Author's Note: Hello again!

Here it is chapter 4! I warn you all now, we are rapidly approaching the point where my updating will be based not on how fast I type, but how I often I get the chance to sit down and write. I have up through chapter 5 finished and am struggling through chapter 6 as you read this. I can't say how long it will be before I finish 6 but 5 should be up soon since I'm on spring vacation.

Does anyone know if I can edit chapters without deleting them after they've been posted? I can't figure out a way to go back a fix any random mistakes I've made without taking the chapter down which that would really stink.

Bonus points to anyone who recognizes where I got the name of Beast Boy's tribe from.

I can't think of anything else to say but Happy Easter to those of you who celebrate (may the Easter Bunny always bring you Cadbury eggs). And of course, as always, please review. It makes me smile like an idiot everytime one of you takes a moment to let me know what you think.

On with the chapter!

Chapter 4

Pizza, Video Games, and Masks

Click.

Wrestling.

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Made.

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Music countdown.

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The Flintstones.

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'Wait? The Flintstones? Yes!' Robin settled back into the couth smiling. This had been one of his favorite cartoons as a kid. Batman had even let him watch it on off time. Hell, he'd actually sat down and watched it with him a few times, a small smile on his normally grave face.

Robin had been sitting on the couch in a pair of jeans and a Flaming Lips t-shirt for 15 minutes when he heard the door to the common room slide open. He glanced back long enough to smile a hello at Starfire before turning his eyes back to Fred and Barney.

"Robin?" Starfire floated into the room wearing a shirt that read 'I love nerds!' across the front and some old jeans. It had taken the team a while to make the alien understand that the shirt wasn't talking about candy. "I am - interrupting?"

He took one more quick look at the television before turning it off. "No, of course not Star. Everything okay?" Starfire nodded and the boy wonder smiled again. She sat down next to him and he shifted slightly to face her.

"Could I speak with you Robin?" He touched his mask self consciously as he nodded. "You – trust us correct? You would never believe us of betraying you?" Robin, who by this point was starting to feel somewhat concerned about where this was going, nodded again studying Starfire's all too honest face.

"Why-" Starfire looked down blushing. When she looked back up her face held a slightly shamed and embarrassed look. "Why do you keep your mask on?" Robin was definitely touching his mask now. He looked rather like a small child who was afraid their favorite toy would be taken should they let it go. "We don't wear our uniforms at home, why do you wear your mask?"

The first thing to hit Robin was the word home. Starfire thought of the Tower as her home. A safe, happy, loving place, and really, that was all Robin had ever wanted the Tower to be. A home to those who lived there.

The next thing to hit him was fear. Robing wasn't afraid often, when he was he did his best to master that fear. But he did rely on his mask. No one could see fear in your eyes if they couldn't even say what color your eyes were to begin with. Robin swallowed nervously.

"Well," He began softly still fingering the edge of his mask. "Since I started living with Batman the only people who have seen me with my mask off have been him or Alfred. I don't really even look at my eyes when I have the mask off anymore. Taking it off would be – uncomfortable."

Gentle fingers were pulling his hands away from his face and into his lap. Starfire's voice was hesitantand soft as she spoke. "May – may I please remove your mask?" They were sitting face-to-face on the couch, knees touching. Robin allowed himself one quick glance around the room before his eyes settled back on Starfire. He nodded so slowly his head barely seemed to be moving; throat suddenly going dry. He tried in vain to remember how to hide the emotions flickering across his eyes but seven years of protection had made him forget.

Slowly Starfire's hands touched the sides of his mask. Robin, whose hands were gripping his knees to prevent himself from stopping her, kept telling himself there was no one else he'd rather let do this. All the same he couldn't help cringing as the corners lifted. Little by little the mask came off and Robin felt cool air touch his skin.

Finally the mask was off, laying discarded on the couch beside them, but Starfire still didn't know what Robin's eyes looked like. He had them tightly shut. It had been instinct reacting and now the teenage hero couldn't force himself to open his eyes again. "Robin." Her voice was barely above a whisper. "Please, open your eyes."

