5sos Imagines

Ashton as Robin

The sun had long since disappeared over the horizon as you made your way from the newspaper building and towards your apartment within Jump City. You'd graduated from college with a journalism degree a little under a year ago, grateful as hell that you managed to get a job at the best paper in town fresh out of the gate. It was a little more rigorous than you had thought it would be, but you loved it nonetheless. You were working with the part of the paper that was trying to figure out who-or what-the vigilantes were who had been protecting your city for so long.
You'd always had a fascination with the Titans. It was common knowledge that none of them were in their teens anymore, so you all decided to drop the "teen" part of the name and just call them the Titans. You admired how selfless and caring they all were to come together and save people that most of them has never even met before. Not to mention the fact that you had had a crush on Robin since you first heard of him in high school. Your friends thought it was ridiculous to crush on a superhero of all things, and you agreed with them most of the time, but there was always something about him that intrigued you. Granted, you and the rest of Jump City had speculated that he was with Starfire, but you remained optimistic that they weren't anything more than friends.
You had been minding your own business up until you came across a jewelry shop that was being robbed. You stopped at the edge of the shattered glass all over the sidewalk and silently fumbled for your cell phone in your bag. You were shaking from fear, and when you finally grabbed hold of your phone, you dropped in on the sidewalk, effectively shattering the screen. You cursed under your breath as you heard voices whispering in the shop. You bent down to pick up your now shattered phone, and when you looked up, you were met with a pair of black eyes on the other side of the hole in the glass.
Fear coursed through your veins as you stood there for a moment, not entirely sure about what to do. You slowly started moving backwards before you started sprinting back to the building, desperate to escape what might happen. You were caught by surprise when someone grabbed you by the waist, hauling you off your feet and back the way you came. You screamed, hoping to get the attention of someone who could help you, but your screams were cut short by a gloved hand covering your mouth. You struggled against the hold as much as you could, but you weren't strong enough to break free.
"You shouldn't be out this late, love." The man holding you whispered. "It isn't safe for a girl like you to be out here alone."
"It isn't that safe for you to be out either." Another, more familiar voice said.
You knew that it was Robin before you even looked, and a sense of relief washed over you. The tips of your boots touched the ground as you and the man holding you looked at the masked vigilante in front of you. You were surprised that he was alone, but you were grateful nonetheless. He stood there casually, his arms nonchalantly crossed over his chest as his piercing hazel eyes bore into the ones of the criminal holding you. You could see his eskrima stick in his left hand, not extended all the way like you had always seen, but you didn't put it past him to use it in this situation.
"Oh look, it's the Boy Wonder." The criminal taunted.
Robin chuckled. "Nice reference. Haven't had anyone call me that since I was working with Batman."
"Look, kid, why don't you just run home to your family of misfits."
He inhaled sharply, letting his arms down and extending his stick. "Now, that's something that I can't do, man. I can't just let you walk off without teaching you a few lessons about chivalry and consent."
In a flash, you were released from his grip and fell to the ground. There were a few sounds of hits and punches before the man was lying on the ground next to you, completely knocked out. You looked up at Robin who was looking in the store, obviously finding nothing since he didn't go inside. He looked back at you, and there was something about his hazel eyes that made you feel like you knew him. He walked over to you and helped you off the ground, smiling softly at you when you were back on your feet.
"Are you okay?" He asked, his voice soft and tender.
You nodded. "Yeah, just a little shaken up." You replied with a chuckle.
He smiled crookedly at you, something you knew you had seen before. "That tends to happen after something like that. Just try to stay out of trouble on your way home."
He started walking away, but you grabbed his arm. "Wait." He looked back at you, his eyes slightly nervous. "You look really familiar. Do-do I know you from somewhere?"
He swallowed hard, shaking his head a little too quickly. "N-no, no you don't." The familiar stuttering finally hit you.
"Ashton?" You asked, looking closer at his face and finally realizing that it was your old friend from high school.
You had met Ashton in your freshman year of high school in Gotham City, both of you sharing the majority of your classes together that year. He was a bright spirit that you couldn't help but gravitate towards when you first met, and you both were almost inseparable throughout your two years of school together. You were heartbroken when you found out that he moving out west when he was sixteen, but you understood that it was what he needed to do. By that time, Robin had been Batman's sidekick for years, and you thought that it was strangely coincidental that he moved out west when Ashton did, but you never thought that there was any kind of possibility that he could have been one of the Caped Crusaders.
"Who-who's Ashton?" He asked nervously, pulling his arm out of your hand.
You smiled at him. "Don't play dumb with me, Ashton. I know my best friend when I see him."
"You haven't seen me for years, how would you know?" He paused before groaning. "Damn it!"
You smiled and hugged him tightly. "I missed you so much, Ash." You said.
