a/n: Hehe… after long periods of waiting, dear readers, guess what? I'm back! Now, what the hell are you waiting for, Christmas? Read now before you get old and wrinkly like my dear buddies Mr. Raisin and Mrs. Prune.
d: Don't own TT, not the comic, or the cartoon, or the 6th season that was cancelled… and nor do I won the song 'On the Floor' by 'Spongecola.'
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"Robin?" Raven's voice came out small and shy, peering to get a better look at the now-named stranger.
The man lowered his sunglasses, revealing stunning blue eyes, which were brought out more by the blue sweater he was wearing.
"Ohmigod. Raven? Rae, is that you?"
"Robin!" She shrieked, running to embrace him. That's how you would react when a friend you haven't seen for eight years shows up at the same place at the same time on the same day you return to your old home.
He seemed only happy to return the hug. "Raven, I can't believe it's you. I was just thinking about you."
"You were?" Raven asked incredulously, then immediately regretted it. The past is the past, and she can't return to it. They both agreed to that. "Oh, I mean, yeah. So what are you doing here?"
He smiled. One of his brief, dazzling smiles that she remembered. She was falling again, damn it!
"Oh, just getting back some of my stuff. I donated most of the Robin things to the museum, but I want some of it too. He pointed to the box beside him. There were lots of books, and some framed photographs. She took one from the pile. It was taped in the center.
"Is this…?"
"It is."
The photo showed the two of them with small secret smiles on their faces.
"Hey." Raven sat down beside Robin on the roof. It was Christmas Day.
"Why aren't you opening your presents? You have a lot from your fans."
No reply.
"You know, it's Christmas. Even I am trying to cheer up a bit."
Still no reply.
"What's wrong with you, really?" Raven's voice grew sharp.
"Star and me broke up the other day."
Raven was stunned. So that's why they acted so down since they finished shopping.
She thought for a while about the right thing to say. "Oh. Why is that?"
"We couldn't agree on some stuff. I don't need your pity." His head sank into his arms.
"Maybe. But you do need my help."
His head shot up. "Not really. I'm just grieving." He said half-jokingly… half-seriously?
"Yeah. But you do need to know you don't have to."
"What makes you so sure?"
"Remember Malchior? I was sad for awhile, but I got over it. Besides, at least you find out she's not the right girl for you. Better this than ending up with the wrong person. Now that's a lifetime worth regretting."
Robin stared at her. She had no idea how true those words were…
"Listen, um, Raven… this is kinda weird but…"
"Spill it, Boy Wonder."
"I was supposed to give Star this, but I can't anymore, so…"
He drew out a tiny black box, opening it to show an expensive looking rainbow-colored ring.
"To show my thanks to you and all, I thought maybe you could have it."
"Robin, it's beautiful." Raven said as she put it on.
"It's a genuine mood ring. Now I can tell you that you're happy. See? It's turning yellow."
"Robin, it's amazing. Thanks. Too bad Starfire missed out on this."
"No, I'm kinda glad you could have it."
"Hey, Dudes!" Beastboy was suddenly on the roof, appearing very excited.
"I got a new instant camera from one of my fan clubs, and I've got tons of film! Say cheese!"
Without hesitation from the possibly dire consequences, he took a shot of the two birds. A picture fell out, which Robin grabbed just as instantly.
"Hmm, I like this photo. Can I have it, BB?" Robin asked.
"Yeah, yeah, sure. Lemmesee first!"
After a brief look at the picture, Beastboy started singing with an off-pitch voice. "Raven and Robin sitting on a tree. K-I-S-S-I…"
"Give me that!" Robin started to yank it from the changeling's hands. They played tug-o-war for a while, until…
RIP!
The photo was torn in half.
"Aw, darn it! Lost the evidence! See ya!" Beastboy turned into an eagle and flew away.
"Don't forget to write a thank you note!" Raven called out.
"So you're keeping this?" Raven asked stupidly.
"Oh yeah." Robin said patiently.
"So, how are you, Robin? We haven't seen each other… in a very long time."
