Revved up- One shot

"What's buzzin' cousins?" Ding Dong Daddy was really starting to get on my nerves. I had already exhausted most of my powers last night trying to save a school bus full of children from a collapsing bridge, and now, right after we get to bed, a bad guy shows up. Wonderful day. I had never even heard of the fat, old man before. One of the most old fashioned people I'd ever met. We were standing before his little red car, and I was praying to Azar that he would just give up and go home.

"You're going to hand back what you stole." Robin said. Honestly, I have no idea why he even bothers saying things like that when he knows that it will never work out the way he wants it to.

"Chill out cool cats, the Ding Dong Daddy ain't cruisin' for a bruisin'. The prize is yours; all you gotta do is race me for it." Yeah, all we've gotta do is race him for it. That's all.

"What does he mean by 'prize'?" Sometimes, even though we were friends, I just wanted to smack Beastboy upside the head. Wasn't it obvious? It would be whatever he'd stolen.

"One Hundred Percent Titanium Alloy: Bullet Proof, Fire Proof, Blast Proof, encrypted lock, and here's the real kicker." Ding Dong Daddy held up a decent sized metal briefcase as he spoke, and turned it. A large 'R' was emblazoned on the front, causing even me to gasp. How he had stolen it from Robin, I will never know.

"Robin, when you said we had to stop a crook you left out a minor detail...You were the one robbed!" Cyborg said. Of course, I said nothing, living up to everyone else's expectations as the quiet Goth girl that never bothered anyone, and hated it when others bothered her.

"It doesn't matter," Robin shrugged it off, "last chance, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way." The boy wonder stared the man down, unrelenting.

"Or my way. You want it back; you'll need to beat me in a race." To prove his point, he revved his engine. "That is, if you've got the wheels for it!" I couldn't help but roll my eyes as I waited for Cyborg to defend his precious 'baby'.

"You challengin' the T-car? You are ON!" Ding Dong Daddy quickly tossed a map through the air, and Beastboy caught it.

"Then I'll see you at the finish line!" He called back to us as he drove off; leaving me to wonder what the heck we'd just gotten ourselves into.

After flying above DDD's car for a few minutes, with Robin right behind him on his 'R' cycle and Cyborg trailing in third, I turned to Starfire. She was right beside me as we flew over the barren desert like area.

"This is a waste of time, let's just fly past him to the finish line and get this over with." Starfire nodded her agreement, and we pulled ahead of him.

"Yes, victory will be ours!" Starfire pumped a fist. My gut twisted, and I had a feeling that something bad was going to happen.

Suddenly, something pink struck me. My entire body tingled, nerves standing on end as pain etched it's way up my body. Starfire cried out as we both tumbled into the sand, many feet below. Ding Dong Daddy swung his car around and skidded to a stop in front of us, well off the road.

"You swingers want the goods, then you gotta cross the finish line with rubber touching the road." He pointed downwards, and then jerked the wheel to the side, back in the race. My communicator buzzed. I flipped it open.

"Robin, we've been grounded. Ding Dong Daddy shot some kind of neutralizer beam at us."

"I'll send Cyborg back to pick you up—"

"No," I interjected, knowing how much this must mean to him, I couldn't let him lose. "You go ahead. Starfire and I'll catch up somehow."

"Alright. Robin out." His face turned to static as signed off. I sighed and turned to Star.

"We're going to have to walk for a little ways, and then maybe we can hitchhike." However, I grew frustrated as my cloak grew warm and heavy with the sun beating down on us, and began to get caught on leafless branches. Starfire noticed my growing annoyance.

"Friend Raven, perhaps you should leave your cloak here. You have many others, yes?" I sighed, knowing full well that she was right. I just felt insecure without it on. Perhaps because I was in her presence, which always seemed to do the trick. As long as Starfire was there, all eyes were on her. The thing that irked me, though, was that she never seemed to notice how beautiful she was. The only person who seemed to notice me was Red X, and even he was only messing around to annoy Robin. As I undid the clasp to the blue garment, a tan pickup truck rumbled down the road toward us.