With an act of will that showed just how disciplined his mind and body really were he opened his eyes and found himself staring into glowing green ones. 'Things look brighter with my mask off. More real. Her eyes look more real.'

With a jolt he realized it had been weeks since the mask had last come off. He'd forgotten to remove it. Something that had been happening more and more frequently, as the teenager was often too distracted to think of anything but crime, sleep, and his team. Robin ran a trembling hand over his face feeling the scar he'd gotten from falling when he'd first taught himself to flip backwards while hanging upside down. It was exactly where his nose and forehead met, a little crease that was nearly impossible to see if you weren't looking for it.

Starfire smiled and touched his face gently. He moved towards her hand unconciously. His eyes were a startling blue. Strong and guarded- full of unconscious love. Just like Robin. He closed his eyes and her fingers carefully ran over the closed lids, watching long eyelashes flutter beneath her fingers. "I was hoping you'd let me see your eyes."

"Why?" His voice sounded strange; trembley, not at all the strong, confident, knowing voice everyone was used to.

"Because otherwise I couldn't do this." Closing her eyes she leaned in gently placing her lips onto his. As they broke apart he smiled and ran a tentative hand through her hair.

Raven chose this moment to open the door to the common room.

Seeing Robin's unmasked eyes she covered her own and pushed Beast Boy back into the hallway as the door shut with a neat click. Cheeks blazing red she called out "Sorry! Sorry Robin!" It felt as though she'd seen something indecent, not just his eyes. Covering her flaming face with her hands she slid down the wall trying to calm Embarrassment and Shame, both of whom were on the verge of tears.

Beast Boy sat on the floor in front of Raven trying to pull her hands away from her face. "Rae? What was going on in there? Should I go in? Is someone hurt?" Beast Boy kept shooting puzzled looks at the door hearing muffled voices from behind it. Standing up he walked over to the door thinking to open it and see what was going on. Immediately Raven spoke.

"No!" She looked up. "Don't open the door. I – trust me Garfield."

"Raven." Robin's voice, thankfully back to normal, came through the closed door. "It's okay, Come on in. Don't worry." With a very puzzled Beast Boy trailing behind her Raven walked through the door. Stealing a quick glance at Robin she saw with relief his mask was back in place.

"Robin I'm so sorry. I know you don't – I mean I obviously wasn't supposed to –sorry." Raven's cheeks were still on fire; so were Robin's.

"Raven." Robin was trying very hard to cover his embarrassment. Every time she looked at him all she saw were blue eyes widened in surprise. "D – don't worry about it. Obviously you didn't mean to. Really, it was just my eyes."

Now Raven saw forest green eyes widen in surprise as Beast Boy made the connection. He couldn't help the involuntary glance towards Robin's mask that followed. "Dude. You took your mask off? Why?" Beast Boy's friendly, if inquisitive, tone eased Raven's glare but did nothing for the other boy's embarrassment.

"Because, I asked him to." Said Starfire. "I couldn't kiss a boy whose eyes I'd never seen. Once I saw his eyes though I knew." She smiled at the boy sitting next to her. "And I could kiss him." She said all of this in a very calm, mater-of-fact tone as though she had no idea the magnitude of it all. Starfire was intelligent though. Her hope was that she could ease Robin's embarrassment, and stall questions she knew were coming.

Raven had grabbed onto Beast Boy's had once again when they entered the common room to face Robin. She squeezed it now in a silent warning to behave. There was nothing to it though. He just couldn't keep himself quiet. "Can I see your eyes?" His face darkened but he didn't look away. Breaking into a smile he amended his own thought. "Not that I want to kiss you or anything."

Robin wasn't laughing though. He'd always known it would come to this eventually. His team gave him unwavering trust and he couldn't even show them his eyes. It may make him uncomfortable but the thought of his team thinking he didn't trust them was far worse. They deserved a show of that trust, even when they weren't really asking for one (Beast Boy, as always, was the exception). This was his greatest show of trust.

"Yes. Yeah, I'll take my mask off. But it's gonna have to wait until Cyborg gets home. He went to get pizza for dinner and I'm not going to do this more than once."

