Ermm, okay, so here's my Halloween one shot. It's RaeXRob of course. Sorry if it isn't very good, I kind of forgot about it until like yesterday. haha. So I didn't get to re-read it and fix it for mistakes as much as usual, but I figured I might as well post it anyways!
A special thanks goes out to Arisu Arisugawa, who helped me out by giving me the idea for Robin's costume. Thanks, you rock!
Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans. Nor do I own the song Masquerade.
Happy Halloween!
Robin gunned the engine of his R-Cycle, and smiled slightly as he felt the wind tug at his costume. He wound his way through the festive streets, making his way towards the side of Jump City where all the higher class people lived. Finally, he pulled up in front of an opulent mansion, and killed the motor. Feeling slightly ridiculous, he took off his helmet, and made his way up the front steps. He noted with distaste the copious amounts of extravagant decorations cluttering the front porch alone. Robin did not want to be here. He could be spending the night much more productively searching for any number of villains, or brushing up on his combat skills, but he didn't have the heart to say no to Beast Boy's eager face. It was Halloween after all, and the Titans didn't get to go out and do normal teenage things very often. Besides, one didn't generally turn down a party invite from the Mayor without a good reason. Beast Boy had also suggested that they all arrive on their own, so they wouldn't "spoil the surprise" or something like that. Like it would really be that hard to pick the green skinned Titan out in a crowd, even if he was dressed up. Sighing, Robin gave his gilded invitation to the butler standing near the doorway, and entered. Robin quickly scanned the crowd, and, not immediately seeing any of the Titans, he attempted to make his way unnoticed to the back of the room.
Raven tugged nervously at her dress, as she studied her reflection critically. Now that she was ready to leave, she was having second thoughts. What on Earth had possessed her to agree to this? Raven heaved a sigh of resignation. Well, it was to late to back out now. She was pretty sure she knew exactly how this night would turn out. She would sit quietly, unnoticed in a corner, while everyone around her had a wonderful time. She would spend the entire night, bored out of her mind, then spend tomorrow morning listening to everyone else talk about how much fun they'd had. She grabbed the mask off her bed, and settled it carefully into place. Finally satisfied, she gave her mirror one last glance, before assuming her soul self form, and teleporting a short distance from the address on her invitation.
Robin lounged in his chair, a glass of "witches brew" clutched in one hand. Yup, this was definitely a waste of his life. He looked up, and his irritated train of thought was momentarily derailed, as he saw two young children run past him. Robin smiled grudgingly as he took in the boy's red and green costume, complete with a mask and flowing black and yellow cape. It was a strange, but not necessarily unwelcome feeling, seeing a small replica of himself running around. Although it did bring back somewhat unpleasant memories of a certain inter dimensional, reality bending imp. Robin shuddered, and snapped his attention back to the present. He realized that the two were now close enough for him to hear their conversation.
"Stop right there thief!" the young Robin called nobly after the pirate he was chasing
"Arrrg! Ye'll never get me booty, ye scurvy cur! I pillaged this loot fair and square, and if ye don't back off, it'll be a taste of the cat o' nine tails for ye!" Laughing, the two wove through the crowd, and out of Robin's sight, so he went back to mulling over his irate thoughts, and sipping his steaming drink.
This didn't last long however, as his attention was soon once again diverted as he felt a blast of the chill autumn wind brush across his face, signaling another arrival. Robin was awed by the vision he beheld. A woman, about his age, maybe a bit younger he guessed, had entered. She glanced about nervously, and fidgeted with her dress. Robin noted that she was all alone, and briefly wondered why. Surely some one like her should have guys lining up to take her to this gala. Robin's heart fluttered as he watched her scan the party goers. Get a grip on yourself, he chided himself, You don't even know her. Robin could tell she was beautiful, despite the mask that covered the upper half of her face. The dress she wore was of the medieval period, probably a lady of nobility. The bodice of the dress was crushed velvet, in a deep midnight blue hue, and tightly hugged the woman's shapely curves. The skirt was full, and just barely dragged on the floor. A slit ran down the middle of it in the front, and black satin underskirt could be seen peeking out when she moved. An embroidered band of gold with purple accents circled her hips, and made a V shape in the front. Similar bands of gold and purple encircled her forearms. The sleeves consisted of two layers; the first was tight fitting blue velvet that came to a slight point at the back of her hands, and the second layer was made of black chiffon, which formed long and flowing bell sleeves. The gold and purple accents also surrounded the neckline, which was cut tastefully low in a square shape. Part of her hair was pulled back, and was elegantly done up, while the remaining hair cascaded in gentle ebony waves down her back. A gold circlet was placed a top her head, which also came to V-shaped point. The point held a single red ruby. The black masked which covered her face was covered with soft black feathers. Robin quickly turned away as her masked gaze wandered towards him. A few minutes later, he saw her sit down a few tables away from him. Perhaps she was waiting for someone, like Robin was waiting for the other Titans. Robin tried to put this strange woman out of his mind, and went back to searching the crowd.