"Oh, I'm… fine. By the way, I dropped the Robin years ago. Call me Richard. Richard Grayson. Or Dick. Whatever." He extended a hand.
Raven gingerly put her hand inside his. "Hmm. Well, hello, Richard Grayson. How nice to see you." She smiled.
Robin… I mean Richard, smirked. "Likewise. So, um, a museum isn't really the best place for old 'friends' to catch up… wanna go get a coffee or something? My treat." He blurted out uneasily.
"Love to. And Rich?"
"Hmm?"
"I like Robin better."
"Then you're the only one I'm giving permission to call me that."
(Sorry, it would feel weird calling Robin Richard for the rest of the fic, and that's at least fifteen more Word Pages. Hehehe… carry on.)
-
"So what've you been up to lately?" Robin stirred some sugar in his decaf. "It's been a while."
Raven brought her mocha latte to her lips, sipping it as she looked at him thoughtfully. "Oh, you know, the usual. Went to New York, lived on the money left over from the Titan days, got a part-time as a model…"
Robin paused. "Not hard to believe. You've always been very beautiful, Raven." He smirked. If she hadn't known any better, she would have blushed.
"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, dropped that job, got a slot in a magazine, you know, 'Vertigo?'"
"Isn't that a fashion magazine? Never thought of you as a…"
"Well, yeah, we do fashion too, but we have a lot more than that. Landmarks, concerts, exhibits, event highlights, short stories, poetry, art… well, a lot of stuff."
"Oh. Cool. Wouldn't really know coz I never read an issue, but will do. You've been busy, huh?"
"Yeah."
There was a moment of silence, then Raven's eyes lit up.
"So, how about you, Boy Wonder? What have you been doing with your life?" She leaned on the table.
"Well, I lived with Bruce for awhile, got a job in Wayne, earned my own money, moved to a penthouse, got promoted and…"
He zipped open the duffel bag he had been carrying with him and pulled out a bit of a sleek black material.
He grinned. "Let's just say my crime fighting days aren't over yet."
She smiled on response. It was just like him. "So, I'm thinking you got something a little less bird-y as an alias?"
She assumed he rolled his eyes. "Duh. Well, not really. Well, you can decide for yourself…"
"What is it?"
His voice dropped an octave. "Nightwing."
"Oh."
"Gotcha!"
Raven was startled. "Eep!" She chirped, jumping back from the fridge and letting go of the milk carton, making it spill on the floor.
"Never knew you one up for a midnight snack."
Raven felt like brushing the smirk off his lips. "Speak of the devil."
He held out a hand to help her up. "Can't sleep either, huh?" Robin asked.
"Yeah."
Raven started to get out the mop to wipe up the milk when he beat her to it. "Go on. Eat already. I'll take care of the dairy."
She nodded, grabbing an apple and a box of cookies from the fridge and seating herself at the coffee table.
A moment later, he was there too, with an instant yogurt in hand and munching on a cookie.
They ate quietly, neither one of them speaking.
"That Blorthog stuff got you thinking too, huh?" Until now.
Raven nodded again. "Just… hard to believe, that's all."
"Tell me about it." Robin put down the cookie. "I mean, when I started this team, I knew there were gonna be hard times… we were teenagers, after all. But, splitting up? After all we've been through? Unbelievable."
Raven stopped eating too. "I know. When I first joined this team, I only regarded it as business, but… now, I actually think of us as friends. Best friends, in fact." She sighed.
"Well, we are, aren't we?" He gave her a small smile.
"Yeah. And we aren't splitting up. Got it?" She said firmly.
He put his hand over hers and squeezed it. "Got it."
"Which movie, Rae?" Robin looked at the choices. After coffee, they decided to watch a movie to pass time.
"Um… my only options are The Legend of Zorro or Harry Potter." She said firmly.
"Okay, so slash Emily Rose, Flight Plan, and Cry Wolf. You sure you don't wanna watch Chicken Little?"
She gave him a dark glare. "Tell me you're joking, or I'll hurl your pompous little head to oblivion in 5 seconds. One…"
"Hey, hey. Of course I was. Hmmm… I'll pick… Harry Potter: The Goblet of Fire. Has a cool trailer."
