaning there is little more than a few scenes thrown together to form a scenario, not necessarily a plot. I hope it looks as good on screen as it did in my head…and if not, blame the 6 Jr whoopee pies I ate while typing it out.
Warnings: AU, OOC, semi-PWP.
Bonnie & Cyde
The sun had just barely begun to dip below the horizon when a dark figure could be seen leaping across the higher rooftops of the city. He was all but inconspicuous to the dwindling crowd on the streets below, yet still detested the thought of venturing out during daylight. A quick pause on one of the ledges to scan the vicinity revealed the last of the blinding rays disappearing into the night, and he suddenly felt more at home.
He was, of course, a creature of the night. One who dwelled in the hidden abyss of shadows, where no amount of moonlight could reach.
His wardrobe reflected this perfectly. The material was skin tight, but loose enough to allow for maximum flexibility and easy movement. An opaque mask concealed the upper portion of his face, black around the edges and coming up to two sharp points just above the temples. He was never without it, nor was he ever without the leather gloves or onyx utility belt secured around his waist. The rest of his costume was almost completely black as well, save for half of the chest which nearly glowed a bloody red. The other half was adorned with a circular patch of the same crimson color that read two simple letters: R.R.
Red Robin.
Known widely throughout what remained of Jump City, he was a criminal mastermind. The best, without equal. Few others, even those of the upper-class with entire arsenals at their leisure disposal, dared to cross him. Many had tried forming some type of alliance with the dark teen, though all were turned down. What made him so powerful and dangerous were not hundreds of lackeys and warriors to hide behind, controlling from the sidelines; in fact, it was just the opposite.
He was a one-man army, one who was not afraid to do his own dirty work. There was only one other who he had ever fought alongside, only one who he trusted….
A giggle drifted into the cool air suddenly, amidst the otherwise near-deafening silence. Red Robin's ears perked up, trained hearing easily able to detect the sound. His eyes narrowed into thin slits.
He'd recognize that laugh anywhere.
Speedy was known throughout the city as a rogue hero, unwilling to join up with the Titans officially but always ready to offer his services whenever and wherever needed. He wasn't in it for the money or the fame, nor did he expect much in return aside from the satisfaction of helping the innocent. However, though he was normally able to keep his ego in check, there were times when, in the back of his mind, he definitely considered his status an asset.
Now was most definitely one of those times.
Flashing the girl a charming smile, Speedy leaned one hand casually against the wall, keeping enough distance between them so as not to appear too imposing while clearly marking his claim to any casual eye. He'd first noticed her walking absently along the street, carrying no bags, and leisurely glancing through the windows of a few local jewelry stores. She stood out like no other, with bright auburn hair and emerald eyes. Her skin was flawless and so tan that it looked almost orange in the evening sunlight.
Even the way she dressed intrigued him: a deep purple, sleeveless belly top cut very modestly over a black, sheer long-sleeved shirt that disappeared into a matching purple mini-skirt. Her boots were black leather and came up to her knees, fishnet stockings covering the rest. She wore no makeup, except possibly a bit of lip gloss, and possessed no visible jewelry.
But most endearing was the sound of her laugh. After gentlemanly leading her into a nearby alleyway for privacy, Speedy found himself desperately wracking his brain for his most amusing stories, if nothing else but to hear those delicate chimes.
"You know," the girl spoke up as he grew more daring with his advances, "I very much doubt that my boyfriend would appreciate the attention you are showing me."
If Speedy was surprised at her sudden revelation, he didn't show it. "Boyfriend, huh? Must not be a very smart guy to leave a gorgeous gal like you all by your lonesome this fine evening."
"Oh, I believe you need not worry yourself about his intelligence."
"Is that so?" came the casual reply. As she had not openly objected to his presence until that point, Speedy was hesitant to believe that such a person even existed. "Then where is this genius boyfriend of yours?"
"Right behind you." Speedy froze as the voice called out from right behind, the tone alone sending a shiver down the teen hero's spine.
His eyes widened with recognition before he even turned around. "Red Robin!" Gaze darting between the lovely girl standing so casually before him and the infamous villain, it was only then that his mind finally made the connection: "Then that means you—you're—"
"Koriand'r? Though I do believe you humans more commonly refer to me as Starfire…" The Tameranian smiled innocently, tilting her head to one side. "I would have thought it would seem obvious. Or perhaps I am not as well-known as I thought." To emphasize her point, she gave a mock pout.
Red Robin took a step forward, and Speedy instinctively reached for one of his arrows…only to find himself crashing headfirst into the adjacent brick wall before he had barely lifted a hand. Blood trickled from the point of impact on his skull as his body slumped to the ground, twitching slightly before going absolutely still. Only a slow rise and fall of his chest proved he was still alive.
Starfire finally kicked herself away from the wall. "You did not have to hit him that hard, you know."
As he rose to a standing position, Red Robin turned to face her with a glare. "And you didn't have to encourage his advances."