Robin sighed restlessly, bored out of his mind. He had been waiting for the other Titans for half an hour now, and there was still no sign of the others. Robin had just made up his mind to leave, when the door was flung open once more. What Robin saw almost made his jaw drop. It was clearly Starfire, but her costume was one of the most bizarre things he'd ever seen. And that, coming from him, was saying a lot. Apparently, Most of the guests agreed with him, as the room suddenly became silent. Some one coughed in what Robin thought was an attempt to hold back a laugh.
"Wha-what are you?" one of the braver guests finally asked.
"I am a Klorbian Zorkbag!" she replied, her tone indicating that she thought this aught to be obvious, as she floated gracefully into the mass of guests. The other guests, confused slightly by her answer, shrugged and things soon returned to normal. After they had described their "strange Earthly holiday" to her, Starfire had immediately taken to the idea. She had spent hours in her room designing and making her costume. She had also joyously helped Beast Boy put up spooky decorations around the tower. Robin found himself smiling as he remembered her delight. He shook his head to clear his thoughts, as he saw another figure enter. He quickly recognized the familiar green skin, dressed up as what appeared to be one of the characters from the movie Clash of the Planets. Starfire also spotted the Titan, and made her way towards him.
"Friend Beast Boy, is that you?" She asked when she was close enough to him.
"Know this name Beast Boy, I do not. Perhaps friend I am, If foe you are not." Beast boy said, trying and failing to sound wise. Starfire giggled, and the two moved off together.
Beast Boy was soon followed by Cybrog, who was dressed up as a professional football player. Either they hadn't recognized Robin, or they just hadn't seen him yet, as none of them had approached him. That was three Titans down, one more to go. A short time ago, a small orchestral band had begun to play, and Robin listened to the strands of music that gayly filled the air.
Masquerade! Masquerade!
Paper faces on parade . . .
Masquerade!
Hide your face,
so the world will
never find you!
Every face a different shade . . .
Masquerade!
Look around -
there's another
mask behind you!
Eye of gold . . .
Thigh of blue . . .
True is false . . .
Who is who . . .?
Curl of lip . . .
Swirl of gown . . .
Ace of hearts . . .
Face of clown . . .
Faces . . .
Drink it in, drink it up,
till you've drowned
in the light . . .
in the sound . . .
But who can name the face?
Robin downed the rest of his drink, and made his way to the refreshment table for more, and maybe a some of the various Halloween themed food items that littered the table. Robin nearly dropped his cup in surprise when he saw the mysterious medieval woman a few feet away from him, also at the refreshment table. After a brief internal struggle, Robin made up his mind to go talk to her.
"Hey."
She turned her scrutinizing stare toward the boy standing next to her. He was wearing a tan colored trench coat. Underneath the coat, he had on a dress shirt, black suspenders, and black slacks. The collar of the trench coat was pulled up over his neck. He wore a hat with a wide brim, that slanted up in the back, and down in the front so it threw his face into shadow. She could just make out a bright red mask covering his eyes. The edges of the mask were lined with green, and gold filigree adorned the red area of the mask. A private eye from one of those old black and white gritty nineteen twenties mystery films by the looks of it.
"What?" she drawled boredom coloring the word. He seemed to start a bit at her tone, then gave her a strange look. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but then thought better of it, and changed his mind.
"You looked lonely, I thought maybe you could use some company." He finally replied. She looked him over again for a moment, smiling to herself at the way he fidgeted under her hardened gaze. Well, it didn't look like there were any other people around that she'd enjoy spending time with. It wasn't like she had anything to loose, and it might help the night pass quicker. Perhaps this night wouldn't be quite as bad as she had thought.
Robin was pleasantly surprised when she gave a curt nod of assent, he had been sure she was going to reject his offer. Maybe tonight wouldn't be a complete waste of his life after all. It was strange, but when she had spoken before, she had sounded strangely familiar. Robin didn't think he knew her from Jump city...perhaps he had met her in Gotham city? He'd have to make sure to ask later. The made their way back to the table he had been occupying earlier, and sat down.
"I'm R–," He stopped himself from saying Robin just in time, "Richard," he finished, holding out his hand.
"I'm...Rachel" She informed him, ignoring his outstretched hand. Flustered, Robin dropped his arm, and quickly took a sip of his drink to cover his embarrassment. Well, this was going well...
"So...are you from around here?" He asked, trying to start a conversation.