"You need a lift?" An old farmer had rolled down the window, idling beside us. Before I could object, Starfire answered for us both.

"Oh, yes friend! That would be most helpful!" We climbed into the back which, oh joy, also housed a bunch of chickens. "They are adorable!" Starfire giggled as they climbed all over her. I rolled my eyes. They continued to cluck and flit around with us, and I prayed to Azar that we would stop soon.

"They stink, and their feathers get everywhere," I sneezed, which only accentuated my point, "They are nowhere near adorable." We inched along at a snail's pace for what seemed like hours before I finally cracked. "Starfire, we need to find something faster." We thanked the wizened man as he dropped us off at a gas station, nowhere near the finish line. Figures that there'd be one out in the middle of nowhere. It had four gas pumps, and a small convenience store located next door.

As we began to walk towards the entrance, the glass door flew open to reveal a small boy clutching a couple of grocery sacks to his chest.

"OOOHHH!" Starfire pointed at him. "We know him!" Oddly enough, he did seem familiar. As I took a closer look, recognition hit me like a ton of bricks.

"Gizmo?" I asked, confused as to why a hive agent would be out in the middle of nowhere.

"You! Stop!" The green clad little boy looked up to see two titans. Not the best way to make an impression, especially when you needed to borrow a person's car.

"I didn't do anything!" He dropped his bags and bolted for his odd, wheel shaped vehicle. "Yet." Starfire stood in front of the wacky green automobile, trying to explain.

"You must let us borrow your vehicle so that we may race the Ding Dong Daddy and win Robin's most secret possession." She finally stopped and breathed, while my mouth opened in horror, knowing that now that Gizmo knew, so would the whole world. And, sure enough, the little boy laughed and picked up his CB radio and flicked it on.

I mentally cringed as he spoke, smiling, to all of his 'buddies', "Attention all bad guys, Bird boy's stuff is up for grabs. All you have to do is win a race." He paused to sneer at us through the plexi-glass dome on the side of the contraption. "Start your engines!" Revving his engine, he sped forwards, causing Starfire to jump back as we were both drenched with mud.

"Perhaps I explained, too much?" Starfire winced. I placed a hand on her shoulder, trying my best to comfort her, not something I normally do.

"That's alright Star, we just need to get back in the race." Things were about to get very out of hand. Whatever Robin had in that case better be worth it. We had already gotten a call earlier from Cyborg, apparently Red X had been keeping Robin busy. We heard the unmistakable sound of a motorcycle, and looked up in time to see a buff woman covered from head to toe in tattoos pull up next to where we were.

"You need a lift?" Her voice was husky. Starfire looked at me to confirm that it was alright. "I can only carry one of you."

"You go ahead Starfire; I can wait a little bit." Truthfully, the thought of getting on a motorcycle scared the shit out of me, but I would never admit it. I had been told it was like flying, but I'd heard of far less flying accidents in the news and newspapers. And once you see a picture of someone with their skin ground off because of the cement or asphalt, it never leaves you. I watched as they sped off, and prayed to Azar that Starfire would be safe. Wrapping my arms around myself, I shivered as a cold wind blew my long violet hair back behind me. It had grown colder, and I immediately regretted chucking my cloak, especially because of my skin tight leotard. After waiting for a few moments with no cars in sight, I sighed and began the long journey down the road on my own. I could slowly feel the effects from the day before wearing me down, the sleepiness beginning to take over my mind. As I walked on, my eyelids grew heavier, and my senses dulled.

I once again heard the rumbling engine of a motorcycle, and twisted my body to see Johnny Rancid plowing down the road towards me. I edged closer to the side, but there was no mistaking the sick smirk on his face as he changed his course and continued, coming right at me. He revved his engine, coming at me faster now; the only thing that I could hear now was the sound of my death. I readied my powers, which, thank Azar, still seemed to work, as I began running as fast as I could down the road.

