"I think scars are like battle wounds- beautiful, in a way.

They show what you've been through and how strong you are for coming out of it."-Demi Lovato

~#~#~#~

Robin heaved a sigh as he rifled through the paperwork, pausing only to peel his mask off and rub his eyes. Today had been one hell of a day, complete with the Hive Five destroying half the city before their capture and leaving him with a mountain of paperwork.

It was late; Robin had long since lost track of time. The tower was deathly silent, aside from the rustle of papers and the scratches of his pen. He needed to get this all done by tomorrow, lest the mayor came pounding down the door. Luckily the city had insurance for this type of thing, but they still had to file claims. And that task fell onto Robin, since he was the leader and all.

He finished one paper, depositing it onto the complete pile and grabbed another one.

Grab paper.

Fill out.

Repeat.

It was tedious work, and Robin was in the zone when a sudden, loud whack startled him. Rabin bolted upright and looked wildly about. There was no source to the noise; he was alone. The Boy Wonder relaxed, turning to resume his paperwork when another loud whack got his attention.

The window.

Robin replaced his mask and slowly rose from his chair, creeping towards the window and peering outside. There, floating on a rock, was the smirking face of Terra. Robin's brow furrowed, and he muttered a few curses before yanking the window open. Before he could speak, she was off her rock and crawling into his room, forcing the young detective to stumble backwards.

"Thanks," she said, "it was getting chilly."

Robin merely stared dumbfounded at the girl that now stood in his room. "H-how...w-why...what are you doing here, Terra?"

She smirked, giggling softly. "Seeing you, obviously."

He watched as the former geomancer sauntered over to his desk, poking at the stack of papers. While there was an air of playfulness about Terra, Robin could sense some darker emotions brewing under the surface. He could see it in the way she held herself; how her posture was just a little too tight, her lazy smile a little too forced. Robin shuffled awkwardly, unsure of how to proceed. This...this was uncharted territory.

Then again, it seemed that anything with Terra was a mystery these days.

It had been a few weeks since the incident where she'd 'saved' him from the rubble collapse.

A few weeks since she kissed him.

The kiss had been absurd, to say the least. After all, Robin wasn't even sure if Terra was even alive until she barrelled into him that night. Not to mention that they didn't even like each other like that. Or, at least, Robin didn't think so. Before Slade and the betrayal, they hadn't been super close. They were friends, yes, but Beast Boy was the one that was attached to Terra's hip. Not him.

So the whole situation was confusing to the young detective.

Why did she save him? Why did she kiss him?

Why did he kiss her back?

Robin sighed. "How'd you even get in here, Terra?"

The girl shrugged, shooting him a mischievous glance. "I have my ways." Her grin faded, and her gaze fixated on the ground as she hugged herself. Her expression was so soft, so vulnerable, Robin found he couldn't look away. His cheeks stung and he bit his lip.

"Do you um...want something to drink?"

Terra lifted her gaze to his and smiled, the motion making him gulp. "Yes, please," she said politely. Robin stood frozen for a moment, lost in Terra's crystal blue stare. He shook himself, awkwardly shuffling to the door. Before opening it, he paused and glanced over his shoulder.

"Don't touch anything," he said. "Please."

Terra dipped her head, shifting in place. "I won't, I promise."

Robin lingered, his gaze tracing over the geomancer, before hastily making his way to the ops.

The darkness of the tower was almost dizzying compared to the bright of his room. Robin paused to adjust, balancing against the wall. Thankfully, all was still quiet, and aside from the usual sounds created from the building, nothing out of the ordinary could be heard. The Boy Wonder crept through the hallways, careful to avoid creaky floorboards. His heart rate was elevated, and a small rush of adrenaline was pulsing through his veins.

His mind also kept travelling back to the blonde haired girl alone in his room, and it was all he could do to keep from storming the ops room.

The door slid open with a whoosh that sounded like a thousand galloping horses, and Robin winced as he slipped inside. Of course, as soon as his gaze turned to the kitchen, he balked. The fridge door was wide open, the inside light spilling out into the kitchen and bathing it in a cool light, and the distinct sounds of rifling and banging reverberated in the Titan leader's ears.

Robin turned to dart back to the safety of the hallway, when the fridge door closed.

"Robin, is that you?"

The Boy Wonder cursed under his breath and turned around, the bemused expression of Cyborg meeting his gaze. "Hey, Cyborg," Robin said. The cybernetic teen took a bite out of the pizza he'd snatched from the fridge, letting out a small chuckle as he did so.

"Damn, Rob, you're up late tonight."

Robin shrugged, keeping his expression neutral. "Paperwork's gotta get done somehow."

"Hmm, true I suppose." Cyborg paused to take another bite of pizza. "You still need sleep though."