"I guess. Well, okay. Two for HP, please." She told the cashier. She popped a popcorn in her mouth as they went towards the theater.
"Never knew you were a fan of Harry Potter." Robin began.
"Neither did I with you."
"So, who's your favorite character?"
"Draco."
"House?"
"Slytherin."
"Professor?"
"Snape."
"Class?"
"D.A.D.A."
"Spell?"
"A tie between 'Sectumsempra' or 'Avada Kedavra.'"
"Hmm, pretty obvious answers, Rae." He joked.
She nudged his side.
"Ow."
"That's what you get."
"For what?"
"Being naughty."
Raven entered the rec-room to find only one Titan sitting on the couch, playing a video game by himself. She took a seat beside him.
"Getting a little lonely, aren't we?" she teased.
He turned to her, thumbs running rapidly all over the controller. "Not really. Wasn't in the mode to shop for a new refrigerator."
"Other one's broken again? What was it this time?"
"Overheated. Cyborg's fault this time."
Raven grinned wistfully. It was the third time in two months that they broke the fridge. First, Starfire left Silkie by the cupboard and he munched on the wires; thankfully he wasn't fried. The other time was Beastboy's handiwork. They didn't really know how he managed to do it… but then, he was BB.
"Oh yeah! Take that, Cyborg! I topped your score, AGAIN!" Robin shot up and put his fists in the air triumphantly. Raven only gazed at him amusingly.
"FYI, Robin, Cy's not here. Maybe you'd want to gloat and smush that in his face when he's actually here to take it in."
He chuckled. "Yeah, maybe I should. Very helpful, Rae."
"Thank you."
Silence. Robin dropped the joystick.
"Say, uhm, Raven? You wanna go out… sometime? I mean, the next time the fridge breaks again? Uhm… coz it's kinda pointless staying here on a Friday night… and I have a feeling this'll be happening a lot now these days…" He offered an awkward smile.
"Sure," she said. "Just make sure it isn't YOU who'll break the fridge next."
"Anything for you, Raven."
"…remember that time when Beastboy put a virus on Cy's mainframe and he went crazy?" Robin chuckled as they strolled down sidewalks.
Raven rolled her eyes. "Duh. I can even recall that he thought you were a steak and he almost ate you and I had to save you."
"Really? I don't remember that." He stroked an imaginary beard. Raven nudged his side. "But I do remember that time when we watched 'Wicked Scary' and you didn't admit that you were afraid and your powers went crazy and we fell down an elevator and I caught you? Hello, Raven, the title was 'Wicked Scary.'"
"Unfortunately, I do remember that. And did you know when… Oh!" Raven was cut off as she stumbled on a small hump in the cement. In the nick of time, Robin got a hold of her frame and prevented her from falling. She looked up to see his face inches away from hers, a smile on his lips.
"The point is, we've always got each other's back, haven't we?" He said. She had to agree on that one.
"Wow. Why do they even bother?" Robin sighed exasperatedly as he saw the only villains they faced for the day: a handful of bank robbers armed with handguns.
"Titans, go." He simply stated with very little zeal. All of them moved a tad sluggishly, but even at their lazy mood, the wannabe criminals were no match.
Cyborg didn't even need to use his laser cannon. He was bullet proof, and brought down two with a swack of his massive hand.
Starfire took one out by starbolting him; knocked out in less than a second.
Raven successfully disarmed three simultaneously with her powers; Robin and Beastboy didn't even do anything.
"Well, that's a wrap," said Robin, after watching on the sidelines for a while.
"Yo Rob! Look out!" Cyborg yelled a little anxiously. Robin heard Starfire gasp in the background.
He was about to turn around to find out what had been so interesting when he heard a loud 'boom' sound, and the next thing he knew he was on his back on the ground with Raven sprawled on top of him.
Another bank robber, overlooked by the Titans, had gone up behind Robin and fired a shot at him, and the bullet barely missed him if not for Raven, who released her prisoners and immediately knocked him down with her weight.
