Teen Titans One-Shots

A Different Kind of Mask

My first Teen Titans story! I hope you enjoy! Please comment what you think!

Third Person POV

     It was a beautiful September evening in Jump City, the perfect night for hosting the first gala to begin the season. All of the city's elite were in attendance at the open air banquet by the sea, the docks providing a stunning view of the ocean as well as Titans Tower, something that had become a symbol of hope to the city.

    The Teen Titans themselves had been invited to the event, and not just for security purposes this time. The gala to kick off the season was being hosted in their honor as a special thanks to the young adults protecting their city. For that reason, the team came dressed to impress, well, all except one.

     A week before the ceremony, Robin had been called back to Gotham on what the others dubbed "bat business." He told them he would try to make it back in time, but if he didn't he told them to go on without him. They understood his reasoning, but it still felt like something wasn't right whenever their leader wasn't there to stand with them, especially on such an important night.

Cyborg and Beast Boy hung close to the food table, absently tugging on their suit collars or sleeves every so often. It had taken a lot of time and effort, and no small amount of cash, to find clothes that would fit them just right. Robin had strictly instructed them to look their finest for the event and had given them brief instructions on how to act before he had to skip town. Unfortunately, said instructions were mostly forgotten as they helped themselves to the vast array of finger foods.

Raven hung back from the main crowd, her long white dress mostly hidden by her purple cloak. For once, her hood was down, revealing her ashen skin and short dark plum hair, as well as the dazzling red jewel embedded in her forehead. She shied away from the crowd, yet she offered a small, closed-lip smile to anyone she made contact with. Like the boys, Robin had given her a small bit of advice—to at least pretend to be social. He warned that the aristocratic crowd could be difficult and judge-mental, thus stating that the safest course of action was to act like she belonged. How he knew this, she had no idea.

Starfire appeared to be the only one not out of her element. As a princess, albeit an alien one, she was well versed in the ways of the socialite. Like Raven, she wore a long dress, yet hers was the same color as her normal uniform. She gracefully intermingled with crowd, oblivious to how the single young men seemed to circle her like hungry sharks.

The group of wealthy citizens seemed to perk up as someone called from the entrance. At the announcement, everyone flocked to the road with Teen Titans following with varying degrees of confusion. News reporters and camera crews lined the red carpet just as a solid black Aston Martin pulled up.

"Dude, what's going on?" Beast Boy asked. An older woman looked down at him in surprise.

"Don't you know? The son of the richest man in the world has arrived for gala!"

The changeling tilted his head, about to ask another question, but a nearby reporter began speaking loudly.

"To the surprise of everyone here this evening, a very special guest has arrived all the way from Gotham City! The son of Bruce Wayne...Richard Grayson!"

As if on cue, the car door opened, and a teenage boy stepped out from the backseat. His ebony hair was slicked back, and he was arrayed in a dark gray suit. Vibrant blue eyes shown brilliantly as he waved to the crowd, and he sent award winning smiles to the cameras.

       "Thanks, Alfred," he said back into the car before closing the door. Seconds later, it vanished down the street to be parked. The sixteen year old turned back to the paparazzi and strode cooly down the red carpet to the main area, flashing a smile in greeting and expertly navigating away from the reporters and their microphones as if it were second nature.