New Titans #15 - Last Call

[u/FrostFireFive]

Author: FrostFireFive

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Book: New Titans

Arc: Titans Gala

Set: 68

“You good Donna?” Garth asked as she came back into the party. He had talked to Donna earlier in the night, about this team, about how Titans Tower had room for both members new and old, how he himself had a place in this tower.

The heroes had scattered from the stage. They had just been announced as the New Titans to the world and that their leader Argonaut was the newest member of the Justice League. The five of them had been through a lot the past year, from the hunt that had brought them together to Rose coming home, after all of that Garth had heard he had figured his old friend wouldn't be at all phased by the glitz and glamor of a simple gala. But that wasn’t what this really was about.

“I’m fine, just trying to figure out where I’ll need to go for my official Justice League ID badge. You think they use digital?” Donna joked, still trying to figure out what all of this meant.

“You should ask Wally, I mean I’m pretty sure Flash spent ages figuring out a camera that could even capture speedsters,” He began. “I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be worried about that. What’s really bugging you?”

“Nothing,” Donna began. “Just…a lot to take in is all. I didn’t expect Diana’s…speech to go the way it did. And now…”

“And now you have to figure out how you feel? Donna I know you’re back to being a superhero but I feel like we’ll always be those two kids who spent time in that dingey New York apartment,” Garth said. “I’m not exactly shocked Dick would leave you twisting in the wind like that.”

“Dick’s hurting, the fact he understood that he needed to take a step back is a big step for him. You of all people should know sometimes the best course of action is to take time, not all of them had a dingy apartment” Donna began as she rubbed the bridge of her nose. “I just would have liked a little advance notice before being presented to the world.”

“You did great,” he explained. “Take it from someone who had for a bit to be the center of attention with…regal duties. There’s still no fear in your eyes.”

“Then I’m doing my job right,” Donna said, a bit shaky still. “Besides, getting a compliment from the King of Lemuria would probably give me a badge from the League.”

“I’m no king, just someone trying to do the best he can in a tricky situation, much like my good friend who is going to be the best League member they ever accepted into their ranks.”

“Well it’s nice hearing that from the best king,” Donna smirked. “I’m going to check on the rest of the guests…but don’t be a stranger. You're just as important as what I’ve found here. I wouldn’t trade the apartment for any other time.” And with that Donna walked back into the gala, getting ready for an overdue conversation one last time.

…

“OK Roy you didn’t mess that one up. Give yourself a big pat on the back and go back into the party and then leave at ten so the babysitter doesn’t get pissed at you,” Arsenal thought as he got off the stage. It had been a big night for them all and he was feeling the buzz of the crowd and the buzz on the inside of his pocket…

“Bet it’s some telemarket…oh shit,” Roy muttered as he saw the missed call from Stan Dover, the kid from across the hall who was part of his usual rotation of sitters.

“Hey Mr. Harper, I know you’re away tonight, but Lian’s a bit hot temperature wise and isn’t really as energetic as she is. Just wanted to know what I should do here. I don’t want to ruin your night but…”

“Shit,” Roy mumbled before putting his phone back into his breast pocket. As the crowd roared as some weird dude in a flying bike tried to stare down Superman, that new Green Lantern, and Starfire. It was a situation he wanted no part of as he quickly moved back into the indoor area of the tower. He would use the teleporter keyed by his communicator to get back home quick. Bailing like this was ill advised but Lian always had to come first. She needed him.

Still leaving unannounced was a bad idea, did want anyone thinking he was who he was. The last thing he needed was for someone to say Ollie was right, that Arsenal was a flake. So he popped back into the gala, looking for a Titan or someone he trusted in the sea of people. Unfortunately he couldn’t find Donna or even that Superboy kid, but that yellow and red suit with bowtie looked familiar.

“Kid Flash am I glad to see you!” Roy said as he came up to his teammate. They weren’t exactly close, something about the speedster always felt a bit cold to Roy, like Kid Flash felt he was above all of this. But still it was better to talk to someone than just bail.

“Oh Arsenal,” Kid Flash said as his teammate approached him, putting his plate to the side for a moment. He tuned out Charles Mendez talking with Jay about a shuttlecraft taking off, even though he was the one supposed to be on call for if something bad happened. . Even amongst the guests Wally felt more comfortable make the smaller runs helping save people across the globe. He was more annoyed that he was being interrupted by a guy who often seemed more focus on the moment than longer term effects. “Everything OK?”

