Beyond the Night: Beyond the Team (Young Justice/Teen Titans fanfic)

Babysitter

She came into the whole thing begrudgingly, feeling suddenly like a babysitter rather than a teacher.

With a student, she expected a decent age gap, and yet stepping into the room allowing the computer to announce, "Zatanna, one-seven" she quickly saw no major age gap between her and the four male members of the team. The three looked around sixteen to eighteen, making the one to three-year age gap a stark contrast against the eight to nine-year gap she expected between her and Robin.

Two of the males looked up at her, while one remained sitting with his eyes glued to the television screen. The oldest narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?"

She refused to sigh, let alone know the situation frustrated her, knowing full well she'd struggle with earning their respect due to the age gap, but also her gender. Particularly, she thought, with that one. She cleared her throat. "Where's Robin?"

"I asked who you are?"

"May I please answer that question when the entire team is together, so I don't have to repeat my explanation?"

"Check the gym." The kid in the yellow costume spoke up. The symbol indicated that one was likely the sidekick of the Flash, and yet she remembered him being one of the more vocal opponents against sidekicks. She headed to the gym, only for her worst nightmare to unfold. Her eyes clenched shut upon seeing Robin's dismount, realizing a tad too late he wasn't going to land correctly, meaning she couldn't say a spell to stop him from hitting the ground.

A sickening feeling hit the pit of her stomach, her mind flying to John's family. Robin seemed between the age Dick died and the age Dick should now be, and yet seeing the fall hit hard. Lecturing Robin felt uncomfortable due to the lack of difference in age between her and the rest of the team, leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. The bitter taste worsened though, when Robin said. "I do this all the time on Gotham's highest buildings without a net. I don't..."

"Don't you dare trivialize this situation Robin. My word on this is final, but we have a meeting with the rest of the team." She felt like vomiting, hating how he reminded her the Grayson's wouldn't have died had there been a net for their act. She found his comment callous, but disrespectful. "How can someone be so callous when it comes to their own life like that, and none the less, a child."

Yet she couldn't say any of this. After all, a secret identity is a secret identity, not that her and her fathers were really that secret. Robin became meek, not the reaction she wanted, and hid behind the speedster who did indeed prove to be Flash's sidekick. The conversation lurched out control when Kid Flash, who stunk at keeping secret identities a secret practically asked her out. She'd not expect a comment regarding... "What inappropriate incident?"

"Nice going, Speedy." Wally muttered while Robin ducked completely behind Kid Flash.

The female magician took a deep breath, knowing full well her start as team supervisor started off majorly on the wrong foot. Superboy seemed as confused as she. "Yes. What inappropriate incident?"

Roy's voice rose. "Seriously! You don't know what I'm talking about? Are you kidding me? I'm talking about that incident with Robin. Where you went and..."

"Didn't we promise not to talk about that." She heard Robin's muffled voice, her lips pressing together wondering what that was.

"The thing we promised to not talk about are the stupid Teen Titans." Roy snapped. "We did not promise to talk about Superboy kissing you."

"Superboy did what?" Zatanna's jaw clenched. The youngest Superboy could be from her estimates was sixteen, and she estimated Robin was at most eleven. She turned to glare at the one she now realized had relation to Superman. "You went and kissed someone much younger than you?"

"Actually, he went and kissed someone much older than him." Robin peeked out from behind Kid Flash.

"What?"

The Atlantean took a deep breath. "I am Aqualad, or Kaldur'am, Kaldur for short. I am sixteen. What Robin means is Superboy isn't even a year old." Zatanna's eyes blinked.

Superboy looked away. "I'm Superman's clone, artificially grown for sixteen weeks. They rescued me from Cadmus, and that was only about a week ago, though physically I am sixteen."

Kid Flash lifted his hands up, motioning for her to calm down. "It was simply a misunderstanding."

"Yeah. Caused by you." Roy piped up.

"What's your name?"

"Red Arrow, Roy Harper, and I'm eighteen." The young man crossed his arms, glaring at her."

Meaning, he was the only one truly close to her in age, but also the only one giving her any real flack about the League assigning her to babysitting duty. She swallowed, asking the next question. "Does anyone else in the League know about this incident."

"No." All five spoke at the same time, meaning they didn't want the rest of the League to know.

"Well, Tornado might." Robin piped up. "But he doesn't tell, because he knows SB and I hashed things out so there is no misunderstanding between us regarding, well... that."

"I say that incident is on his watch, so could we possibly leave it at that?" Zatanna choked out.

Robin turned to the rest of the team. "Hey, since we have that settled, how about some team bonding with our new babysitter?"

Roy's mouth opened to protest. Zatanna sighed, pinching her nose, wondering what exactly was wrong with Robin, when he could go from meek and humble due to her overstepping earlier, too chipper the very next second. "Look. I was told to pick a room and settle in. I brought some stuff with me, so I'll go and unpack and leave you five to talk this over. I can trust you to behave, right." They stared at her, making her unsure. "Okay. Leaving now."

~B~

"Why are you scared Robin?" Cyborg held out his hand, trying to calm the Robin in front of him down. The rain came down, yet for some reason he knew this Robin was crying.

"Definitely my fault."

Cyborg's eyes blinked, his mind attempting to contemplate what Robin meant.