Rachel gave a humorless laugh before replying, "No, I traveled quite a ways to get here."
"You wouldn't happen to have been from Gotham, would you?" Robin asked hopefully.
"No, why do you ask?" Rachel answered, giving him a quizzical look.
"You just seem familiar somehow," Robin replied, shaking his head in confusion. Rachel nodded, seeming to agree with him. A few moments passed in awkward silence, as they both searched for something to say. This time, it was Rachel who broke the silence.
"So what do you do?"
Robin hesitated again before answering, "I'm in law enforcement." It wasn't exactly a lie, more of a half truth. Robin shot the query back at his companion, who for some reason, also hesitated.
"I'm in...public service," she replied. Suddenly a commotion could be heard to the pairs left, and they both turned to see the cause of it. To Robin's dismay, he saw that it was the three other Titans who were at the center of the ruckus. He should have known that those three left alone together were just asking for trouble. Apparently, Starfire had mistaken the decorative jack o' lanterns on the refreshment table for food. She had started to eat them, rind and all. Cyborg was busy trying to stop her and explain why that was incorrect, while looking slightly sick. Beast Boy, had apparently been drinking when he noticed her, as Witches Brew had come shooting out his nose. Robin couldn't help but laugh at the strange situation, glad that he wasn't with them.
"I do not know them," Rachel muttered, also laughing a bit, and Robin could see her blushing slightly.
"What was that?" Robin asked, thinking he had misheard her, there was no way she knew them.
"Nothing,"she replied. Strangely enough, this odd occurrence seemed to break the ice between the two, and Robin mentally thanked Starfire for her alien naivete. Rachel seemed to relax a bit, and open up to him some more. They spent the next few hours talking amicably about everything from movies to whether or not they believed in destiny. Robin even found himself telling her a bit about his parents, and family. It turned out they had a lot in common. The hours passed quickly, and the guests were starting to thin slightly. Robin knew his time with the lovely lady was growing short, and decided to be a bit bolder with her because of it.
"So do you have a boyfriend?" Robin knew that even if she didn't, he probably didn't have a chance with her, but asked anyways. Tomorrow he would go back to being Robin, and Richard would go back to being but a distant memory. Although, when he'd been Batman's apprentice, he'd dated girls at the high school, maybe he could handle it again...
Rachel seemed to look uncomfortable at this new direction their conversation was taking. "No, I don't really date much," she said vaguely, seeming slightly vexed. Her voice softened as she continued, "I thought I loved someone once...but it didn't exactly end well."
"I'm sorry," Robin said sincerely, saddened that some one had hurt the belle so badly, "But, if he wasn't smart enough to see what an amazing and beautiful woman you are, then he didn't deserve you." Robin realized he had gently laid his hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her. Rachel looked up at him and smiled weakly in thanks.
Rachel glanced down at his hand on her shoulder, then back up into his masked face. She realized suddenly that they were closer together than she thought. Her breathing quickened, and she mentally shook herself. I don't even know this guy. So then why do I feel like I can trust him? She wondered somewhat perplexed. That's exactly what got you into trouble before, you trusted too easily. Her internal argument was halted as she realized that Richard was leaning towards her, his hand traveling up to rest on her neck. Her mind seemed to freeze at this point, no longer giving any advice. There breath mingled as they both hesitated a moment, centimeters apart. Then his lips were on hers, and after a few moments, she gave into it.
Robin internally berated himself. What was he doing kissing this strange woman that he'd met only hours ago? His body seemed to move of its own accord, and since Rachel wasn't protesting, he didn't pull away. The kiss was sweet and simple, as they explored each other for the first time. After a few moments, Robin pulled away from her sweet lips and stared into her masked eyes. Frustration began to bubble up inside him, as he tried to read how she was feeling, but was prevented by the mask. Robin wondered idly if this was how his teammates felt about his own ever present mask. Despite the party that swirled around them, the world seemed strangely silent, as if they were all alone here in that one moment of time. Robin could once again make out the words to the music that floated through the air around them.
Masquerade! Masquerade! Masquerade!
Grinning yellows,
spinning reds . . .
Masquerade!
Take your fill -
let the spectacle
astound you!
Burning glances,
turning heads . . .
Masquerade!Stop and stare
at the sea of smiles
around you!
Seething shadows
breathing lies . . .
Masquerade!
You can fool
any friend who
ever knew you!
The calm that surrounded them was shattered as an unwary party goer bumped into Robin, not even bothering to apologize. Robin turned back the girl before him, and saw that she was reaching up to take off her mask.
"You deserve to at least see the face of the girl you spent the entire night with," she said calmly as she untied the knot and removed her disguise.Shock poured through Robin as he found himself looking into deep amethyst eyes.
