The Sunday Crossword

I'm going to be honest here: I have zero clue what this is. I had a very specific scene in my head, sort of a day-in-the-life thing, and then words happened and TA DA! Drabble. Pure drabble. I also really wanted to post this/something because Pobre sent me a lovely PM the other day. It was so thoughtful and I forever appreciate it! You go, Pobre.

This can be seen as a stand-alone or a companion to Poetic Condensation. My brain is weird. Whatever.

Rating: T, because of two hungover Titans.

Disclaimer: just playing with them. Also barely edited this, so there's that.

He watched her over the ceramic rim of his coffee mug, the once pristine white now a duller shade after years of coffee and trips through the dishwasher. She took a delicate sip of tea from her own mug, its paint shining a bit brighter than his though he knew hers was much older. Such is the privileged life of a much loved mug… she dutifully washed it by hand after every sitting. He admired that attention to detail, though he was loath to admit it: admitting it would erase all the years of hard work he had spent teasing her about it every day.

The mug clicked dully against their dining table as she set it down to take up her pen. With the tip of her tongue barely peeking out at the corner of her mouth, she closed one eye as she focused on the newspaper in front of her before opening it again and pressing the ballpoint to the neat grid. She hated ballpoint pens under any other circumstance, but when it came to the soft grey surface of the newspaper, she only used ballpoints. She preferred blue, but would settle for black when her usual arsenal had disappeared from the drawer by the telephone.

Five neat letters found their horizontal home on the crossword puzzle followed by three more. She crossed two clue lines off in the columns next to the grid and moved to the vertical clues. Robin felt a smile pull at his lips. She did crosswords in pen. The smile threatened to turn into a chuckle. He loved her because she did crossword puzzles in blue ballpoint pen.

How silly.

He watched her slender fingers set the pen back down to take up her mug once more. Noiselessly, she sipped the black tea, and he resisted the urge to reach across the table and push a stubborn lock of hair back behind her ear. He was so focused on that lock of hair he failed to notice Raven's gaze was no longer directed at the paper.

"What's so funny?" she said, her voice just loud enough to pull his eyes down towards hers. He was sure his face immediately betrayed his remorse for the intrusion on her concentration, but she merely smiled at him before diverting her violet gaze back to the fifth clue on her puzzle.

"Just lost in thought," he responded, glad to be so quickly forgiven for interrupting her.

"It must have been an amusing thought," she quipped as she filled in another six letters. "You had quite the smile on your face."

"I was thinking about you," Robin said. He watched as she raised both eyebrows in quiet skepticism. Her eyes never left the paper in front of her.

"I had no idea I was such a comedian."

Robin remained quiet, not quite knowing where to go next or what to say. She continued to make neat pen strokes on the puzzle but he knew she was waiting for some sort of response. He brought his mug to his lips and took a long sip of coffee.

"It was a nice thought," he said simply, knowing the answer was inadequate but not caring enough to elaborate.

"Hmm," Raven said dismissively, raising her eyebrows once again. She clicked the pen against the table.

"Raven," Robin said, a thought occurring to him. He took the upward arch of her brow as an invitation to continue. "Where do you even get the newspaper?"

A smile ghosted along the curve of her lips.

"What is SoHa?" she asked, now tapping the end of the pen against her lower lip. Robin blinked at her.

"Did you just turn this into Jeopardy?"

"SoHa, Robin. New York." Robin remained floored, though not for lack of an answer. She never asked for help with the crossword.

"Morningside Heights?" he responded, sipping his coffee as he tried to hide the quick rush of pleasure running through him. He watched her narrow her eyes, mouth moving almost imperceptibly as she counted spaces and letters. A short nod confirmed the answer and she filled out the boxes.

A crash sounded from beyond the door, sending Robin's head shooting upward. Raven only blinked. The Tower was waking up, late night Saturday activities finally slept off and stomachs now clamoring for food.

"No way grass stain…" Cyborg's voice floated across the carpet, sleepy in lilt but firm in tone. Beast Boy's whine of an answer was muffled.

Raven checked off one final clue with a flourish and allowed a full smile to grace her features. Robin cocked his head as he watched her fluidly rise from her chair, puzzle done and tea finished.

"You're not going to stay and keep me company?" he asked. Raven smirked as she moved to place her pen back in its drawer.

"And risk my sanity as they all complain about hangovers and fight over bacon products?" she shook her head. "No way, Boy Wonder."

"You never answered my question about the newspaper," he called after her. Raven disappeared into the kitchen just as Cyborg and Beast Boy trudged through the doors, yawning and squinty-eyed.

"Man, how do you do it?" Cyborg grumbled. "You were up later than we were, too."

"It's still so early," Beast Boy yawned, pointing at the clock. It read 11:03 a.m.

"Early for you," Raven said as she reentered the room, mug safely washed and put away.

"Not all of us can operate on negative five hours of sleep, Rae," Cyborg said as he flopped down into the chair she had recently vacated. Raven merely rolled her eyes and passed a gently glowing hand over first Cyborg's head, then Beast Boy's. A goofy smile lolled across Beast Boy's face as his headache disappeared into Raven's magic.

"You're the best," he sighed, relaxing back into his chair. Raven shook her head and picked the newspaper off the table.

"Don't forget that," she said lightly. Robin caught her wrist as she walked by.

"Yes?" she said, looking pointedly at his hand around her wrist. He ignored the glare.

"Your newspaper, Raven." She shrugged, as if the concept of a real newspaper appearing on an island in the middle of the bay every Sunday was nothing of note.

"I have my ways." She gently pulled her arm from Robin's grasp and began to walk towards the door.

"Not an answer, Rae!" he called after her. "I'll get one sooner or later!"

"You know where to find me," she murmured, shooting him a look over her shoulder as the door swished open.

"Dude, it's just a newspaper," Beast Boy said.

"Weirdo," Cyborg added.

"Whatever," Robin chuckled as he leapt up to put his coffee mug away. "I just got an invitation to go find her whenever I want today."

"Like you need one," Cyborg said. "I don't know why y'all play this little game with each other."

"It's Raven" Robin said, as if that answer were enough. Beast Boy and Cyborg looked at each other and shrugged. They were beyond caring about the Sunday antics of the resident birds, and besides, Starfire had just walked through the door.

Beast Boy ran interference as Starfire attempted to begin breakfast, leaving the kitchen for Cyborg to run to. Laughing at the commotion, Robin slipped out the door to follow Raven up to the roof.

Yeah, I really don't know... where DOES Raven get her Sunday paper?

Review! Weee!

-Ash