"Robin. I wasn't trying to force you to- " It came out awkwardly.

"I know Beast Boy." Robin cut across him gently. "Starfire should have been the first, I'm glad she was. But I trust you guys too." It was just as awkward but Robin meant what he said.

"Okay. Uhm you wanna play Death Race IV until Cyborg gets back?" The two boys were soon engaged in epic battle of cars on the television (at least that was how Beast Boy would later described it to Cyborg). The two girls watch from a safe distance chatting quietly.

"You were holding Beast Boy's hand friend! Are you two 'going out' as they call in on Earth?" Starfire tried to keep her voice down but the occasional squeal punctured her whispers.

"You kissed Robin." Raven replied blushing. "Can we discuss this later tonight or something?" She requested quietly. "When the boys aren't around."

"Oh yes good friend! You can stay in my room tonight. A sleepover! Oh we will consume treats of high sugar and engage in the girl talk! It will be fantastic Raven!" Her eyes grew even bigger and she was definitely squealing now. "I will be able to see your pajamas!"

Raven flinched at the idea of anyone seeing her pajamas but nodded. A lot had taken place today and even after they talked as a team and a family there would be more to say. She also knew that once Starfire decided they should have a sleepover, one way or another they would have that sleepover.

She could hear a voice that sounded suspiciously like Wisdom telling her to take her own advice as well. To talk with her teammates, with her family.

"Pizza!" Half an hour passed before Cyborg came home from the local Pizza place. He could tell from a glance something had happened but decided his teammates would fill him in. "So we've got one meat lovers, one vegetarian supreme, and one half cheese-half mustard for sauce. Dig in everyone!"

"Why don't we eat around the table in the common room?" Robin suggested as he and Beast Boy put the video game away. The rest of the team nodded their agreement and soon the floor surrounding the table was covered in couch cushions.

"I've got plates and utensils." Raven floated towards the cabinets opening them telepathically on her way. Starfire jumped up to get drinks and cups while the boys settled on the cushions. In a few minutes everyone was happily munching away.

"Sooo…" Cyborg said as everyone was finishing their meal. Beast Boy had morphed into a small bird and was pecking at small crumbs on his plate, something he always did once finished eating regardless of where they were. "Anyone gonna to tell me what exactly happened while I was gone?" Beast Boy morphed back into default form and sat next to Raven looking nervous.

Robin, looking a little sick, started. "Starfire and I were sitting in the common room talking and she uhm" He broke off turning red. Starfire was about to start talking but Robin took hold of her hand smiling. "I'll tell them Star. It's okay." Still holding her hand he continued. "Starfire asked me to take off my mask. She wanted to see my eyes." He swallowed convulsively. "Raven walked into the common room and saw me with my mask off."

Cyborg was flat out gaping. "Your mask. You took off your mask?" He seemed dumb struck. "Here I was thinking you slept in that thing man." Robin turned a brilliant shade of red and Cyborg broke out into a grin. "Seriously man? You slept in it? Dude. Come on." He shook his head, plainly amused. "That all?"

"Well, no. I've decided when I'm at – home. With you guys. Taking off my mask wouldn't be a bad thing. I wear normal clothes, it's just –silly– to wear the mask when I'm here."

Squeezing Starfire's hand one more time he took a deep breath before letting go and slowly touching the edges of his mask. Trembling slightly he carefully and slowly removed his mask. Once again though he couldn't bring himself to open his eyes. Gentle fingers touched his chin tuning his head towards Starfire. She placed a gentle kiss on his lips. Moving slightly away, she moved her hand to his cheek. "Robin. Open your eyes. Just look at me."

Hesitantly two blue eyes crept open. Relieved to find himself staring into familiar green ones he gently traced Starfire's face with his finger. Remembering the rest of the team his eyes found Raven first (having already seen his eyes she was the easiest to look at). He then slid them over his next two friends before returning to the safe haven offered by Starfire.

"I guess it's been a big day here. Especially considering I was gone less than two hours." Cyborg was smirking slightly.

"That's not really all." Beast Boy grabbed Raven's hand and was relieved when she held on tightly. "Raven and I have been talking for the past few hours. There are a few things you guys should probably know.