"Raven?" he asked incredulously. He would recognize those unusual eyes anywhere, but her hair was long, wavy, and black. Confusion gripped him as he stared, completely baffled, at her.
"What?" she asked, visibly startled to hear her name, "Who are you?"
"It's me, Robin," he replied, praying that his mask covered his blush. Robin was at a loss of what to do. Had he really just made out with Raven? Raven, the resident enigma, unapproachable and unemotional? Prior to tonight, he couldn't have even imagined her kissing someone, let alone that she could be so good it at. His blush deepened at that thought. Raven seemed to notice him staring at her hair, and quickly explained.
"It was a spell I found in one of my books. It changed my hair for the night. Tomorrow it will be back to normal," she said shrugging as she lightly fingered one of the strands that hung about her face. Raven suddenly felt uncomfortable under his stare, and the awkward silence. She quickly mumbled an apology, and got up to leave. He obviously didn't want her here any longer.
She only made it a few steps away from the table though, before she was stopped by an uncertain hand on her arm. She halted, but didn't turn around. What could Robin possibly want now? To humiliate her even more?
"Raven, you don't have to leave. I mean, we were enjoying each others company right?" Robin said hesitantly. She said nothing, so Robin moved to stand in front of her. "Before tonight, I wouldn't have ever thought about you like that..." he trailed off, unsure of how to say what he wanted to. Mistaking his silence for the end of his thought, Raven quickly cut in.
"If I'm really that unappealing to you, then there's no point in me staying," Raven said harshly, trying to hide the hurt in her voice. Raven didn't want to be there any longer, and decided it was time for her to take her leave. Robin saw the beginnings of a black Raven forming about her, and reached forward, desperately trying to stop her.
"No! Wait that's not what I meant!" He cried, reaching into her sable aura, heedless to the chilling cold he felt upon coming into contact with it. Raven, annoyed, stopped to push him away so she wouldn't take him with her when she teleported. It was however, all the opening Robin needed. He grabbed tightly onto her arm, and refused to let go. Several of the nearby guest had turned to openly stare at the couple, and whisper about what was going on, but he didn't care. He needed to make her understand.
"You never let me finish. What I was going to say was that although I've never thought about you like that before, I can no longer say the same thing. It's just that you've always been so cold, distant even. You seemed so independent, like you didn't need anyone else. But tonight, I spent some time actually getting to know you, and I like the person that I've found there. There was obviously some connection, and I'm willing to explore that more, if you are," Robin finished slightly out of breath, hoping he hadn't completely lost this new found intimacy with the sorceress. For a moment, Raven looked like she was going to defie his pleas for a second chance, then slowly nodded. He was right after all, she had felt the connection too, otherwise she would have never kissed him back.
"I mean, even if nothing happens between us, we can at least strengthen our friendship right?" Robin said smiling, knowing that he'd won. He led her back to their table, as their conversation, and questioning started up again.
Robin killed the engine of the R-Cycle, and helped Raven off from the seat behind him. She had been very hesitant to ride his "deathtrap" as she termed it, but after some persuading, he had finally convinced her to let him give her a ride.
"Oh come on, it'll be fun!" Robin said. Raven gave the vehicle a disdainful glance before raising an eyebrow in disbelief.
"Fun? With the way you drive, I doubt it." "What, don't you want to live a little? Feel the thrill of danger, and live on the edge for a bit?" He teased. "Robin, I'm a Teen Titan," she replied, "I do all that practically every time I walk out the door." "What, don't tell me your scared?" The boy prodded. "Haven't we already been through that?" she said, slightly put off. "Please? I dare you," he added, trying a different tactic. "You're not going to take no for an answer, are you?" she asked sighing. Robin grinned, once again sensing victory.
They walked into the tower together, Raven smoothing her slightly windblown dress out. They stepped in the common room and saw the other Titans all stretched out on the sofa. Apparently they were watching one of the many scary movie marathons on TV. Hearing their entrance, they turned around, surprised to see them.
"Friend Robin, friend Raven, where were you on this festive night? We did not see you!" Starfire asked jumping up.
"What? You mean you didn't see us? We were their the whole time, waiting for you guys!" Robin said faking innocence. The two birds sat down next to each other on the sofa.
"Did you two experience the revelry at the celebration?" Starfire asked. Robin glanced at Raven a moment before answering with a lopsided grin.
"Yeah, actually, I think we did." Suddenly, he felt something hit the side of his face, and turned to the direction it came from.
"Keep it down you must dude! Watching Nightmare on Maple Street we are!" Beast Boy said, throwing a few more popcorn kernels at them for good measure. All five Titans shared a laugh before settling down to watch the horrifying events that were unfolding before them on the screen.
Well, there you have it! Hope you enjoyed it, and please Review!