"I encouraged nothing," was the response as she folded her arms, blowing a few strands of hair from her eyes.
The stubborn pair remained at a stalemate for a moment, sending mirrored glares at one another (if for slightly different reasons) until Starfire was the first to break. A grin slowly tugged at her lips, and she dropped her arms. Casually stepping up to the boy, she leaned forward and lightly brushed her lips against his. Almost reflexively, he wrapped a possessive arm around the girl's waist, pulling her close to deepen the kiss as she encircled her arms around his neck.
When they finally parted, Starfire murmured, "Besides, lover…why would I want him when I already have you?"
"Flattery won't get you out of this one," he warned, a statement that may have held more power to it had be not been smiling as he said it. She merely giggled and kissed him again. "…but that just may."
"Not that I am complaining for the visit, but why were you out during sun hours?" While Starfire's powers required excessive time in the sunlight to recharge, she knew that it generally took a lot to get Red Robin to come outside with her.
"Actually, I came looking for you."
"Oh?"
He gave her a devious look she knew all too well. "I found our next target."
o*0*o
The underground lair, small but well-equipped, was illuminated by little more than the computer monitor as Red Robin scanned through a series of encryption codes and databases. Starfire had taken up her usual residence on the edge of the consul to his immediate left, legs crossed and casually leaning back on outstretched arms, watching her lover with somewhat curiosity.
After a moment, she blew a pink bubble with the gum in her mouth. The sound it made as she popped it echoed across the room, followed by a heavy sigh. She was never much into the technological aspects of their line of work, and—to be perfectly honest—the computer geek in Red Robin tended to bore her when he slipped into "research mode."
"Aha!" he cried out, breaking her train of thought. "Take a look at this."
She twisted her body to get a better view of the screen. A series of floor plans and security outlines flashed before her eyes and, despite their nature, caused them to light up with recognition. "Wayne Enterprise?" She grinned and turned back towards him. "And what, prey tell, is the occasion?"
"This." A few clicks later, and several newspaper articles joined them onscreen. "According to the database, Mr. Wayne has recently funded a new experimental fuel research project."
"I fail to see the excitement. Are such labs not brought about every day?"
"Not involving the stabilization of Zinothium, they're not."
She audibly gasped, eyes widening in delight. "Zinothium!"
"That's right, Kori; do you have any idea how much power we would hold if in possession of even one vile of the stuff?" He stood up straight, enjoying the pure joy radiating from the Tameranian girl. A couple more keystrokes, and he added, "Better yet…it would seem they've recently installed a brand new system. We're talking state-of-the-art, top dollar security. Virtually impenetrable."
Starfire leaned forward, resting her hands on his shoulder and her head on top of her hands. "This is a good thing?"
"Of course," he stated matter-of-factly. "You know I can't resist a challenge."
o*0*o
"…well, you did say you wished for a challenge."
"Not now, Kori."
The security had been, as he'd anticipated, a challenge worthy of his exceptional skills. It was certainly more than enough to keep his mind occupied for the five minutes it took for him to disable it. What he hadn't anticipated were the Titans waiting for him on the other side, standing between him and his target.
Not one to show any signs of lacking control, Red Robin was sure to make eye contact with each of them. His ego found some comfort in reveling how they each held such highly defensive stances, considering him enough of a threat. The resultant inner smirk only grew as he quickly realized that not only was he looking into fear-stricken faces…but that he was looking into only three.
"You seem to be missing your fourth member," he casually announced. "Where is the little blonde bimbo, anyway? She was a real mover and a-shaker, if you get my drift."
"Shut up!" The one called Beast Boy unexpectedly cried out. The hatred in his eyes, along with the glossed-over expression, was more than enough to give him away; Red Robin had definitely struck a nerve. "You have no right to talk about her like that!"
It had only been a week since the fateful accident that had taken the life of their beloved teammate. Starfire had shown him the articles that gave vague descriptions of what had happened: something about a "selfless sacrifice" during the battle against a fellow villain by the name of Slade. Normally, such a thing would have barely registered as a blimp on his radar, but Slade had been one of the few that could have potentially become a threat.
Voicing this out loud, Red Robin made sure to comment on how the girl had saved him the trouble to getting rid of a common enemy, and that he should thank her some time. Beast Boy's rage grew at such to such intensity until he almost attacked blindly, if not for Raven's intervention at the last moment.
"Easy, B.B." she murmured softly to the changeling, stepping in front and placing her hands on his shoulders. Her presence seemed enough to calm him some, though both maintained primary focus on the villainous pair behind her.
Visibly smirking as he noticed their interaction well, Red Robin called out, "Ah, I see how it is now. Got yourself a new girl, didn't you, B.B.? Out with the old and in with the new."
He could hear Starfire giggling softly behind him; Beast Boy looked like he was about ready to explode, but was once again saved by his female teammate.
"I know what you're trying to do." She stated, her voice maintaining its unwavering tranquility.