Robin didn't really notice any of this; his attention was focused on the wide amethyst eyes that were only a few centimeters from his own as soft lips locked with his. He couldn't move; his arms were trapped by her body on top of him, and even if he could, he didn't REALLY want to push her off of him.
He didn't really need to do so, because Raven took the initiative to lift herself off him. Her cheeks were turning pink.
"Um… sorry 'bout that." She whispered, blush unceasing.
"Anytime." He smiled. "Hey, Raven?"
"Hmm?"
"Can I court you…? Or… possibly something more?"
She looked surprised, but not displeased.
"Anytime, Robin." She mustered. Suddenly…
"Hey lovebirds, need help standing up over there?" Cyborg's laughing voice called out.
"No thanks." Robin called back. He stared at Raven, who was in turn staring at him.
"We're good."
"Come on' Rae, I'll show you a really amazing place." He looked like a little kid as he grabbed her hand and pulled her through the bustling crowds of everyday life.
He stopped in front of a sleek black and silver-colored motorcycle. Raven raised an eyebrow.
"Woah. Nice ride."
"I know." He didn't seem to be joking about that one. "Hop on." He put a helmet on his head and handed one to her.
"You've got to be kidding."
"What's to kid about?"
She realized that he was actually serious. "This place better be worth it." She sighed, giving in.
"It will be."
"This is kind of weird, Robin?" Raven lowered her hand to the water, letting it trail as the boat moved along.
"Don't you like it?" He asked worriedly, leaning back but being careful not to bother the paddler.
Raven bit her lip, eyes gazing at everything from the setting sun being reflected on the still lake water and to the dashing young man across from her.
"No, not at all. It's wonderful, all of this. But you didn't really have to go into all this trouble to fix this date up for us…"
She was silenced by a finger on her lip. "Raven, I'd do anything for you, alright? Relax, okay?"
"Err… sure." She replied. The scene was very romantic, that was certain, but something seemed to be missing.
She heard Robin breathe deeply, then suddenly, after an instant of shuffling limbs and awkward positions, he was behind her, arms circling around her, cuddling her frame.
She smiled, leaning back into him. "Thanks."
He chuckled quietly. "I've always thought I was softer than a pillow."
There was a moment of hesitation, but Raven finally found the courage to blurt it out.
"I love you."
He seemed a bit surprised, but quickly answered.
"I love you too."
She closed her eyes, relaxing in his warmth. He always knew just what to say.
The doorknob smiles at me alone
But will I open the door again
They stopped at a large park, with dewdrop grass and occasional benches and lampposts here and there. There were only a few people, most of which consisted of the young, and the in love.
"What's so special about a park?" Raven tried not to be cynical, but she just didn't get the point.
"Patience, little Raven." He grinned, tugging at her hand again. She let herself be led up a small hill connected to the park. Now, they were the only ones there.
"Lie down." He ordered.
"Excuse me? I--…"
"Lie down and see."
Just to humor him, she lay down flat on her back on the grass. What she saw on the evening sky astounded her.
"It's beautiful." She gasped, referring to the hundreds of stars scattered across the inky-black skies.
"Hmm, you are." He muttered as he lay down beside her. She tried to ignore him.
"I've never seen so many stars before." She said instead.
"That's because of the city lights, and the pollution and all." He looked around. "It's amazing how much beauty we miss even though it's just in front of our own eyes." His stare locked with hers.
I've seen this happening before
I've seen myself fall face first on the floor
Raven blinked, trying to break contact, but it was hard… no, impossible.
He took her hand in his. She gently shook it away.
"Raven…" There was a pleading tone in it.
"Robin… I…" 'I'm sorry, Robin. I didn't want to do this, I really didn't want to…'
It seemed like he saw it coming, as he quickly changed the subject.
"Hey look, I think I see Orion over there…" He pointed to the stars.
She sighed inaudibly. This wasn't the end of it, she knew it. She just knew it.
Crash and burn
On the floor
Raven walked quietly through the halls of Titans Tower, which wasn't hard, as she was nimble with all her levitation powers and all.
She reached Robin's room. The door was wide open, but she knocked anyway.
