A/N: So I'm really excited to have this prompt done for my good friend and Beta Reader JuneGrayson! She sent me this prompt months ago and I just couldn't find the time to finish it. Also it's a fluffy romance one shot and if you've read my work you'd know that fluffy isn't really my forte, but I'm willing to take on the challenge! So please let me know how you feel about this piece and tell me whether I should stick to drama and horror lol. But thanks for the request June! I hope this meets up to your standers.
"What 'tis to love? how want of love tormenteth?" —William Skakespeare, Venus & Adonis (1593)
The summer rain fell from the sky in heavy drops, hitting the pavement with force throughout the city. The sky itself was a painting of dark greys, letting little light free from its thick boundaries. The bay beneath this bleeding sky moved harshly, but rhythmically with the wind, crying lightly in the distance.
A pair of violet eyes peered softly out at the body of water that danced ravenously in the distances. They glanced up at the sky, finding comfort in its depths of dark colors, swollen with the rain that fell from it and crashed into the bay.
The violet pools caught sight of their own reflection in the large glass pane that kept them from the world beyond it. Staring back at her was a girl with pale, silvery skin and short violet hair. Her large eyes stared at the refection and watched as traces of water clung to it and slid longingly down the glass.
She'd been sitting on her bed for quite some time; her thoughts were lost and seemed to be drifting further away with the rain. The tower had been quite most of the day. Starfire had left to visit her family a few days prior while Beast Boy and Cyborg were off to a comic con for the weekend. Aside from Robin, Raven was the only other Titan remaining in the usually chaotic tower.
The silence was haunting, making the rain's echo off the glass even more lyrical and enthralling than she'd ever heard before. Raven enjoyed this sound as it was beautiful and poetic, singing fragile songs, and painting dark skies that could inspire a master piece.
Still, there was something lonely about it and empty. Raven took a long breath and exhaled with a sigh. The sky was becoming darker as it filled with full clouds of charcoal and brim. Lazily she stepped off her bed and motioned for her closet. Opening it, she flirted with the idea of putting on her uniform, but decided due to the weather, a pair of leggings and a sweater would be more appropriate.
She gently stretched the leggings over her calves and pulled the black material over her thighs then up to her waist. After adjusting the fabric she pulled out a thin, grey sweater and slipped it on over her head, letting it fall off her shoulder loosely. She hardly looked at her refection in the mirror as she ran her fingers through her soft, violet hair and set her sights on the door. Before opening it she looked back at the dark room, encased in black walls and gothic art. Most people found he room off putting and even uncomfortable to sit in for long periods of time. But for Raven, it was home and no amount of black paint could ever make her feel otherwise.
The hallway was quiet and void of inhabitants. Only Raven's soft footsteps could be heard echoing down the hall in their small passive sound. Usually the sounds of ridicules arguments and digital explosions could be heard traveling down the hall violently, making Raven shudder to arrive in the common area. But for the moment the tower was calm, and there was solace in that.
Once she made her way to common room she could hear the soft sound of voices and static all crashing together. The sound was inconsistent and ranged from violent to gentle with only hints of reality trapped in between them. Her eyes traveled over to the large television and view beyond it. The dark clouds began to pour harder and the heavy sound of thunder filled the air with its gluttony.
Raven looked down at the long crescent couch that wrapped around the room in a complacent manner. Robin was sitting in the middle, his attention captured by the sights and sounds flashing by him in scattered images.
Raven smiled lightly at her leader though he was unaware of her presence. Raven looked on to see the channels snapping passed her as faces and voices flashed for a moment and then vanished into the smoky static. Their images being quickly replaced by new ones that lived just as long as the one before.
Raven waited a moment, flirting with the idea of letting him know she was there, but decided she didn't want to disturb him. Just as she was about to turn a loud crash bellowed off in the distance. The two heroes jumped at the sudden roar of thunder, making Raven let out a small scream.
Robin turned quickly to see her catching her breath and looking slightly embarrassed.
"Raven, I didn't hear you come in, are you ok?" he asked with a small grin.
Raven quickly collected herself, trying to hide her moment of fright. "I'm fine, I just came in to get some tea is all, would you like a cup?" She asked, moving toward the kitchen.
"No thanks Rae, I'm fine, but a soda would be nice."