"Is that so?" An eyebrow went up in amusement, and Red Robin took a step towards her. The two boys recoiled in apprehension, uncertain of what he would do, but Raven stood her ground. She turned to face him with a fearless expression, determined not to let him break her.
The air was increasingly thick with tension as the seconds passed. Red Robin circled her slowly, eyes trailing up and down her slim figure, until finally coming to a halt directly in front of her. Silence overtook everyone in the room as he and Raven met eye to eye, neither daring to back down.
"I must admit," he called out to Beast Boy after a moment, "I do applaud your taste. She's quite lovely."
From her seat on a pile of crate boxes near the back, Starfire visible frowned. Raven remained neutral in her expression, but Cyborg and Beast Boy looked ready to attack at any given second.
"Don't you touch her!" the elder of the two exclaimed.
Red Robin ignored their idle threats and lifted a hand to gently tilt the girl's chin up to better meet his gaze. Her eyes went wide at his actions, strands of lavender hair spilling out as her hood fell back. The nearby window glowed an eerie black before shattering, and as the thousands of tiny pieces of glass fell to the ground, Red Robin knew he had gotten to her.
"Looks like being half-demon has its perks, hmm?" he whispered.
Raven's expression took on a mixture of both shock and fear, and he could practically hear her heart pounding away beneath her chest. Seconds later, a brilliant ball of emerald appeared, hitting her square in the stomach and knocking her back several feet. Robin, unfazed by the attack, glanced back to his girlfriend.
"Was that really necessary?" He questioned
The glow faded from her eyes before she casually responded, "I did not like the way she was looking at you."
Cyborg and Beast Boy were at their fallen comrade's side at once. The lavender-haired girl was clutching her stomach tightly, a small trickle of blood seeping through her fingers. Aside from the wound, she also appeared both mentally and emotionally shaken, her shoulders quivering as she stared at the ground with an empty expression.
Red Robin merely greeted the hateful glares thrown his way with a grin as he heard them shout the all-too-familiar battle cry:
"Titans, GO!"
o*0*o
Coming to a halt on the rooftop of a vacant building, Red Robin swore under his breath as he paced back and forth for several minutes before finally taking his frustration out on the waist-high ledge. His fist left a considerably-sized crack in the cement, but he was too furious with himself to register the pain in his now throbbing hand.
"You should not have antagonized them so," he heard Starfire quietly comment. "And perhaps I was quick to attack the demon witch." Though there was little regret in the sound of her voice at the latter.
Red Robin remained silent, though internally agreed. He had failed to anticipate the strength such fury could give the teenage do-gooders the strength to win, particularly when fighting for someone they cared about, whether it be the honor of the dearly departed or revenge for those still living. Even more infuriating was the knowledge that he had lost. He hated losing. True, he and Starfire had escaped almost unharmed, but they had also escaped empty-handed…
…and, judging by the smile on his girlfriend's face, was he the only one who realized this?
"What are you so happy about?" He turned to face her in question.
Humming softly to herself, the Tameranian sauntered up to her bewildered beloved and wrapped her arms around him. "Because," she whispered in his ear, "I have a little secret," and gave him a quick peck on the lips before one hand pulled back and reached under her skirt.
Red Robin normally would never led himself be surprised. But, as he was continuously reminded over and over again, Starfire was no ordinary girl. That was why, when she held up the small vile of Zinothium ore, the baby blues hidden beneath his mask went wide.
"Where did you get that?"
She gave an uncharacteristically mischievous smirk.
Iridescently-glowing black met with bright emerald as Raven telekinetically slammed Starfire into the nearby wall before moving in for another blow. Starfire just barely recovered from the initial attack before discovering that there was something behind it: one of the hundreds of storage compartments stacked all across the room.
In that fraction of a second, before anyone was the wiser, she secretly punched a small hole through the door behind her back, pulling out the first vile her fingers could find and slipping it in a small pocket under her skirt, just as the lavender-haired Goth reached her.
"…and, as you Earthlings say, the rest is history," she finished.
Pausing to allow the information to sink in, his expression soon took on one of beaming pride. He grabbed the girl by the waist and spun her around in celebration. The sound of her joyous shrieking resonated across the night sky, mixed with his triumphant laughter. As he placed her back down a moment later, Red Robin held her close, leaning forward until their foreheads were practically touching. A rare, true smile tugged at his lips, one reserved for the girl before him only.
"What would I ever do without you?" He murmured softly.
Her reply was simply to smile innocently.
Cuz mami's a rider, and I'm a roller
Put us together, how they gon' stop both us?
What ever she lacks, I'm right over her shoulder
When I'm off track mami is keepin me focused
So let's, lock this down like it's supposed to be
The '03 Bonnie and Clyde, Hov' and B
All I need in this life of sin is me and my girlfriend.
Down to ride 'til the very end, it's me and my boyfriend.
All I need in this life of sin is me and my girlfriend.
Down to ride 'til the very end, it's me and my boyfriend.
-Jay Z, '03 Bonnie & Clyde