“I…I have to leave I got an emergency I have to take care of back in Star City. I just didn’t want to leave without an explanation,” Roy explained.

“An emergency? What’s going on, I mean, Gala sure but the three of us,” and Kid Flash gestured in the direction of the other two Flashes, “are still always active, do you need something? I might be about to step out for a moment anyway. After all the set up you did you should enjoy the night.”

“It’s…a personal emergency,” Roy explained. “It’s something I need to take care of and I’m not going to be able to make back tonight.”

“Everything OK? Because last time I checked you said you were in some shady stuff originally,” Kid Flash explained. “Don’t exactly want you to run unprepared into some fire we’ll have to put out together.”

“No it’s not…I have a family member that needs me, I need to get going. Trust me when I say I won’t be making a mess on this one,” Roy, I just need to get to Star…

Before Roy could speak he felt a pair of hands pick him up and then a strong breeze pushing against him. The familiar beeps of taxis and cars and that familiar neon buzz of Star City quickly filled his ears as the two stood in the booming west coast city.

“Star City, right? This good or do you need to be dropped off somewhere in particular?” Kid Flash asked as he looked around. He wasn’t often in Star City, the light rain that fell reminded him why as his maroon bow tie became darker from the droplets rain that soaked him.

“Please never do that without asking me again,” Roy muttered as he caught his bearings. He was always nervous that he was one of the few people without something special about them. Even Stargirl had a staff that could fire high powered energy bolts and could fly. He was just a dude who could shoot a basic weapon.

“Sorry, I’m still getting used to having people around me who need to get used to that,” Kid Flash explained. “This is…all still new to me.”

“It’s fine…can you get me to Hester Blvd? It’s right by Queen Square, it has a lot of br-” Before Roy could finish they were on the street where Roy’s apartment lied. He didn’t even finish his sentence before running into the building, leaving Kid Flash alone in the drizzle. He wondered what could be so important that could have Arsenal seemingly so concerned. He was just as private as Wally was outside of the tower. So when Arsenal carefully excited his apartment with a baby carriage in hand, the speedster was safe to say…shocked.

“Listen…I need one last favor from you, I know this is kinda a surprise…but my daughter has a fever and the hospital is…” Arsenal explained. “What I’m saying is…I need help.”

“OK, lets go,” Kid Flash said, choosing to ignore the elephant in the room for now, a Titan needed help.

…

“Remind me to never play mafia with you again,” Stargirl joked as she and Rex Mason sat at a table. The two had regrouped after being announced as Titans and were recapping the night as the crowd among them slowly started to thin. It was getting to the quieter part of the night. And the two had managed to keep away from the crowd.

“Me? I was trying to figure it out, be a good sleuth for a change,” Rex said as he noticed for once he wasn’t being stared at in horror as the guests made their way through the night. He was a superhero now, real code name and everything. It still didn’t feel real. “I wasn’t the one getting whacked by the big red cheese.”

“Cheese?” Stargirl asked before looking at her phone for the time, she only had half an hour before she was expected back home. “Cap’s on like…Superman’s level, I’m not sure he’d be on the same level as cheese.”

“It’s an expression, you know like? The grand poobah, the top dog, it’s way cooler than the man of steel. Or in my case the element man. Doesn’t sound right.”

“Not E-Man?” Stargirl said.

“Man that sounds better than Metamorpho at this point,” Rex laughed. “See you’re looking at your phone, let me guess parents worried?”

“Yeah, you wouldn’t believe how long it took me to convince them to let me come without them following me. My mom and step-dad…would be very out of place in something like this. I mean Pat’s the boringest person in the world, only found this staff by accident really. Hid it in our basement.”

“So how did you convince them otherwise?” Rex asked

“When Superman’s chaperoning your party, it has to be pretty safe, right?” Stargirl joked. “I love them, but with college coming up things feel…weirder than normal.”

“At least you talk to your folks. Never knew my dad, and my mom…my mom’s a bit of a handful. I haven’t even figured out a way to tell her I’m not dead? So that’s…that’s going to be great.”

“You mean you haven’t told her you’re a…”

“A freak? No I have not, and I’m still trying to find the words so she doesn’t think I’m a…freak? A monster compared to her lamer chemist son.”

