Chapter 13: The Morning After/Batman's Request

Keith woke up first, looking down at Raven snuggled up against him. He smiled and kissed the top of her head before quietly slipping out of bed. Summer was here almost, but his classes had already ended, so his teaching was done until the Fall. Thus, he didn't need to go anywhere this morning.

He quietly got dressed in a tank top and sleep shorts before he went to the kitchen to make breakfast. He whipped up a really quick and simple waffle batter and made 3ish waffles for each of them, with some batter left over for extras. He was in the middle of making Raven's when she wrapped her arms around his waist from behind and planted a little peck on his shoulderblade. "Morning, K." Her voice was thick because it was morning, as Keith turned around a bit to look at her. He hair was a fucking mess, and her eyes are only half awake.

He laughed. "You look like a mess right now." He kissed her forehead. "But you're MY mess. Let me finish making your waffles and I'll brush your hair for you. Just cus I want to. And...also as a thank you for last night." He chuckled nervously at the last part, and both of them blushed a little, but moved on from it quickly. He finished the third waffle and stacked them on a plate for her. "Give me like a minute and a half, and I'll have some tea for you."

About 10 minutes later, Keith had a whole-ass waffle stuck in his mouth while brushing Raven's hair. Once it was brushed, he kissed the top of her head and sat down on her right with his other two waffles to eat. his left hand was free to grab her right, since she was left-handed like the goth unicorn she was. They ate in silence, before Keith took both of their plates to the sink to wash. She helped him dry them, before she cuddled up next to him at the counter. "Thanks for breakfast, K." He smiled.

"No problem, Rave. Least I could do. Now, let's head to the Tower. We should check with the team if there's anything needing to be done." She nodded and they both headed back to the Tower. Keith momentarily pondered what the hell he would wear, only for he and Raven to spot the Batmobile in front of the Tower. Keith and Raven exchanged raised eyebrows before they stepped into the tower.

Keith took note of Bruce's calm heartbeat, but he also took note of Tim and Dick both with very elevated heart rates. "What's happening?" Bruce turned around, a suit folded up over his arm.

"Batgirl has been taken. I don't know where, but I know she was taken by a version of Joker." His face was grim.

Keith mentally buffered. "What do you mean, a "version" of Joker? I killed his ass." Batman sighed before explaining the Joker virus turning people into different Jokers. Keith sighed. "Just fucking great. I would help, but I seem to not have a suit anymore."

On cue, Batman cracked the faintest of smirks before tossing Keith the suit that was in his hands, along with another tube of red facepaint, this time waterproof. The new suit was the same color, a black chrome suit, but now with armor plating on the underarms, the inner thighs, the sides, and the ankles. His insignia was on the front in the chest this time. The new bodysuit also had a collar that rose to about Keith's ears, flaring out some so that Keith could hear the wind, but the wind wasn't obstructing his hearing. Keith opened his mouth to ask the cost only for Batman to cut him off with the answer to that question. "Help us find Batgirl. That's the cost for the new suit."

Keith shrugged. "That's fair. Where are we starting?" Batman grunted a bit and brought up a feed of the Batcomputer from the Batcave.

"Either the docks of Gotham, or the outskirts of Jump City. In exchange for the Titans' help in this, I will expand my search for candidates to be recruited for Young Justice. We'll need new young superheroes for when the 6 of you eventually just go by the Titans. If Robin can improve enough by that point, I would hope for him to lead it."

Keith nodded. "That makes sense to me." He excused himself to put on the new suit before he returned.

Raven snuck a glance at the back and nodded approvingly before she whispered in Keith's ear, "Your butt looks great in the new suit. You could even say it...suits you." She said the joke in such a deadpan manner, that Keith died laughing right there, bent over his knees and leaning on his staff. He gestured for Bruce to keep going while he recovered, shaking his head at Raven, who was hiding a grin behind her cloak.

Keith donned his red blindfold paint a minute or so later. "So we're clear, it's me, Raven, Batman, and Robin to the docks and then searching inland, and on the opposite side, Beast Boy, Starfire, Nightwing, and Cyborg on border of Jump City and Gotham, searching into Gotham."

Batman nodded. "Correct." Keith nodded a little and adjusted his power ring a bit before he moved to leave the room he was putting his blindfold on in. Bruce grabbed his arm before he could leave, however. "Keith...Batgirl's civilian identity goes to Gotham University. I just thought you should know." He left then,leaving Keith to slowly bubble in rage.

He didn't have Batgirl in his classes, he knew that, but knowing that she was a student at his university made his blood boil a bit. As a professor from that university, as well as being now a superhero of sorts, he saw it as his duty to find her. He cracked his neck a bit before he and Raven left with Bruce and Tim. Keith and Raven were given honorary seats in the back of the Batmobile (those stupid-ass seats in the back of the Arkham series Batmobile)

While they drove, Keith and Raven talked in the back, Keith talking about Batgirl being a student at the school and it being his duty and such. She set her hand on his thigh. "We'll get her. Don't sweat it." She kissed his cheek and they sat in comfortable silence holding hands, just being there together, mentally preparing themselves for whatever horrors this Joker clone might have in store.