Raven mustered a smile and put her pot of water on the stove to boil then went to the fridge to retrieve her leader's beverage. "We have root beer or ginger ale?"
"Ginger ale please." Robin replied.
Raven encased the can in her black energy and sent it floating towards him on the couch. She turned her attention to the cabinet and pulled out a earl grey teabag and a black mug, setting them neatly on the counter.
Robin watch as she did so, taking in the thought of actually seeing her in civilian clothing. The grey sweater draped elegantly from her frame and looked lovely against her pale skin, giving it a wintery glow. However, he knew she was more than oblivious to her beauty which ironically made her even more alluring to look at; it was just so effortless.
His thoughts were severed by the shrill sound of the tea cattle screaming as it came to a full boil. Raven took the demanding cattle off the stove and poured the scolding water into her cup. She placed the teabag into the water too steep while Robin watched the steam lift from the mug and evaporated before his very eyes.
"So what are you watching?" Raven asked, waiting for the tea to cool.
"Um… well, not much of anything." Robin replied, looking back at television before him. "Would you… maybe…wanna watch a movie with me?"
Raven looked up from her tea a little taken off guard, "I don't know, I wouldn't want to be in your way." Raven shrugged and picked up her cup.
"You wouldn't be. It's just kinda lonely around her without the others."
Raven exhaled a deep breath and nodded her head, "Ok, but I'm not watching a Michael Bay movie with you, I'm still trying to get over Pearl Harbor."
"And I'm still trying to get over Ben Affleck getting cast as Batman," Robin laughed, knowing how much Raven hated how pointless and violent those movies were (and as she said, "historically inaccurate to the point that it was irresponsible").
Raven took a seat beside the masked boy and placed her tea down in front of her. She noticed that Robin too was also out of uniform, wearing only a wife beater and a pair of long red shorts.
"So then what do you wanna watch?" He questioned, taking a sip of his drink.
"That's a good question, we could watch Heathers."Raven suggested, resting her arm on the back of the couch.
"No way," Robin said adamantly, "Christian Slater reminds me way too much of the Joker in that movie."
"Yeah you're right," Raven replied. "Has Batman ever considered looking into him as a possible Joker suspect?" She questioned sarcastically.
"No, but he seriously should," Robin chuckled, placing the can down.
"So then how about we watch something with less teen angst?"
"So Twilight is out of the question?" Robin teased, shooting Raven a sharp grin.
"Twilight is always out of the question," she replied with an eye role. "Plus, I refuse to watch anything that sparkles, glitters, or has Kristin Swart in it period."
"Yeah, like I'd willing sit through Twilight anyway?" Robin looked over at the DVD rack and quickly noticed a title he thought would suit both of them. "How about The Crow?"
Raven smiled and replied, "I can do that."
"Great," Robin said getting up to retrieve the DVD, Raven sipping her tea while he put the movie in. She'd never seen the film before, but she'd read the graphic novel too many times to count. She loved the storyline and its rawness. It was more than just a tale of retribution, loss, or love. It was tragic and honest, leaving you with the thick weight of reality that we all have something to lose.
Robin sat down beside her and pick up the remote, "So have you seen this one?"
"Nope first time."
"You'll like it, it follows the book pretty closely, but like any adaption it's off a bit, but all in all I think it stays true to the book."
"You've read the book?"
"Yeah, it's one of my favorites; I guess it strikes a chord with me." Robin replied pressing play.
Raven let a surprised look fall over her face. Though in a way she could understand why he identified with a story of a man seeking to create justice where there could be none, and lost everything because of it. She found this notion something that most people found too hard to swallow. That for some sins there's no forgiveness, and she knew Robin felt that way in his depth.
"What?" Robin asked, noticing that Raven's violet eyes hadn't left him.
"Nothing," she replied, "just dazed out is all." She gave him a light smiled, turning her attention toward her tea.
Lighting struck again followed by the loud crack of thunder that bellowed through the air like a whip. Raven jumped at the sound nearly spilling her tea. She hardly ever got flustered by the sound of thunder, but when the sound became abundantly violent she couldn't help but shudder at its brashness. Robin too felt uneasy at the sound, but held up his usual front.
"You scared Raven?"
"I don't do scared Bird Boy." Raven muttered, putting on her usual face and brushed off her nervous one.
Robin chuckled at her crass nature and turned toward the screen. "I'll hold your hand if it makes you feel better." He teased as the movie began.