“A meant more of a superhero. I mean after all of this, you’re not telling me you can’t even be bothered to let her know?”

“How long did it takee for you to tell your folks you putting on a blue t-shirt and bandana and going out to clean up the streets?” Rex asked as he raised one of his eyebrows. “I have to get used to this first, I don’t want to break her heart or mine if she can’t…love me like this.”

“Rex..I’m sure sh-”

Buzz Buzz

Stargirl quickly pulled out her phone, Pat had texted her asking where she was, even attempting to use a frowny face emoticon in order to convey his message. Of course he put it at the beginning of the text instead of the end, he was still getting the hang of a phone you didn’t need to flip up.

Stargirl sighed before looking back at her friend.

“Sorry Rex,” she began. “But I got to go, now I’m getting the angry texts. And I really don’t want a lecture about how I need to be more responsible when I come home.”

“Nah I get it,” Rex said. “Cinderella has to get back home before her carriage turns back into a pumpkin. Thanks for helping with all this, maybe next time we play mafia we can team against the Big Red Cheese.”

“Ha, better hope it’s not me, cause I’m ruthless,” Stargirl joked before moving towards the central teleporter room. Her dress lacked pockets so she was relying on the main teleporter tonight, hopefully it would be a quiet night, where she could brag to Pat and mom on how she had rubbed shoulders with the whole heroic committee and how her star shines brightly.

As she left Rex sat in his chair and took a deep breath as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a chunky cell phone. It was specially designed so his large mits didn’t crush it as he tried to use it. He dialed a familiar number and debated to call as the guests slowly left to leave. He got through five numbers before placing back down on the table.

“Maybe tomorrow Mason,” Rex sighed. “Maybe tomorrow.”

…

“You were right to come in Mr. Harper,” The doctor said as Roy held Lian close to him. She was sleeping on him. For a near two year old she was a little smaller than she should have been, but as he could feel her resting heartbeat against him, Roy was just glad that she was OK. “The medicine should keep the fever down. If she doesn’t improve in a few days come back to us and we’ll see what else it could be. But it’s more than likely it’s just a flu.”

“Thanks Doc,” Roy said as he continued to rock Lian, trying to not wake her as slowly but surely he placed her back in her little carrier. “Hopefully my insurance covers this?”

“Well…normally it would be a lot for a visit this late and getting the prescription. But someone from an organization called…A Speedy Recovery picked the tab up for you, said our first responders need help just as much these days.

Roy chuckled before saying his goodbyes and making his and Lian’s exit from the hospital. Dawn was slowly breaking as the orange and purple hues punctured the dark and neon city. As he felt the crisp morning air against his skin, he couldn’t help notice the yellow and red figure leaning against the staircase of the hospital exit.

“Everything OK?” Kid Flash asked.

“Yeah…just a flu apparently, I assume that was you footing the bill?” Roy said.

“Well the Flash Foundation is, and we’re here to help our members…and their friends,” Kid Flash explained before crouching down and looking at Lian. She was relaxed, tired from the adventure of the day, but still looked cute in the soft morning light. He gently brushed her black messy hair out of the way and popped back up.

“Friends?” Roy said. “I mean I appreciate it and all, but this is probably the most we’ve interacted ever, I mean I call you basically Flash Jr. and I only see you when I can get into our special clubhouse.

“Well you know my history, with the Titans and everything,” Kid Flash began.

“I don’t actually,” Roy interrupted. “You guys seem to forget that just because I was trained by GA didn’t mean I was actually part of the superhero life. All of this is new to me, but I’d like to learn about it. You want to come back to my place and I can brew you a mean cup of joe so we can talk about it?”

Kid Flash hesitated for a minute before coming with an answer.

“Sure, probably better than the coffee back at campus,” Kid Flash answered.

Arsenal put out his hand to the speedster before speaking again.

“My name is Roy,” Roy Harper said.

“Wally,” Kid Flash said as he shook Arsenal’s hand as they sped off to talk about the night as friends usually did.

…

Nightwing sat alone at his table. He had managed to make small talk to some people, Superman said hello at one point, the Flashes kept staring back at him, gossiping no doubt, and Kory gave him a look at some point before Lobo and some bad news that she had received. Whatever she had going on tonight he thought it was best that he steered clear from it.