The Boy Wonder whipped around in his swivel chair. "Who is it… oh, Raven."
She breathed deeply. "Robin, we need to talk."
Even though she couldn't see it, she felt his eyes dart to his paperwork then back at her, then at the paper clip on the floor, then back at her, then at the newspaper article on the wall, then back at her… and so on. Like he was having trouble meeting her eyes.
"'Um, Raven, I know it's a bit rude, but I'm kinda busy with the crime files and the paperwork and the city surveillance…"
"Robin, I think that's exactly what I want to talk to you about." She paused.
So I turn and crash and burn
"That, and about us."
His head darted upward, like a person being awakened by smelling salts.
"W-what do you mean… about us?" He croaked. He sounded nervous, made more obvious as he wringed his hands.
Can you hear me talking?
Can you see me there?
"Robin… I…"
"Yeah."
"I don't think we should be together anymore. At least, not as of the moment."
Am I getting anything from you?
He bolted from his chair, going towards her two paces at a time until his face was inches from her. His hands, whose knuckles he had been cracking, held her tightly by the shoulder.
"What are you talking about! Do you even know what you're saying, Rae! Do you! DO YOU?"
Now it was her who was having trouble meeting his eyes, which she knew to be a bright, electric blue. She loved seeing them, and she was the only person who ever did see them. She wondered if she would miss it…
"Robin, there's no need to shake me…" She said uneasily just as he started to do so. In any other circumstance he would have apologized and blushed, but now he merely let go, harshly.
"Why Raven? Why are you doing this to me? WHY!" He near-yelled.
She pulled herself together. "You and I are on a team, Robin. We've been friends for quite a while, and we fight crime side by side and…"
"I don't see what this has got to do with us." He stepped back, hurt.
Can you hear my whispers?
Can you see me there?
"It has everything to do with us!" She cried out in frustration. "Don't you get it? Don't you see that city heroes like us can't multitask! We can't do two very important things at a time! When we fight crime and get all busy, we have no time for each other. And when we do… well, we almost never do, because we have an obligation to protect this city! It should be our first priority!"
"Listen, Robin," she said as she stood up. He did so too. "It was great getting to see you, and getting together with you, but I have to go. I'll…"
She broke off as he pulled her against him, a hand on the small of her back and the other threading through her long, silken hair. "Raven…"
"Raven, you know we can make it work…" He said softly, taking her hand.
Coz I'd be lost
I'd be lost without you
"Robin, I…" She knew she should push him away, she knew she should not be doing this, she knew it… but he was so close, and he smelled musky and heavy and incredibly alluring, and she had no time to think of these things as he pushed his lips against hers, softly, but firmly at the same time. It was a kiss that she remembered…
Forever envelopes my days
Gasping for air as I look for an escape
"Robin, you're making this hard." She gritted her teeth and closed her eyes to keep the tears from spilling, but when she opened them, again two hot trails of water went down her cheeks. She jerked her hand away and put her hood over her head, turning around.
She moaned, but that seemed to urge him on. She actually had to use her powers to push him away, as her entire body turned to jelly in his arms. She glared at him, panting slightly.
"You shouldn't have done that," she said darkly.
"Raven, I don't see why you don't want his as much as I do. Now, we have lives apart from our duty to the city, there's nothing more to distract us… but each other…" He pulled her towards him again, but she squirmed out of his grasp.
"You don't understand, Robin. I… I can't… not anymore…" Her voice trembled dangerously.
His brow creased. "Why? Why not Raven? What else is there to worry about?"
"Robin, you don't understand…"
"What's there to understand?"
"Raven, please…"
"No, Robin."
I'm drowning in a letter made to stay
I took one look away
And there, in a place called Seventh Heaven Park, under the starlit sky, standing approximately one meter away from him, she finally got the courage to say it out loud.
"Robin…
"I'm getting married."
"It's over."
This song's about you
Cause I still do
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a/n: Surprised?
Well, me too!
Yes, I am a sadist.
Now, where were we?
REVIEW! Or you're not seeing the last and final chapter three!
Once again, REVIEW! You know you want to… hehehe…