Chapter Text
Nighttime in Jump City, a relatively calm time of day since all the local criminals were well aware that their biggest threats were nocturnal in nature; they didn’t dare make a move after sundown unless they had the power or technology to give them a much needed advantage. One of those threats was a girl named Raven, a member of the local crime-fighting team known as the Teen Titans, who at the moment stood atop one of the towers of the suspension bridge connecting the city to its neighboring county. Her navy-blue cloak flowed in the wind, but the chilly night air didn’t seem to bother her, despite her attire exposing her legs to the elements.
Her attention was focused on the T-shaped tower in the distance, only visible in the dark of the night due to a single window that was still lit up – in the past, the entire tower would be a shining beacon, a reminder to the population that their heroes were there, watching over them. Unfortunately they could no longer afford to keep Titans Tower lit up all night long due to budget cuts.
While watching from her vantage point, the heroic half-demon thought back to all the good times she had and memories she made in the building that had devolved into a shadow of its former self – Cyborg’s cheerfulness and protective older brother nature, Beast Boy’s childish yet somewhat amusing little sibling antics, Robin’s strict but fair leadership, and Starfire’s endless optimism and enthusiasm were all things she would carry with her for the rest of her life.
but all good things must inevitably come to an end.
“Well, if it isn’t my second favorite bird in Jump City.” A voice belonging to a second person spoke up. Raven did not need to turn around to know she had been joined by the incarnation of mischief herself, Jinx, the former leader of the criminal group H.I.V.E. Five – she was lying on her stomach and resting her head on the palms of her hands while her legs swung back and forth, her horn-shaped hairstyle not budging an inch despite the strong winds. “What are you up to tonight, Rae-Rae?”
“Second favorite?” Raven questioned. “Didn’t expect such high regard for Robin coming from you. Although I should warn you, he goes by ‘Nightwing’ these days.”
Jinx switched from a lying down position into a handstand before performing a cartwheel and coming to a stop beside Raven. She sat down with her legs crossed, joining her former adversary in watching Titans Tower from afar. Raven mimicked the position so the two were sitting side by side. “So Stoplight upgraded to a nightlight, big fuckin’ deal. I actually meant Angel.”
“From the H.I.V.E.? Were you two friends?”
“Nah, she hated when I called her a bird, so I made it part of my daily routine. How is she these days? Last I heard she filled the spot I left after I quit the team.”
“She skipped town with Kyd Wykkyd a while back, haven’t heard from either since.”
“Really?” She patted Raven on the back with a big grin on her face. “Then congrats, Rae-Rae, you are now officially my favorite bird in Jump City!”
“I’m honored.” She did not bother masking the sarcasm or acknowledging the new nickname. “At least the Fearsome Five are actually five now.”
The marble-skinned metahuman arched an eyebrow. “The what now?”
“The H.I.V.E. Five rebranded themselves after graduation, now they’re calling themselves the Fearsome Five.”
“What’s the current roster? Any new faces?”
“Just one. Gizmo, Mammoth, Billy Numerous and See-More are still there, but there’s also a new girl named Shimmer who I’m pretty sure took the leadership role from Gizmo.”
“No shit! Mammoth’s sister? He actually found her? Good for him, he had been looking for her since forever.”
“What about you? Rumor has it that you’ve gone legit after dropping out of the H.I.V.E. Academy. Any truth to that?”
Jinx smiled at her. “I did, actually.”
Raven’s eyes widened just a little bit. “Huh. Guess Cyborg wins the bet, then – he always thought there was more to you than meets the eye. What’s the story behind that?”
Jinx was still smiling, but Raven’s empathy allowed her to sense the twinge of sadness felt by the girl. “I crossed paths with some pretty boy who goes by Kid Flash. He saw something different in me, thought I could do better. I eventually believed him, he charmed his way into my heart and I moved with him to Keystone City. It worked out. For a while, at least.”
“Then why are you back in Jump?”
Jinx’s smile faded entirely. She pressed her knees to her chest and hugged her legs.
“Turns out I’m the jealous type. Wally is a great guy, sure, but he is also very flirty. If he sees a pretty girl he is suddenly all over her. The fact that his girlfriend was right next to him while he was chatting up strangers or other heroes was just an afterthought. I know he never meant anything by it, it’s just the way he is, but I couldn’t just take it anymore.
“The old Jinx would have hexed every girl he ever came across, broken both of his legs then robbed a liquor store or something out of spite. But he was right about me, I could do better; after being on the other side of the law for a while, I took a liking to it and can’t see myself going back to a life of crime. So for the sake of the both of us, we put an end to things.”
“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”
“I’ll get over it. Eventually.” Jinx quickly jumped back on her feet before stretching and dusting her skirt and thigh highs, her Cheshire grin back in full swing. “So, when are we going?”
“Going where?”
“Back to the Tower, silly! I came back to my old stomping grounds hoping you guys would have a spare room I can crash in. Since me turning over a new leaf is apparently still a rumor, if I show up unannounced they’ll probably come out guns blazing. I’m exhausted from the trip back and would rather avoid any fighting until after a good night’s sleep.”
“About that…”
Jinx frowned. “What, you don’t believe me? Think this is just a ruse to infiltrate the Tower and take it down from the inside? You wound me, Rae-Rae.”
“Oh, I believe you, don’t worry about that. It’s just that… I’m not going back.”
Jinx sat back down again, this time facing Raven, her confusion evident.
“You’re leaving the Titans?” The cloaked girl nodded. “Why?”
“Things have… changed. I’m sure you noticed Starfire’s absence, correct?”