A black streak darted around behind him, and, just as I was sure he would overtake me, someone's hands wrapped themselves beneath my armpits, dangerously close to my breasts, and I was yanked backwards. I let out a yelp of surprise, and closed my eyes at the fast motion. When I opened them, seconds later, I saw the road moving beneath me, and terror clawed its way up my throat. I was on a motorcycle. Just as I processed this, I learned something rather odd.

"Hey Angel. Miss me?" The synthesized voice sent an involuntary shiver down my spine. My neck swiveled, and disbelief took over as I drank in the unnerving, snow-colored skull. I was on Red X's motorcycle.

I swallowed.

"Not in the least. Now let me off." I really hoped that I had imagined the slight quiver in my voice. Though I couldn't fly, I still had my powers, so it was no shock when I felt X's aura practically radiate amusement.

"What's the matter Sunshine; you can take down bad guys but can't handle a motorized bike?" We hit a bump and jerked violently. I automatically leaned back against X's well muscled chest and gripped the seat, squeezing my eyes shut.

"When we stop, I am so gonna kill you." He laughed sardonically.

"So you don't want to win the race?" Part of me wondered why he cared.

"I hope you die painfully. And soon." He snorted. "Aren't you supposed to be up at the front making Robin's life a living hell?"

"Oh, Sunshine, I make his life hell on a daily basis." He sighed. "I was, but I took a little spill. I also thought it would be much more fun to be back here with you, seeing as you ditched that stupid cloak." I blushed, but could do nothing about it; if I tried to cover my body I would fly off of the bike, and join those wonderful pictures that I still had plastered in my mind.

My eyes widened as I realized just how many people had answered Gizmo's call. I stayed silent as we weaved in and out of cars, passing Mad Mod in an odd British looking truck, Gizmo in his green wheel like thing, Mumbo in a large magician's hat on wheels, Control Freak in some type of remote control car, and Johnny Rancid on his motorcycle. I shuddered as we passed Kitten's pink limousine.

"Take the reins Sunshine." I about had a heart attack as he let go of the handle bars. My mouth opened in a silent scream as we began to wobble. Going this fast, I was pretty sure that my face would make a nice splat noise when I died. X positioned his large, grey gloved hands on mine, his fingers closing over my pale ones, placing them on the grips. His entire body was flush with mine, and I had the oddest sensation...No. No way was I attracted to Red X.

He bent his face down so that the synthesizer was centimeters away from my ear. "This is the gas," He used my right hand to rev the engine, "And this one is the brake." He gently squeezed my left hand.

We were still moving down the road at a rapid pace, but that didn't stop him from slowly trailing one of his hands down my left thigh. My body warmed instantly at his touch, and it frightened me deeply.

"The gear shift." He had to know what he was doing to me; he had to be doing it on purpose. My eyelids fluttered as his fingers traced down my right thigh. Why I was letting him do it...I don't really know. I was the toughest titan on the team, and I was letting him...

"And that side?" I asked, slightly confused. I pivoted my head to look at him as his hands once again held onto mine on the handlebars.

"That side?" Was it my imagination, or was his voice an octave lower? "Nothing." My head whipped to the side as I heard a horn beep.

"Get a room!" Kitten yelled as my face turned crimson. I blinked in confusion as she pulled out a camera, laughing evilly. Pictures immediately began to slide out of the slot in the front of the device. Red X let go of my hands, and I felt the absence of warmth immediately.

"I'll take care of them, Angel. You drive alongside." Before I could object, he flipped off of the black and red bike, and dropped through the sunroof of the large pink Limo. I wasn't sure what he was doing, because my mind was busy trying to process that I was on a motorcycle, alone. The pink Limo skidded off of the road, now in two.