"Cyborg when I got hurt a few months ago you were the one who patched me up. It never occurred to me that you'd've seen the scars on my hips." Glancing up he was surprised to find startlingly blue eyes narrowed at him. Obviously Robin was keen on hearing about whatever had happened to his teammate. 'He's even scarier when you can see his eyes. I wonder if Batman's the same. bet he is.' Thought Beast Boy as he met that stern, unblinking stare.

"When I lived in Africa with my family a tribe adopted us. The Undabelli tribe actually. Anyway when I got –sick- the tribe wanted to help me. Our medicine woman decided the sickness was attacking my soul.

"According to Raven everyone's soul is in a different place. Mine is in my hips and the medicine woman figured that out. So, they started making cuts on my hips. I got paler –from blood loss- and they made more and more cuts thinking they were helping. My parents finally got them to stop, but by then I already had over 100 cuts on my hips."

The team continued to talk for a few hours about what Raven and Beast Boy had discussed, ending with names.

"I'm not sure if anyone but Robin knows this but my real name is Garfield. I think I'd actually like being called by my name, it's been a long time since anyone has." Beast Boy looked down blushing. "Not by anyone outside the Tower but. . ."

"That is a wondrous idea Bea- Garfield!" Squealed Starfire. "We should all use our first names to address one another while at home. I do not think you would be able to pronounce mine though. . . I know! My father occasionally called me 'Kory'. That can be my name!"

Robin smiled at the alien sitting next to him. "I think that's a great idea Kory. Raven Cyborg? What do you guys think?" Cyborg nodded and Raven just shrugged she had no other name to use.

"Okay then. My name is Dick. . ." He was relatively relived when Garfield didn't snicker. Maybe sharing your name with an overweight cat made you a tad more sympathetic.

"Mine's Victor." Cyborg said from the couch. "My parents called me Vic but" He shrugged. "It doesn't really matter."

"And I'm still Raven." Said the half-daemon smiling from her spot next to Garfield. He squeezed her hand, a gesture that did not go unnoticed by their teammates. Victor and Dick exchanged glances while Kory barely managed to suppress a squeal.

"Guys." Dick was looking at his watch. "It's 11, we've been talking for a few hours. I've got a 5 a.m. run scheduled for tomorrow so I'm going to bed. 'Night Kory." He leaned down and kissed her softly. He straightened with only a slight blush on his face. "'Night guys. Don't be too loud if you stay up. "

"Raven and I are going to have a sleepover friends so we will see you tomorrow!" Before Raven knew what was going on she found her hand being pulled out of Garfield's. She barely had time to call "Good night" to the boys before Kory had pulled her through the door and into the hallway outside the common room.

Victor and Garfield were left staring at each other in a not altogether easy silence. "So." Vic said. "You and Raven huh?" He couldn't help but grin, especially when his best friend turned an interesting shade of dark green. "Took long enough." Laughing at Garfield's indignant sputter he continued. "I'm not blind dude."

"We aren't even officially together." Garfield said piling dishes into the sink and throwing out the used napkins. "I was gonna talk to her tonight but Kory-"

"Couldn't contain herself any longer? You can talk to her tomorrow Gar, she isn't going anywhere. Until then, what'd to you say to some Death Race IV?"

"You know it! Dude I unlocked a secret course it's awesome! There are all these new features you can add to your car once you unlock it to. My car has flame throwers on the back now!" After putting the rest of the couch cushions in their proper place Garfield and Victor settled down for a night of gaming.

At the same time Raven was pulling on her pajamas slightly wary of the night ahead. Her pajamas were simple: a dark gray cami and black yoga pants. She was a little self conscious of the scars left from her 16th birthday but figured Kory really wouldn't care.

Thankful Kory's room was diagonally across the hall from hers she grabbed a pillow and padded out into the hallway.

Knock!

Knock!

"Friend Raven!" Kory's pajamas were much as Raven had expected. A pink tank top and pink pants with what looked like little smiling cats on them. "Come in! Come in! Tonight will be so much fun!"