Chapter Text
He gazes out across the lake. It seemed a little pretentious to build a giant tower there in the shape of the team’s logo, but he couldn’t talk, lest all of his themed gadgets make their way into the conversation.
Batman sighs, and under the cover of the rising dawn, swept away towards the tower.
The doors slid open smoothly, a shushed mechanical whirring announcing his arrival. Batman looks across the living room of the Teen Titans, his eyes taking in everything: the kitchen, the shelves of video games, the ping-pong table shoved into the corner, the large black couch, and an equally impressive television hanging across from it.
Batman takes a few steps towards the couch, cape swishing around him. He leans over the back, and picks up the remote discarded on the seat. He switches on the TV and flips through a few news channels.
He watches for a few moments before his eyes drift to the other occupant of the room. Raven sits levitating, and facing the wall to his left. Her back is turned towards him and she has a book and a mug in her hand. She didn’t acknowledge him entering, though she undoubtedly knew he was there.
In an effort to be polite, Batman mutters, “Hello,” in a gravelly voice.
“Hi,” she says back, not in a disinterested tone, but a flat one. She doesn’t look up from her book, and doesn’t seem bothered by the intrusion, so Batman turns his head back towards the TV.
He doesn’t want to be rude, and Raven is already busy reading. “The next one,” he thinks.
A few moments pass, and the door to the living room opens again.
“Uhhh,” Batman hears behind his back. He turns to face the person who entered, and a short, green young man stares at him, his jaw dropped. “Uhhh,” the green boy starts again, “Batman?” and he lifts a finger to point at him.
Batman doesn’t bother answering, just steps towards the young man and drops a pair of socks in his hand.
“Robin left these at my place on Christmas,” he tells the boy. Without further elaboration, Batman walks past him and out the door.
Beast Boy stands in the living room, thoroughly flabbergasted and unmoving. He does not register the socks in his hand or when the others enter the room a few moments later. He stays frozen until Robin speaks to him.
“Hey, uh, Beast Boy, where’d you get those socks?”
Beast Boy does not answer. He drops the socks into Robin’s questioning hands, and promptly falls backwards.
Robin, Starfire, and Cyborg all share a look of confusion, but do not help Beast Boy off the ground. Robin rounds the couch to pull up security footage while Starfire and Cyborg continue to stare at Beast Boy.
As soon as he pulls up the security footage to the living room, Robin’s stomach drops. “Oh, no.”
Cyborg and Starfire snap their heads up to look at the TV, and see Batman entering the living room, just ten minutes before. Cyborg is the first to speak.
“Is that BATMAN?” he squawks. He looks between Robin and the TV rapidly. “IS THAT BATMAN?” he repeats, shrieking now.
Starfire tilts her head, “A man of bats? I did not know you had such a thing on your planet.” Robin does not answer either of them, just stares at the television screen, white-knuckling the console in front of him. Just then, the stars further misalign for Robin.
A video call opens on the screen, and Batman’s face now takes up the entire TV. Seeing this, it was Cyborg’s turn to faint right next to Beast Boy.
Batman does not open with formalities. “Robin, you left your socks at my place on Christmas. I thought you would want them back.” Robin barely manages a jerky nod. Starfire pipes up behind him.
“Hello, Man of Bats, it is much joyous to meet you!” Starfire’s voice is bubbly and genuine, and Batman looks at her and nods once, a ghost of a smile on his face. It disappears when he looks back at Robin.
“Talk to you later, champ,” is all Batman says before he cuts off the feed. Beast Boy and Cyborg pop up off the ground, stare at each other for a moment, and both faint again.
Robin is still frozen at the security console, a million thoughts and two tons of embarrassment running through it. His head is hazy, but through it he makes out Starfire saying something.
“I think the Man of Bats is quite nice, perhaps we should invite him to the “pizza night” one day!” Starfire is filled with joy at the prospect.
Raven’s snicker is the last thing Robin hears before he too, blacks out.