Disclaimer: Come on, if I owned the Teen Titans, would I really be sitting here writing stories?
Rating: K
/edited: 22 December 2009
At Sunset
"What do you see in a sunset, Robin?"
At first the question sounded unadulterated, but it soon became quite puzzling once he thought about it. Robin stood at the very edge of the roof, looking out beyond the land into the distance. The sun was making its approach towards the horizon as the sky around it captured the light and presented it as its own.
"That's a good question," was all he could say.
"Well?" she prompted.
Robin knew it would not be a good choice to be coy, so he pondered a good long while on the subject.
He eventually found an answer he liked. "I see a fire slowly dying, signaling the end of one day in order make way for the new beginnings of the next day."
"That's very insightful," she commented.
"Perhaps." He shrugged. "Why? What do you see in a sunset, Raven?" Robin turned to study the empath standing next to him.
She closed her eyes and held her arms close. "It's always different for me," she said somewhat solemnly.
Raven always had a habit of trying to relay as little information as possible. If Robin wanted an explanation, he would have to ask for it.
"Like?"
"Sometimes I see a temporary distraction from the stress life gives me. Sometimes I see hope leaving with the sun and giving us darkness."
"Is it always so negative to you?" he inquired.
Raven shook her head. "Despite what you may think, no. Sometimes I just see a calm end to another day that has come to pass."
"Then what do you see right now?"
"A beautiful array of colors in a calm sky. It's natural occurrences like these that tell me it's important to not take such wonderful things for granted."
Robin watched as her eyes moved slowly, panning across the evening sky. He could not tell if she was hinting at something or if she was simply taking in one of the many beauties the Earth has to offer.
"Yeah, sometimes you just have to stop and smell the roses," he said, deciding not to pry at Raven.
She looked at him awkwardly.
"I hate to be cliché, but it's true. I know from experience. I think you know what I'm talking about."
"Yes, I know what you are talking about," Raven replied, remembering Robin's intrinsic obsession with the criminal mastermind Slade, even after his demise.
Robin continued looking out at the sky. "There's just something about sunsets."
"I thought you were a sunrise person," she said in her normal manner.
But when Robin turned to look at her again, he saw that she had a slight smile. In response, Robin also smiled; glad to see her minute show of placidity.
"I am, but I'm still allowed to like sunsets too, aren't I?" he asked lightheartedly.
Raven's smile broadened a bit. "I suppose so."
They both turned back to the sunset as the conversation came to a blithe end.
The sun was just grazing the surface of the horizon. It shined a deep red that gave everything a similar glow, adding a surreal atmosphere to the evening. The water reflected every color of the light, making a mirrored blend of reds, oranges, and yellows on the shimmering bay below the tower. The air was thick with long, streaky clouds that were illuminated with the sun's light, making extravagant patterns across the sky for miles. A single cloud passed in front of the sun, dividing the majestic orb into two slithers of red.
Raven drew in the peaceful air and let it reside in her lungs for a few moments. She felt purified with each and every breath. Sometimes she found herself wishing sunsets like this would never end. Today the sunset was good for her; there was no false sense of relief, no departing hope. She stood there motionlessly as the sun continued to lower itself into the horizon.
All of this reminded her of something. "I think this was bound to happen," she remarked.
"Pardon?" Robin asked, looking at her questioningly.
"Before we met up here at sunrise; that time you helped me with something. I think it was a matter of time before we met at the exact same place again at the opposite point in the day."
Robin realized how uncanny this was for them to have another alone, unplanned meeting like this, except at sunset instead of sunrise.
Robin figured he should ask. "Except this time didn't start on the same circumstances?"
"Not exactly," she supplied vaguely.
"Not exactly? What does that mean?" Robin questioned.
Raven tensed up a little. "It doesn't matter."
"Sure it does," he countered.
"Don't worry about it. Things are fine now." She held the monotonous tone Robin remembered hearing from her whenever she secluded herself from her friends.
"Raven, you can't give me an obscure answer and expect me to forget about it…"
She sighed in defeat. "Tonight I saw the sunset from inside the tower and I began thinking of those times they hadn't been a positive part of my life."
Robin was about to speak, but Raven interrupted.
"And if you're wondering, I don't want to talk about that," she added in a stern, but level tone.
"Okay, we don't have to get into that," he said resignedly.
"Thanks," she replied softly.
Robin knew her very well. If she explicitly stated that she did not want to talk about something, it was best not to pursue the topic. While the natural progression of time had cause Raven to become more open with him, he knew there were certain qualities of Raven that would never allow her to completely lower her barriers. Not to anyone. Whether it was because she was shameful and wanted to forget about it or if it haunted her enough, she would never want to talk about it. She tried to keep her burdens to herself.
She suddenly spoke again. "Though now, this sunset is also telling me that there are always opportunities to make new beginnings."
She regained that more light tone that told Robin she was not going to let thoughts of the past ruin this moment. She smiled at him again and he smiled back as the sun gave its final breath before disappearing below the dark horizon.
A/N's:
Thanks for reading! I can't tell if I like this story or not, but I wanted to do it.
