Disclaimer: Nothing you recognize is mine. Deal with it.
She's alone
I'm alone
Now I know it
She's a brick and I'm drowning slowly
Off the coast and I'm heading nowhere
She's a brick and I'm drowning slowly
– "Brick", Ben Folds Five
Author's Note: This is a fan fiction inspired by the fantastic, absolutely adorable picture by Neo Slashott, who's online at DevinArt (or however you spell it). Check it out, it's the cutest thing ever!
Brick-Chapter 1: Falling Amongst the Neo Lights
It had been a rough night. Robin flinched slightly as he moved his shoulders back to discover that the blow Mammoth had delivered earlier was now canning. Normally the leader of the Teen Titans could easily dodge the larger boy-but this night he'd been distracted-by what he still didn't know-but it was enough for him to miss Mammoth's big, meaty hand.
The Boy Wonder looked around to the other Titans-it'd been just himself, Beast Boy and Raven at the Tower when the call came in for an attack on the Kade Inc. skyscraper. Rushing into the city they'd been faced with the HIVE students Mammoth, Gizmo and Jinx and instantly the fight was on.
"Are you alright?" Asked a voice by his side. Robin blinked down to Raven, whose head was cocked to one side in concern, her hand lightly brushing his shoulder. Feeling something strange well up inside, he looked away. "I'm fine"
Raven raised one perfect eyebrow in septic disbelief, but backed off anyway, Timid whispering that she had been too close to Robin for his comfort. About to comment that Star and Cyborg would be home by now, and that they should get going if the boys still wanted to make the Midnight Movie Marathon, both teens suddenly cried out as an invisible force knocked Robin to the ground.
So this is what'd distracted him earlier-Robin thought dazedly as his head was slammed against the concrete-the ripple off the molecules around the force field caused an disturbance-
Heart in her throat, Raven gave a gasp as the Boy Wonder's mask was ripped off his face and flung to the side, fluttering like a limp butterfly.
His eyes were closed, and Pink Raven screamed at her to do something.
T
Robin felt the breeze around his face, and let his mouth part.
He couldn't tell if this was a dream or not, so he just drifted along with things as suddenly he was flying, soaring through the air like the old days…
Then just as swiftly he was falling, falling down, back to the net where his parents would laugh and smile, ruffle his hair and tell him to try again.
T
Lurching herself off the building without even thinking, Raven reached out to Robin, hoping, praying to whatever gods that were out there that she would get to him in time. His cape was flapping above him like a black and yellow beacon, even brighter than the lights around them, and she stretched further, not knowing whether it was the way his eyelashes curved against his cheek or the speed of their impending doom that was making her heart race.
Then suddenly she was touching him, Raven's small hands going to the sides of his face. Robin's lips were parted and from the adrenaline Raven quickly pressed her mouth to his. For a moment they were tangled together in a mess of legs and cloak, before the Gothic realized what she was doing. Pulling back, her face searing with heat, her mind almost stopped working when the Titan Leader blinked, looked up at her with blue, half-closed eyes, then fell back into unconsciousness.
"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!"
And engulfing them both in her black power, Raven closed her own eyes and wished that they were back home.
T
Two small warm somethings were pressed against his face, and Robin felt his head tilt just that little bit more before another something-this time soft and sweet-was touching him in a small kiss. It only lasted a brief second-then his something wretched itself away from him, and Robin blinked, seeing a twirl of stars before his eyes closed, leaving him with only the smell of bitter roses.
T
Beast Boy's mouth hung wide open.
For the love of all things Tofu…
Did he… did he just see that?
Dude… he did!
The green boy turned, half expecting Raven to be behind him, scowling, but she wasn't. She must've taken Robin back to the T-Tower…
Shuddering, Beast Boy tried to get the image of Raven… Raven… you know-ing Robin.
Oh, Dude, that was gross!
He felt his stomach drop when his communicator rang, and he answered it gingerly.
"Y-yeah?"
"Beast Boy?" It was Raven, impatient against a backdrop of the Med. Lab whites. "Robin was tossed off a building while you were drowning Gizmo-we're at the Tower, and we need you back now. Whatever attacked Robin is invisible-get out of there"
His green eyes widened with terror, momentarily forgetting about the earlier make-out session he had witnessed. Invisible? Like, Space invaders They Came to Suck Our Brains, invisible?
Before Raven had a chance to explain further, Beast Boy had already transformed into an eagle and was flapping across the full moon sky to Titans Island.
T
Holding Robin's mask in her hand, Raven glanced down at his sleeping face. He looked younger without it, much more… normal. Much more…
Venerable. A venerable little boy with blue eyes.
She felt guilty as it was, knowing the one secret she knew he'd kept from the team for a reason. So, she quietly slipped the mask into his hand, and left, the even sound of his breathing filling the room, making sure that it would haunt her dreams.
T
Robin twitched, his mind filling with visions of Starfire laughing, Starfire twirling in a field of flowers, just filling with Starfire.
But somewhere in the back of his mind the smell of bitter roses lurked and without noticing, Raven slowly slipped into his thoughts.