"I know, Cyborg."

The Titan in question gave him a long look, and Robin almost feared he knew. But then Cyborg chuckled and brushed past him, waving as he disappeared into the hallway. Robin was alone. He breathed a sigh of relief before bustling around the kitchen as he searched for an appropriate beverage. Did Terra like milk? Or did she prefer soda? Water? No, too boring. Hot chocolate? It was chilly out tonight.

Yeah, hot chocolate.

Robin bustled around the kitchen, quickly scrounging up the necessary ingredients and throwing them together into a pot on the stove. He always liked making hot chocolate on the stove; there was just something authentic about preparing it that way.

The sweet smell of cocoa and chocolate flavored the room, and soon enough Robin's special concoction was ready. He poured it into two mugs and set back off for his room. His pace was quicker, the anticipation outweighing his fear of creaking floorboards. The rooms of the still tower blurred past as he glided towards his room, stilling only when he paused at his door.

Robin steeled himself. What for exactly, he knew not. Still, anxiety wrenched at his gut as he punched the familiar code into his lockpad, watching the steel slate slide open before him. His gaze met hers, and a smile warmed his features.

"I hope you like hot chocolate," he said as he stepped into the room. Terra smiled, shadows from the low light dancing across her face.

"Thanks." She took the mug, her expression grateful. There was a pause as the former Titan took a sip of the steaming drink. Her face lit up, and she shot Robin a wide-eyed grin. "Gee, this is really good. Where'd you learn to make this?"

Robin shrugged, feeling somewhat bashful. "Eh, I've learned a thing or two over the years." There was an awkward laugh, and they both fell silent. Robin took the opportunity to watch Terra. She sat at his desk, idly staring into her drink and toying with the mug's handle. A few fading scrapes and bruises painted her skin, most likely from the last time he'd seen her.

"Terra?" he asked, his voice soft. She looked up, startled.

"Hmm?"

"Why are you here?"

She narrowed her eyes, shrugging obstinately. "I wanted to see you."

"Why?" he pressed.

Terra jerked her gaze away, her face drawing into a scowl. "Does it matter?" She placed her mug onto his desk and stood, crossing her arms across her chest. "If you don't want me here, just say so and I'll go."

Robin blinked. "N-no, Terra, I..." He trailed off, letting out a sigh. "I'm worried. That's all."

She swayed in place, her guarded stare meeting his pleading one. At long last, the geomancer sighed and sank back into her seat. "I...I dunno. I just didn't wanna be alone, and now I'm here." She hugged herself as she spoke, her gaze focused anywhere but him.

Her words were simple, but Robin was beginning to understand.

"You wanna talk about it?" he asked quietly. Terra looked up at him, her expression filled with vulnerability and fear.

"N-no...I just wanna sit."

Robin nodded. "Okay." He took a sip from his hot chocolate, his attention drifting to his unfinished paperwork. He really needed to get that done. An idea came to mind, and he gestured to the stack. "You can help me fill out that paperwork. You know, if you want."

Terra nodded. "Sure."

"You remember how?"

She rolled her eyes, letting out a giggle. "Yeah, like I could forget." Terra plucked the stack of papers off the desk and handed half the pile to Robin, and the two of them set to work. The room quickly filled with the music of flipping papers and scratching pens, accompanied by soft murmurs and giggles as the two companions chatted intermittently. Robin found himself enjoying the company; it was nice, having someone in close proximity while he poured over these legal documents.

"Geeze, you guys destroy a lot of stuff," Terra laughed. Robin looked up from his papers, squinting.

"What do you mean?"

Terra lifted up what she was reading, revealing a long and detailed legal page dealing with the Titan's extensive damages to public and private property. "I've read and filled out, like, five of these," she said, a smile tugging at her lips. Robin shrugged.

"You know how it is," he said. "Sometimes stuff gets damaged. It's an unfortunate side-effect of taking care of the city."

Terra's teasing expression faded, and hummed. "I know." Her gaze dropped back to the paperwork, only for her expression to twist in confusion. "Um, what do I put here?"

Robin scooted closer, peering over her shoulder at the page. It was a complicated insurance claim, full of fine print and bizarre clauses. The part Terra pointed at was a small questionnaire, asking about what was damaged, how, and things of the like.

"Just circle here, and here," he said, pointing at the necessary spots. Robin heard Terra suck in a breath of air, and he somehow found her gaze. They were close. Really close. He knew he should scoot away, back to a professional distance. But he was frozen. His face felt hot, and when Terra leaned closer, his breath hitched.

Their lips brushed, and Robin found it in himself to pull back. "Terra..."