She laughed unable to keep a straight face, "I'll give you something to hold Boy Blunder."
He couldn't help but smile and look back at her with a daring look, but didn't say anything, knowing she'd kill him if he did. Looking back at her he couldn't help but notice how pretty she looked with contempt fixed on her face. However, this was not the same look she harbored for likes of Beast Boy's jokes. There was something about it that was almost inviting and flirtatious. Though Robin wasn't sure whether or not she even knew she was wearing it.
Suddenly the looked changed as she raised an eyebrow, giving her expression a look of question. "Why are looking at me like that?"
Robin pulled back, not answering at first. He wasn't sure whether to be honest with her or not. "I was just thinking about how pretty you are when you're kind of pissed off."
She looked at him dumbly as though she'd heard him wrong. "Nice, but you can stop patronizing me now." She said sharply, trying to get back her footing.
Before Robin could say anything, another flash of lighting struck and followed with a loud percussion that rang through the air infinitely. Suddenly the light in the tower died and within moments rendered the space around them dark. An uneasy looked fixed itself on Raven's face and Robin felt his heart ache from it. Deep down he could feel her fear of being overtaken by such an emotion as it clawed at her. He wanted to alleviate her fear and tell her that no matter what he'd always be there for her, but at the same time he feared she'd pull away.
"So much for the movie." She said with a blank expression. The day had grown darker as the sky's depth grew thick with smoky black clouds. Thunder rolled with a soft growl in the distance as she exhaled, trying to relax in the dark.
"You seem really on edge?" Robin said finally, noticing how she seemed to have grown even more anxious.
"I'm not on—" Raven began, but was cut short by another large crash of thunder that fell over the world. She jumped unable to hide her surprise and Robin placed a steady hand on hers.
"Ok, maybe I am a little edgy." She admitted looking up at him with her deep violet eyes.
Robin smiled warmly at her and tightened his grip on her hand. Even in the dark he could still make out the soft outline of her face and its quiet beauty as though seeing it for the first time.
"Raven, if I kissed you… would you pulled away?" he whispered, feeling their bond pulse at the question.
Raven didn't respond as the words were unable to form on her lips that craved to meet his in a way she never thought possible. He let his hand fall on the plane of her neck as he leaned in, waiting for her to stop him. She felt weak as his fingers traveled up to the back of her neck, gently tightening their grip.
Slowly, she tapped into their bond, unable to form the words she wanted so badly to say, revealing the answer deep in her eyes. In that moment she felt Robin's hand pull her closer to him with a need thriving between them. She closed her eyes and let her lips part in anticipation as she waited for his to meet hers. She felt his breath graze against her skin, as he was only inches from her, and within moments the soft press of his kiss met hers.
A spark lit flame to their bond as they both melted into each other with heat building between them. Robin let his hand travel from her neck to her jawline as he felt her hand warp around his firmly. They could feel their bond growing— deepening even—in a way neither of them ever thought possible. He began to bite at her lower lip, provoking a light smile as they continued to let their lips unite them.
The moment seemed endless and was only interrupted by the light of the tower as it seemed to find life again.
Raven opened her eyes and pulled away slowly, letting an odd smile free as she looked back at Robin who looked at her fondly.
"Looks like the movie's back on." He said unsure of what to think for the moment.
Raven pressed her lips together waiting for him to speak again unsure of what say.
"Ya'know, I'm not really sure what just happened or where it will go Rae," he finally said as she looked away awkwardly, "but… I'm willing to find out if you're willing to look with me?"
Raven looked back at him as a look of hopefulness filled her eyes and she responded by leaning in and kissing him gently for a brief moment. They looked at each other for a moment, letting tales of possibly and the unknown draw then closer.
"So you wanna finish the movie?" Robin asked with a precocious look on his face.
She bit her bottom and looked over at the screen as images playing out in their violent nature. Images she wasn't yet ready to bask in.
"The movie can wait Boy Blunder," she said, letting a flip of her hand render the room dark once more.
In the quiet still of the darkness the two once again met with a coy passion. All the while the wind howled alongside a symphony of deep thunder and beauty of lightening. The world could wait, as could all of its cruelties. For the moment, the Birds found more than just friendship in one another, they found truth and understanding. Yet even though their future was new and unclear, that moment was theirs and they'd wealthier it together.