"Have you ever thought about wearing white?"
I looked up. And there he was, hair defying gravity, black boxers, perfect abs in all their glory. I stared. Never, in all of our 3 month long… excursion, had he been there in the morning when I woke up. I pulled the sheets higher to my neck, in a vain and pointless attempt to cover myself. Never had I let Robin see me in the daylight.
"What are you doing here?!" I nearly shouted, losing my usual calm. Did he not understand the concept of an affair? It was like a drawn out one night stand. I was supposed to sneak into his room after everyone else had gone to sleep, where we would thoroughly exhaust our lust for each other. Then, he was supposed to make him self scarce at some early hour of the morning so I could wake up both extremely sore and extremely alone.
"Well, I can tell when I'm not wanted, Raven." And he sat down on the end of his bed. Obviously not. I took a deep breath and found my usual placidity. It was his room, after all. And it was still early in the morning, no one would know. Why couldn't he be here?
"Sorry, you just surprised me is all."
He smiled. I'd never seen him smile at me like that when it was light out before. And with the white sunlight streaming in through his open window, it was a nice face to wake up to, I had to admit.
"You never answered my question."
"Which one?"
He laughed and shook his head.
"Have you ever thought about wearing white?"
I thought about it. When I was a little girl on Azarath, royalty wore blue hues like everyone else, except for marriage ceremonies. I used to dream of what my white marriage gown would be like. Before I knew I could never have one. How could I even consider passing on the seed of the devil?
"Once. A very long time ago."
He smiled again. I looked out across the room to the window. Below, surf was breaking lightly on the rocks, sail boats were going by on clear water. The city wasn't visible. It reminded me of Azarath. All clear and white and blue and warm. Not what you'd have thought.
"It looks good on you."
I remembered he was there. And when I turned me head, he was still smiling at me. In a strange way I don't think I'd ever seen before. Not a mischievous, sly smirk. An honest smile.
"When have you seen me in white?"
"Right now."
I looked down. I suppose this counted. The way his white sheets were wrapped around my body was like I was wearing a badly made strapless white dress.
"This is a sheet, Robin."
"It's white."
"Brilliantly spotted. It's still a sheet."
"Well I said white. Not white clothes. Your skin is white."
I looked at my skin. It did seem whiter than usual.
"It isn't. It's grey."
He laughed.
"No, definitely white. I like it."
Well obviously.
"If I bought you a white dress would you wear it?"
I stared at him. Honestly, Boy Wonder, can you make less sense?
"Have you ever seen me in a dress of any kind, much less something besides my uniform?"
"I'll take that as a yes."
I shook my head and sighed.
"I've seen you naked."
I hit his arm lightly and he caught my arm.
"Honestly, though, Raven. If I bought you the white dress of your choice, would you wear it? Just for me? Just one day?"
I looked at him curiously. He seemed to be going somewhere with this.
"I suppose so, just the once."
"How old are we?"
"What?!"
He laughed.
"I'm serious, how old are we? How old are you?"
I forgot. No wait… No, I honestly couldn't remember.
"Robin, I… umm…"
"Think, Raven. It's in there somewhere."
I glared.
"I'm 17. So you're what? If Cy's 22, I guess you must be 19. How old is Starfire?"
"No one knows."
I laughed this time. Lightly, into my hand. The sheet dropped a little, and Robin reached out to trace a line across in on my chest. I shivered.
"I think I've waited long enough."
He was being so strange.
"Waited for what, Robin?"
He didn't say anything.
"What are you doing back here?"
Still nothing. He pulled a tiny black box from no where.
"Robin what is that."
I pulled the sheet closer to myself again. Trying to put distance between myself and that box. I became aware he had a hold of my hand.
"I've been thinking, Raven." He stopped, then continued, "We've been doing this for a long time. And it's been great, but… but I think that… I think…"
"What?" I was shaking. Why was I shaking? What was going on?
"I think that… We've been friends for so long, maybe we should… I don't know. This went better in my mind."
"Everything does."
I felt his hands over mine, and something cool on my left hand ring finger.
"Marry me, Raven."
I looked down at my finger, and my mind froze. It was a silver ring, with one diamond in the center. Neither large nor small, it sparked white in the clear sunlight against his sheets. All I could do was stare. A diamond… a perfect diamond ring on my finger.
"Robin, I- I mean, we're only… I can't even, what would we say? What about… we can't possibly-"
"Sssh, Raven." I felt his lips on mine, pressing gently, his fingers entwined with mine, twirling the ring fondly. When he broke away, I felt myself nodding. He smiled again.
"Not right away. We can wait as long as you want to tell them. We can go on a few dates, maybe make us public before everyone finds out. Whatever you want. Just promise me, Raven, you will wait as long as I do."
I started past him out the window. A white dress. Not a robe, but a true, real, white wedding dress. A wedding.
I nodded again.
"I will."
I wore it on a chain around my neck. You couldn't see it ever; I put it on my finger at night; I stared at it when no one was looking. Time progressed as usual. I watched our team mature into real heroes, but never loose friendship. I watched him break it off with Star, who nodded and cried a bit. I watched him leave on that one day when he was going to talk to Batman. I watched him take the long walk to my room the night he asked me if I had any plans on Saturday.
I watched him on our first date. I smiled. I smoothed my white sun dress over my knees. Once on my own, and once when I would watch him standing at the head of the aisle. Twice in white. It seemed enough.
objectlesson