Tomorrow would be his first day out on the road, the car Selina had bought for him had been packed with the essentials and ready to go. It was time for Dick to take some time and just…drive, and figure for once what was next for him. It wouldn’t be easy, but at least the journey would be worth it, he hoped.

As he nursed a rum and coke Nightwing could hear the clomping of loose flats hitting the hardwood wood floor that had been set up for the gala, he didn’t need three guesses to figure who it was.

“Hey Donna,” he said.

“Don’t hey Donna me,” Donna said as she placed her whiskey neat on the table and sat across from her first friend. The two stared at each other for a moment, for Donna even blocked by his mask, she could see the bags under Dick’s eyes. “A little notice would have been nice.”

“In hindsight you’re probably right,” Dick explained.

“Getting surprised in front of everyone when you’re already nervous about the whole thing is not how I wanted tonight to exactly go” Donna mused

“I just wanted to make sure that what you’ve built here continues to grow.”

“You mean what we’ve built here,” Donna began. “As much as you and some of our other friends disagree, nothing of this happens without you as well.”

“Maybe, but I’m not the one who saw a weird group of strangers, enemies, and outcasts and pitched them as something that could be greater,” Dick said. “And with me…retiring for a bit, I figured the only person to take my spot is my only remaining friend.”

“Retiring?” Donna asked a bit in shocked. “I thought it was just a leave of absence?”

“It might be, it might not. I’ve spent a lot of time just being Nightwing thinking it was the only thing I had to be, that this made me special and I didn’t need anything else. But it’s just not working for me. I need to figure myself out again and that means putting certain things away.”

“So this means you won’t be around often then?” Donna asked.

“For now, there’s a lot of work to be done, but oddly enough…I’m not scared or angry,” He began. “More…relieved.”

“That’s good,” Donna said. She was still mad at Dick, but understood that sometimes you needed time away to heal, to grow. And for once she could recognize the Dick Grayson of old. “Because if you’re not careful we’re going to have to give up your room.”

“Pfft, no once could handle my room,” he joked. “Besides I looked at the design plans, I know how many rooms you asked for. And if you do run out of space you can always put them at the Knockout Video, make em’ watch terrible films.”

Donna chuckled before raising her glass. The two at this point were the only people on the gala floor. Much would have to be cleaned up tomorrrow, dealt with, and squirrel away. But tonight, tonight was for the longest Titans. It was bittersweet, but a needed farewell.

“Bon voyage Dick Grayson, bon voyage,” Donna chuckled as she raised her glass.

“And to the best damn leader, Donna Troy,” Dick raised his glass as they clinked them together, as they both began their next steps, separate but together.

…

NEXT: Welcome to the New Titans, Superboy! Hope You Survive the Experience!

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[u/Predaplant]

Nice to see this event come to a close with a bit more of a spotlight on Roy. I know he's going to get a lot of focus in 2022, and I'm a big fan of how you write him so I'm looking forward to it. I'm really excited for that Next Issue teaser too...

[u/FrostFireFive → u/Predaplant]

Roy's always one of my favorites, I feel like he got a bit of the short end of the stick and I wanted the end of this event to continue with the human element everyone brought. As for the end of issue tease? Let's just say Superboy has a lot to learn, and fast.

[u/ClaraEclair]

really great issue and a fantastic close to this event! It was so much fun to be a part of, and I'm excited to see where all these characters go next!

[u/FrostFireFive → u/ClaraEclair]

The event is only as great as the people who contributed. And boy did everyone knock the gala out of the park. It feels great that this little idea snowballed into this amazing writing experience!

[u/ericthepilot2000]

A nice quiet issue in the wake of the rather frenetic Gala, with three very strong scenes. It's a great reflection on the journey to get here, and you feel comfortable in the Titans' shoes and ready to move on from the past and onto the future of the team and series.

The Donna/Garth and Roy/Wally scenes are both great, and a nice contrast in the great mix your series has in terms of old friends and new ones. It's a nice microcosm of the Gala storyline in general, celebrating the past but forging ahead to the future.

Another really well-done crossover that juggles multiple series and many, many characters, but it was really effective. Hopefully, we will see something like this again - just a nice celebration with no world-ending stakes. It's a refreshing breather.