Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans series or any of its characters.
Chapter 1
As she sat upon her bed Raven pondered her existence. It had only been a couple of weeks since Trigon was defeated and the world had almost ended. Everything seemed to be back to normal, but Raven was having trouble imagining her future. The girl reminded herself she was a hero, a titan, and that was her purpose at least for now. It was then that her thoughts drifted to her friends. Starfire, the girl who was always bursting with emotion, Raven shuddered remembering the many bone crushing hugs she had endured from the girl. Cyborg, the boy had become like a big brother to her, she smiled softly thinking of their many shared hours in the garage. Beast Boy, the green changeling, who would probably never stop trying to make her laugh she thought to her dismay. And then there was Robin, the boy wonder. She had always admired him, from his skills as leader to his concern for his friends. From time to time she found herself reveling in their shared bond, even taking small trips into his memories.
A small knock on the door interrupted her thoughts.
Raven opened the door to find Beast Boy standing there with a childish grin on his face.
"Hey Raven we were wondering if you wanted to come out for pizza with us" he asked sheepishly seeing the ever so stoic expression on her face.
"No" she responded in her classic monotone.
"Oh come on Rae, it'll be fun" Beast Boy whined. He then turned into a tiny, mewing kitten and began rubbing himself on her bare legs. 'That'll get her' he thought, 'she can't resist me'.
"Fine" Raven snapped,. Beast Boy morphed back, grinned at her and said "Okay be down in five".
She couldn't stop herself from frowning, 'Why must I love cats' she growled to herself.
She threw her cloak around her shoulders and made her way into the hallway. As she was mentally berating herself, she didn't notice how quickly she made it to the main room. She looked up at the sound of someone clearing their throat and was immediately thankful for her hood to cover up the deep blush forming on her cheeks. The entire team was staring at her and she did not like it at all, although she was never one for being the center of attention.
Robin took it upon himself to clear the awkwardness and said "Let's go get some pizza".
The team piled into the t-car, Cyborg in the driver's seat, Robin in the passenger's seat, and Raven squished in-between Starfire and Beast Boy.
After a seemingly long, bad joke filled ride, the team apart from Beast Boy were very anxious to get out of the car.
Inside the pizza place Raven was listening to Beast Boy and Cyborg argue over what kind of pizza they were going to get. She didn't really care what they got she just wanted them to pick something. The team finally came to an agreement, thanks to Robin ordering while Beast Boy and Cyborg were still arguing.
About thirty minutes later the titans were enjoying their pizza and the group conversation. Throughout dinner Raven hadn't really said much, she nibbled on her slice as the others joked and laughed together. She secretly envied them. They could be so open with their emotions, something she was never able to do.
Robin noticed how secluded Raven was being and took it upon himself to involve her. "Uhhh…hey Raven…what's up?" he asked. She stared at him for a moment before answering dully, "Eating".
He wasn't quite sure how to continue the conversation so he just dropped it and went back to eating.
Later that evening the team was hanging out in the lounge. Cyborg and Beast Boy were playing video games, while Starfire was cooking some of her traditional Tameranian food dishes, and Raven was making herself a cup of tea. However Robin was at a loss of what to do with himself. Raven's empathy picked up on Robin's feelings, she however didn't know what she could do for him. It was then that she decided she would ask him if he wanted to meditate with her.
She carefully approached Robin, she could feel the confusion rolling off of him in waves.
"Would you like to meditate with me?" she asked unsurely.
Robin pondered the question for a moment, he could almost see the deep blush under her hood.
"Sure" he said, "I've always wondered how it worked". As Raven taught him the basics of meditation Robin could get himself to calm down. He had never noticed the way that she spoke was unique but kind of attractive. That thought stopped him. He thought Raven's voice was attractive? 'No Robin' he said to himself, 'You like Starfire…. Don't you?' He was never so glad Raven couldn't read minds. This inner turmoil was invisible to the outside world. Lying in his bed later that night Robin was coming to terms with his thoughts. He liked Raven. He liked Raven as more than a friend. Little did he know Raven was having the same thoughts, and this would only spell trouble for them and the rest of the team.