"Friend Raven, I do not wish to be the bother but it would do us all a great relief to know what is the matter."
Robin couldn't help but cringe at Starfire's wording. There were so many triggers in that statement, ones that shot pangs of guilt into him. Friend. Bother. Would this ruin their friendship? Would he be known as this creep, this weirdo after this?
Starfire's hand rose, delicate fingers curing into a fist. She knocked softly on Raven's door.
"Raven, please. We will only try to help."
How could Robin help, when he was the one who caused it?
Maybe it's not you. he thought. Maybe something else is bothering her.
Yeah, right. And it happened to get her so emotional that a light bulb exploded at the same time I touched her neck.
His gut twisted at the memory. He was such an idiot. Why did he ever even think this was a good idea?
Starfire's hand lowered, her expression falling to sadness. He could tell her brain was working, worries and troubles colliding off one another. Expanding the situation into something bigger than it was.
Robin stepped towards her. "Maybe she'll talk to me, Star." he said. "Why don't you see what Cyborg and Beast Boy are up to?"
It was one plan that worked; Starfire looked to him, eyes searching his face for a moment. And then she gave the slightest of nods. With one last look to the door, she left, leaving Robin alone in the hallway.
He took another step, coming face to face with Raven's door. Instantly, he felt the air behind the door tense. Raven was listening; she had been all along. Listening for what, Robin wasn't sure he wanted to know.
Deciding to play stupid, he rose a fist towards her door. Right before his knuckles hit the painted metal, a thought occurred to him, emerging from the depths of his subconscious.
If Beast Boy were to have done that—the memory of his fingers playing with the ends of her hair flashed—Raven would have moved right away. So the fact that she stayed means something.
His knocks hung in the silence. Robin forced himself to stand rooted where he was. And then, finally, her door cracked open just enough to reveal one violet eye. She didn't say anything, instead waiting until he spoke. Robin looked away, hand raising to scratch the back of his hair.
"Look," he said. "If it's something I did... I'm sorry."
Raven was quiet. And then, her voice came, questioning him in monotone.
"Is it really an apology if you knew what you were doing?"
Robin stopped, considering the statement. When the idea came to him... He had thought about her. Of course he had; it was all about her. And he considered her reaction. Knew exactly what would happen. But that was the excitement in it. Not the fact that something like a light bulb was destroyed but how an emotion strong enough to destroy it was felt.
And he had been the one to cause it. Not Beast Boy, not Cyborg or anyone else. Him. That must mean something... more.
He looked back up at her. "I'm sorry I made you upset." he said, revising the apology. "If it actually was me."
Raven raised an eyebrow. Nervous, Robin grinned, sweat breaking onto his temple.
"You're right; that last part wasn't needed!" he said, putting his hands in front of him. "Sorry."
"You sure are apologizing a lot."
Robin relaxed, shrugging after a moment. "I feel they're in order." he replied.
He let the silence between them increase, carefully judging Raven's face from the corner of his eye. Her stare remained on the floor, searching somewhere to the side of his feet. Raven was thinking, considering whatever seeds had blossomed inside her mind in the past few hours. Considering... him.
"It's fine." She looked back at him, her bored stare hiding away any attempt Robin had at finding out more. "Anything else?"
Robin shook his head. "No. Well, not unless you wanna join us for pizza."
Raven stared at him, her silence telling Robin everything he needed to know. He gave a light smile. "Just thought I'd ask." He turned, starting to walk away. As an after thought, he stepped back, a little surprised to see Raven still watching him.
"We'll be back in a few hours. I'll put the leftovers in the fridge."
Raven nodded, the action quick and small. She was still thinking, still considering. Even after he started walking away, Robin could sense her stare in his direction. The door closed a few moments after he was completely out of her sight, and he couldn't help but feel a fluttering warmth in return. For the first time in a long time, he was excited about something.
AN: Huh. So back when the idea for this story came to me (somewhere around six or seven months ago), I had only really plotted out the first chapter. No clue how that idea came to me; I only know that I really like the premise and how that chapter turned out! In my frenzy of writing down bits of the story as they came to me, I also wrote down a very quick blurb on the start of this chapter (with Starfire and Robin at Raven's door.) From there, I kinda stepped into the dark and let these characters talk on their own. Writing Robin is a bit strange for me; I'm not 100% sure why he's evolving the way he is, but I guess it's not entirely OOC because we have no clue who as a person he is internally or how he actually thinks. hm... More ideas are flowing now!
Tell me what you think, please! More reviews = quicker the next chapter will be written :D (I know that sounds like some kind of bribe but ask any fanfiction author-it's so true!)