“Yeah, went back to her home planet or something, right?”
“That’s the story Nightwing told the media, yes, but it’s not quite… truthful.”
“Why, what happened?” Jinx gasped. “D-Did she…?”
Raven shook her head. “No, I don’t believe so. We were fighting some maniac calling himself Warp. He stole a strange clock from the museum then jumped into a portal and disappeared. Starfire jumped in after him and… no one’s seen or heard from her since. Everything fell apart after that: Robin decided to go solo when he became Nightwing, and without him to bring order or Starfire to break the tension, we would just argue and bicker. Not to mention lately he’s been getting a little too friendly with a certain stage magician I’d rather not be in the same general vicinity as for extended periods of time.
“Then Cyborg started dedicating himself to work 24/7 while Beast Boy went the opposite direction, only sitting on the couch all day, playing videogames, gaining weight and losing hair. Cyborg wants Beast Boy to grow up and take things seriously, but Beast Boy wants Cyborg to loosen up and live in the moment like they used to. And you know what happens when an unstoppable force clashes with an unmovable object?”
Jinx nodded. “They both break.”
“And when that happens I’ll be the only one left to pick up the pieces, which that is not optimal for… several reasons.” She stood up once again. “So I’m stepping away for now. I’m sure they’ll take you in, but you have to go back there on your own.”
“Raven…”
“Can you tell them I’m sorry on my behalf? I’m not good with goodbyes, so I didn’t exactly tell them anything before leaving. I left a note on my bed, but it might take a while for them to discover it. Then again, Beast Boy’s boundless curiosity always finds a way to convince him to not respect other people’s privacy and I’ve been out of the Tower for a few hours, so he might have already found it by now.”
“And where are you going?”
“Everywhere I can. The others gave up already, they believe Starfire is dead, but not me. If that portal had an entrance then it also had an exit, and she came out of it somewhere. I will find her and I’ll bring her back. She’ll know what to do – Star was always better at bringing arguments to an end than me.” Raven stepped forward and off the bridge, where she remained flying in place. “Goodbye, Jinx. It was nice seeing you again. I’m… happy to have you on our side.”
Before the half-demon girl could fly away, however, she was surprised by the sudden impact on her back and pair of arms wrapped around her.
“What the…? Jinx!” The girl smiled mischievously at Raven after jumping on her back. “What are you doing?”
“What do you think? You’re going on a road trip, and I want in!”
With the extra weight in an uncomfortable position, Raven was forced to land in the middle of the empty road below in order to avoid crashing down. Jinx jumped off her, still smiling.
“Aren’t you going to the Tower?”
“I’ve spent enough time being the only sane girl in a group of boys that were constantly arguing and bickering, and I really don’t think it’s gonna be any better the second time around. So if you’re skipping town, I’m coming along. Besides, if I’m alone with Cyborg for too long, the H.I.V.E. Academy incident will be brought up sooner or later, and that’s just not something I want to talk about.”
“What incident?”
“I just told you I don’t want to talk about it, Rae-Rae! But let’s just say that, back when he was playing spy, we got a little closer than he must have reported back to bird-boy and leave it at that.”
“Yeah, it’s probably for the best.”
“My thoughts exactly!” Jinx placed her hands on Raven’s shoulders and gave her a playful shove. “Now let’s go, we have a missing alien to find and a looooot of ground to cover.”
The two girls walked side by side down the empty road, Raven making the conscious decision not to levitate.
“I guess that makes Nightwing your favorite bird in Jump City, then.” The introvert demon girl pointed out.
“I guess so. Want to go give him the good news?”
“Pass. He’s probably with Zatanna right now and, like I said, I’d rather not get involved with her.”
“Bad blood between you two?”
“You have no idea.” The duo remained in silence a moment longer before Raven spoke up once again. “So, who would you say is your favorite bird country-wide?”
Jinx smirked. “Hoping to reclaim your spot as my number one, Rae-Rae?”
“Just curious.”
The meta crossed her arms behind her head, looking up at the night sky in thought. “I’d say… Dove. The second one. The first one was a hunk, don’t get me wrong, but have you seen that costume she wears? It hugs her body just right and draws attention to aaall the right places! She’s just… Unf! Plus the white hair looks cute on her, I kinda dig it.”
“Given your past relationships, I didn’t take you for the type that is attracted to other girls.”
“It’s the current year, I can like both. It’s just that all the girls around me were either not my type or out of my reach.” Jinx furtively eyed her travel companion up and down, her grin growing wider. “Were. Anyhow, enough talking about my love life, why don’t you share some of yours?”
“Hm… I dated a dragon once.”
The meta girl stopped dead on her tracks. “Dragon? Like, winged, scaly, fire-breathing lizard, that type of dragon?”
“It was short-lived and built on lies, but yes.” She frowned. “It… didn’t end well.”
“Sorry I asked.” The pair resumed their walking. “So, where should we start looking first?”
“I was thinking Tamaran.”
“Ok, and where is that?”
“The Vega System.”
“…Ok, and where is that?”
“Sector 2828.”
“With every answer you only make it more confusing, Rae-Rae! Just tell me how do we get there. Bus, plane…?”
“A spaceship, probably.” Jinx’s jaw dropped. “Or we could ask the Green Lantern to give us a ride.”
“You… You want us to… go into… o-outer space?”
“Starfire’s home planet should be the first place we should look, don’t you think?”
Jinx grabbed Raven’s wrist and raced down the street. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go to outer space! Rae-Rae, you just became my favorite bird in the entire goddamn planet!”