Be strong. My knuckles turned white as my grip tightened on the black rubber handles. In the side mirrors, I watched as, one by one, the other cars fell apart. Johnny Rancid jumped off of his bike as X slammed an explosive x down onto the front of it, disappearing and reappearing on top of the Puppet King's car, repeating the process. The Puppet car swerved and slammed into Mad Mod's clock car, smoking, which in turn slammed into Mumbo's hat on wheels and Control Freak's remote control, turning them all into a scrap heap on the side of the road.

Red X flipped off of the still moving motley of cars, attending to one last problem. Gizmo was still rolling down the road, aware of what was happening around him. Even with the loud purr of the X-bike's engine, I could hear every word that was yelled.

"WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON BARF BRAIN?" Red X landed on one of the glass domed sides.

"MINE!" He slapped an x on the side, and teleported, causing Gizmo to yelp as his car blew to bits. The little green boy landed in one of the former glass domes, sliding down the road. The whole ordeal had only taken seconds, and I blinked in surprise as I felt arms wrap around my waist, a chin resting on my shoulder. I let it go...for now.

"Why aren't you driving?" I asked, annoyed.

"I don't know, Sunshine. There's just something about a female titan on my bike that makes me feel all warm inside." Making a face, I let go of the handles. X made no move to grab them, and a sudden realization hit me.

"You freaking jerk!" I rotated my body to face him, sending a strong right hook to his jaw. It didn't faze him. "This had auto-pilot the whole time, and you let me freak out? And then made me feel good about myself because I had actually thought I was driving?" Embarrassed didn't even cover it. Stupid bag of—

"Hey now Angel, I turned it off as soon as I saw that you were handling it fine." I ignored him, and tried to pry his arms off of my waist. That only made him hold tighter. His aura was different now...something I hadn't felt before. Something I had never felt on someone before, directed at me, and I couldn't put my finger on it.

"Let me off now. I think Robin's far enough ahead to win the race, I don't need a ride." The voice distorter produced static as he sighed, seeming almost weary. The bike turned sharply off of the road, flying across the desert-like area. The sun had begun to set long ago, and we stopped at a large building. A convenience store, I realized, that was closed. He stopped the bike and cut the engine as we pulled up to the side of the brick structure, only a few feet away from the wall. "Thanks for the ride and everything," the monotone did little to hide my emotions. It seemed like every time I was around him, I let go a little too much. "But—" I trailed off as he stepped in front of me. The last rays of sunlight were washing across the desert.

I blinked. His mask was pulled up to the bridge of his nose, a pair of inviting lips and undeniably tan skin now in my line of vision. It took me a minute to realize that he was saying something. I snapped my eyes up, just in time to see a smirk grace his mouth, before he leaned down. My thoughts broke loose.

"What the hell—" Before I could regain my coherence, soft, warm lips were on mine. I moved my hands to his chest, ready to push him off, but my body succumbed to him, my knees growing weak. He wrapped his hands around my hips and pushed me up against the old, beaten wall of Save Mart. I couldn't think straight as his body melted into mine.

When he pulled away, my brain was long gone. Grey gloved fingers slipped the mask back down, and he cleared his throat.

"Tell Robin we're even...For now." His voice was husky, untouched by technology. As I watched him hop onto his X-bike, I had the oddest feeling that the last part was directed towards me. Red X disappeared down the road, along with the last rays of sunlight. Putting my fingers to my lips...I wondered if that really happened.

My communicator buzzed. Blinking, I flipped it open, trying to ignore the warm sensation that was running throughout my body.

"Raven, where are you? We'll come get you." Robin's masked eyes bored into mine. He took in my most likely flushed face and his eyebrows furrowed with concern. "Are you alright?"

"I'm at some Save Mart. I'm not sure where—"

"I passed it on my way to the finish line. We'll be there in a minute."

"Did you win?" He better have, otherwise...There really was no point to what happened today.

"Yes. And I've got something to show all of you."