He chuckled and hugged you back. "It's nice to see you again too, Y/N." You pulled away and smiled up at him. "Glad to know you're still getting yourself into trouble."
You rolled your eyes playfully. "I haven't gotten into any trouble until now, and I've been living here for almost five years."
"Why didn't you tell me you moved out to Jump City? I figured someone like you would have stayed in Gotham and worked for Times or something."
You shrugged. "I had a full ride to Jump University, so I figured it would be good to come out here and get a change of scenery."
"You working for Jump Gazette, right?"
You nodded with a proud smile. "Yep. I interned there my junior and senior year, and they hired me as soon as I graduated, fourth in my class." You bragged.
He chuckled. "Always the try hard, aren't you?"
You playfully punched his shoulder. "Shut up. Since when did you get so buff?"
He shrugged, casually flexing his biceps. "You can't fight crime without building a little muscle."
"I kinda miss the little scrawny kid I knew back in Gotham, though."
He smiled at you. "He's not completely gone, you know. I haven't changed much on the inside since I last saw you."
"I don't doubt it." You smiled at him. "We should get together some time, Ash. I really miss you."
"I'm free right now. I mean, unless someone else decides to rob a bank or something."
You smiled and nodded. You guys tried to stay somewhat in the shadows since he was still in his superhero garb but he had removed his mask. He didn't look that much different from when you had last seen him, but he did look older, which was to be expected. But you soon realized that he hadn't changed much since high school. He was still funny and compassionate and caring just like he was when you were friends. But he carried himself in a much more mature way, like he had grown wiser with the years.
After a few hours of walking around the city, you ended up sitting on a bench that overlooked the bay. You were looking at the Titan Tower that was glowing in the distance. Ash had called the Titans to tell them that he was okay and that he was just catching up with an old friend. You'd been sitting in a comfortable silence for a while, just staring at the tall, T-shaped building that looked like a beacon of hope in the distance. You could tell that Ashton was thinking about something, but you weren't sure what it was. You used to be able to practically read his mind, but the years of separation had caused a disconnect between the two of you.
"Do you miss Gotham?" You asked curiously, breaking the comfortable silence that was between the both of you.
He shrugged, his eyes staying glued on the Tower. "Sometimes, but I didn't really have anything left there besides you."
"What about Bruce?"
He shook his head, looking down at his hands. "One of the reasons I came out here was because of Bruce. He told me that he thought that it was time that I started saving people on my own since I didn't need his help anymore. I think that he was just trying to get rid of me."
You shook your head and put your hand on his. "I doubt that's it, Ash. He probably wanted to see you grow as a hero so that you wouldn't resent him and think that you were living in his shadow."
"That's funny because I already felt that way."
"Hey," He looked at you with sad eyes, "just because you were younger than him doesn't mean that you lived in his shadow. He couldn't have worked very well without you, and it took him a while to get back into the swing of things once you left."
He smiled sweetly at you. "I missed your unwavering optimism, Y/N."
"Well, I missed all of you, so I win."
He chuckled and put his arm around your shoulder, pulling you closer to him. "I missed you too, Y/N. I wanted to go back to Gotham so many times to see you, but I couldn't leave the Titans for that long."
You nodded. "I know, you guys are always busy saving the town and taking down bad guys."
"'The Titans vigilantly and courageously fight every day to make sure that every citizen of Jump City can go to sleep at night without living in any fear of what might happen in the darkness.'" He quoted flawlessly.
You smiled up at him. "You read my articles?"
He nodded. "It's one of the only ones that don't make us out to be the bad guys."
"It's probably because I grew up with masked superheroes running around my city, so I know you guys only mean good."
"I'm just glad someone appreciates us."
"I'm sure lots of people appreciate you, Ash. They just don't have the capability of showing it like I do."
"I guess you have a point." It was silent for a minute or two before he spoke again. "I'd like for you to meet them one day, the Titans."
"What are they like?"
"They're pretty welcoming. Raven's the only one who is kind of reserved, but Beast Boy and Cyborg are pretty bubbly people."
"What about Starfire?" You asked with a smile, hoping he wouldn't say anything too good about her.
He smiled at you. "She's sweet."
"Sweet enough to be dating you?"
He arched an eyebrow at you. "You think I'm dating Star?"
"Everyone thinks you're dating her."
He chuckled. "Star's nice and all, but I've had my eye on another girl for a while."
"Do I know this girl?" You asked with a smirk.
He smiled at you. "I think you do. She's absolutely gorgeous, not to mention incredibly smart and talented. She's been a friend for years, but I think that I've realized I want something more out of our relationship."
"And do you know if she wants the same thing?"
He shook his head. "I'm positively clueless."
"Well, Robin Boy Wonder," He chuckled and you smiled at him, "you'll be happy to know that she does want the same thing."