"Don't," she breathed. "I don't wanna think. I just...wanna..." She trailed off, closing the distance and kissing him. Robin was as stiff as a board, unsure of how to proceed. Terra's actions seemed to have halted all logical thinking, and Robin found himself savoring the sensation of Terra's soft lips on his own.

This was wrong. So much so.

But Robin didn't care. And the realization sort of scared him.

Soon enough Terra's hands were tangled in his hair and his arms wrapped around her waist. She was light in his arms, and Robin absently acknowledged how frail she seemed. He made sure his touch was delicate, in fear of harming her. Terra had no such reservations, sliding into his lap and deepening the kiss.

All too soon, they broke apart, breathing heavily. Terra leaned close, pressing her forehead against his. "Sorry," she murmured, her voice husky. "You just make me feel...secure. Like I can forget about everything."

Robin didn't know how to respond. He merely let her kiss him again, his mind abuzz with a plethora of confusing thoughts.

Was she using him? Was he using her? Did she genuinely like him? Did...did he like her? What about Starfire? Star-who? Why was he doing this?

Terra nibbled at his lip, bringing him back to the present. Robin gently pulled back, swallowing hard. "Terra..."

She cupped his face in her hands, locking her stare with his. "Robin, please." Her voice wobbled, and he could see desperation dancing in her eyes. Terra leaned close again, their lips only a breath apart. "Have you ever hurt so much, you just want to forget everything?"

He gulped. Robin knew what this was about; Terra was broken, suffering. He felt his heart go out to the girl. He understood at least some of what she'd been through, and Robin found himself wishing he could take away at least some of her pain. Maybe it was the protective nature in him, the undying loyalty that made him into the Titan leader he was today. But he couldn't deny her a few hours of relief.

Even if this was so, utterly wrong.

And so, Robin found his lips locked with hers again, Terra clinging to him like he was her lifeline. Somehow, her shirt ended up unbuttoned and his on the floor. Terra was careful to not disturb his mask, and Robin wasn't sure if he was grateful, or bothered. Did she not care enough to know who she was kissing? Or did she just wish to respect his privacy? Either way, the mask stayed on, and their other clothes came off.

Robin brushed his fingers along Terra's bare rib cage, unable to tear his gaze away from the sight of her in that black bra.

"We should stop," he said. He was trembling. There was a very large part of him that didn't want to stop, but they both were doing this for all the wrong reasons, and Robin knew it would be best for them both if they did.

Terra bit her lip, nodding hesitantly. "Okay," she breathed. The geomancer carefully slid off of his lab, reaching for her discarded shirt. Robin did his best to advert his gaze, looking instead at anything and everything in his room. His stare landed on his gleaming alarm clock, which blazed the time four-thirty in a bright red LED display.

"You can stay here, tonight," Robin blurted, surprising himself with his forwardness. Terra seemed just as surprised as he, and she fidgeted nervously with the buttons of her shirt.

"R-really? You don't think that would be...inappropriate?" Her question made Robin snort. There was a sense of irony in it, given their previous activities.

"It's late," he murmured. "No one will ever know."

Terra smiled shyly, and nodded. "Okay. Thanks."

He scrounged up some clothes -an oversized t-shirt and some sweatpants- and gave her some privacy to change. He changed too, opting for his pajamas, and Robin snatched a pillow and an extra blanket so he could take the floor.

"What are you doing?"

Robin looked up to see Terra shooting him a baffled look. "Uh, getting ready to sleep?"

"On the floor?"

A blush burned on his face, and Robin frowned stubbornly. "I'm not making you sleep on the floor, you're a guest."

Terra bent down and grabbed his wrist, tugging him onto his feet. "Well, I'm not kicking you out of your bed. C'mon, we can share."

There were a million reasons not to, namely that it was inappropriate, but that hadn't stopped them earlier. Why should that stop them now? So Robin allowed the geomancer to pull him into bed, hesitantly scooting at a comfortable distance away from her. Terra wasn't having it though; she rolled over and snuggled close, burying her face in his neck. Robin stiffened at the touch, hesitantly glancing down at her. She was already drifting off to sleep, sighing contentedly.

"Thank you," she whispered sleepily. Robin didn't respond, instead he carefully draped an arm around her, pressing a soft kiss onto the top of her head.

They soon fell asleep, tangled together in a messy and uncertain embrace.

Author's Note:

What is this. More sin?

Yes, yes indeed. It also happens to be a sequel of sorts to the oneshot entitled First Aid, which can be found on my profile page for those of you who have yet to read it. It's not as...steamy(?) as this one is, but it's just as bizarre and uncertain, so have a look-see!

Also, someone make me stop before I get too far into this beautiful disaster of a ship.

Anyway, enjoy! And thanks for the support. :)

-vixensheart