Anon prompt – Can we have Robin finding a journal or art or some form of expression that Raven uses to control/cope with her emotions? (before Trigon arc) And maybe Rae finds Robin reading it?
(This takes place right before the TT episode where Raven and Robin are running from Slade while the other titans are still frozen in time.)
Robrae.
Expressing.
It was three in the afternoon and no one in the tower had seen hide not hair of Raven. She hadn't left her room all day, not for anything. She never came out for the waffles Cyborg cooked for breakfast, never came for tea, nothing.
She always left the comfort of her room for waffles. And for tea. But yet, she'd never made an appearance today. Robin wasn't the only one who was worried about the violet haired sorceress.
As Robin rounded the hall, he ran into something. His hands instinctively reached out to steady the thing he'd run into.
That thing happened to be the titan's tower's resident shapeshifter.
"Sorry Rob," Beast Boy said, taking a step back out of Robin's grasp, "I was just coming back from Rae's room-"
"You spoke with her?" He cut the changeling off mid-sentence.
The green teen shook his head, a grim expression settling on his features. "I can tell she's in there, but she's just not letting anyone in."
That's strange for Raven. Robin had thought she was finally trying to open up a little more. She actually spent time on the couch in the commons room now, even though she normally had her nose buried in an ancient book, at least she didn't lock herself away in her room anymore.
So what was so different about today?
Robin felt strange all day, as if there were something on his mind that constantly worried him to the point of making himself sick. Maybe it had something to do with the connection Raven had made with him when she entered his mind?
Besides the point, Robin hadn't felt right all day.
Robin became aware of a gloved hand waving inches from his nose. "Yoohoo, earth to Robin? Dude, you spaced out on me."
"Sorry, Beast Boy. Had anyone else tried to get her to come out today?"
"Star said she tried, and Cyborg hasn't left the garage in a few hours, so I don't think so." The teen walked off, glancing back over his shoulder and saying, "Maybe you'll have better luck than I did."
Robin decided that he should at least try to coax Raven out of her room. Or, perhaps if there was something bothering her, she could tell him so he could help. Set on his decision, he began walking towards Raven's room.
The closer he got, the more he felt that feeling he'd had all day grow even more. He felt almost like he had when he'd been so wrapped up with Slade that he imagined the villain attacking him.
He shivered upon remembering, stopping in front of Raven's door. He pressed his ear up to the door, hoping to hear movement, her voice, shuffling, anything.
But there was nothing.
He rapped on the door twice. "Raven? I know you're in here."
Silence yet again.
Sighing, he typed in the override code that only Robin knew and the sorceress's door slid upon, unveiling her room to her leader.
Her room was the same as it had been when they first settled in the tower. Her bed was perfectly made, the room was spotless, her bookshelves perfectly organized, the sun filling the room through the glass windows.
But no Raven.
"Raven?" He called out tentatively, edging his way further into the room. "You in here?"
There was no answer, leaving an eerie silence to surround the Boy Wonder. He took another step, his toe coming into contact with something mildly sharp, causing him to jump back a step.
He caught a glimpse of something white and gray poking out from underneath her bed. Robin squatted down and gently pulled the object out from under the bed. He couldn't believe what he was looking at.
It was a small canvas, dark colors leaving only few white splotches on it. The closer the gray got to the center, the darker it became, turning black, until almost the very center. There was a small black bird in the middle, a bright white glow surrounding it, as if warding off the dark.
He peered under her bed, finding more just like them. He pulled them out one by one, admiring the quality and color and messages of the art.
And in the corner of each and every piece, painted in a deep blue, was a small, cursive R.
"Amazing." Robin whispered, running his fingers across the canvas.
"What are you doing?" A familiar voice demanded and Robin started, shifting his whole body to face the now open door.
"Raven, where have you been all morning?" He made no attempt to hide what he'd been doing, knowing he was caught and would certainly face Raven's anger.
She crossed her arms as she entered the room, the metal door sliding shut behind her. "I've been busy. What are you doing in my room, Robin?"
"Well, I came in here looking for you." He climbed to his feet, moving to stand a few feet in front of her. "I walked close to your bed and ran into something, so I investigated." He caught her eyes, seeing the slight worry behind the violet color. "Raven, did you paint those?"
She crossed her arms, cocking her hip to the side. "What I do in the confines of my room is none of your business."
"Raven, they're beautiful. I'm trying to compliment you, not judge you."
She hesitated, uncrossing her arms and gesturing to the canvases in the floor. "It's a hobby."
"I thought reading was your hobby?" He gave her a small upturn of his lips, hoping to get one in return.
"I can have more than one hobby, Robin." She rolled her eyes, training them on the paintings in the floor. She fell silent, as if getting lost in thought.
Robin carefully placed his hand on her shoulder, gaining her attention. "Raven, you've been acting strange for quite a while now." Her eyes widened only for a second. "Is there something going on, something bothering you?"
She shook her head a moment too soon. "I can feel it. There's something that you aren't telling me." He sighed, finally finding her eyes again. "Raven, you know you can tell me anything."
She shook her head again. "Something big is coming." She turned to face the paintings, Robin's hand falling from her shoulder.
"Okay, we can take it, whatever it is."
"No Robin, you don't understand." She stepped closer to him. "What's coming, it's bigger, it's stronger than all of us, even combined." He caught the small quiver in her bottom lip. "What's coming can't be destroyed, Robin. It's coming fast, and it will win. There's nothing that can stop it." She shivered. "It's coming for me."
"Raven." He took her face in his hands, looking her in the eyes. "We can overcome this. We can do it together."
A tear escaped her and Robin's thumb swiped it away. "It's okay, Raven. When it comes, you have all of us to help you. To protect you."
Then, Raven did something completely out of character for Raven.
She hugged Robin.
He was shocked at first, but wrapped his arms around the sorceress, his hand absentmindedly cradling her head into his chest. Her arms fisted in the back of his shirt, holding herself closer to him.
"It's okay, Raven. I'll always be here."
Suddenly the alarm shrieked, startling both of them.
Raven pulled away, her eyes finding Robin's. He saw how scared she was, something he rarely saw from her.
"Remember, Raven. I'm right here."
She took his hand and he felt the dark energy surround him.