Harlequin: "Covet", Pt. I


covet ('kʌvɪt): v. To yearn, have or indulge inordinate desire, notably for another's possession.


"With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven

Coveted her and me."

—Edgar Allan Poe, "Annabelle Lee"


Panic suddenly reigned the hallway.

Richard took a step back, shoved Wren into the wall and out of the way, and braced for impact. "Kori–!"—was all he was able to manage before his disgruntled self-proclaimed fiancée tried to crush his bones in her trademark 'embrace'.

"Oh, friend Robin," she cried into his shoulder as he struggled for breath, "You did not return from the room of toilets for such a long time! I thought something terrible had happened to you! I assume everything is alright?"

Kori's genuine concern constricted Richard's throat in both shame and fear for his manhood. His head bobbed in a nod of assent and it was embarrassing how quick he moved to reassure her.

"Kori, it's just Richard, here, remember? And, yeah, of course—we were, um…" Richard made a split decision. "We were just coming back from the bathroom. You know, guys being guys and all."

Kori smiled in that vapid way she had when she didn't completely understand something and nodded, seeming to accept this answer. Richard deflated, relieved. He couldn't remember ever lying to her, yet here he was, straightfaced in his delivery. He couldn't bear telling her now, though, that 'Robin' wasn't even his codename anymore—he knew that the sometimes belligerent alien would not take kindly to the thought that 'Nightwing' had been inspired by the person who—albeit unknowingly—single-handedly stole her date.

He was in the middle of signaling to Wren to make a run for it when Kori noticed said date-stealer. The ensuing looks they shared were so curious, Richard's worries were suddenly shifted to Wren's well being. Kori's eyes narrowed dangerously, and a hint of righteous fury flickered in their depths. Richard stepped between them, not knowing why but suddenly feeling the need to shield Wren.

"Kori, this is Wren Lee, my r—"

"We've met," interrupted a voice behind him, and the guilt his tone earned Wren a quick questioning glance from Richard.

"Yes," said Kori simply, after another odd exchange of looks that left everyone feeling uncomfortable. "Actually, friend…Richard, there is something I must to discuss with friend…'Wren', if you don't mind."

Richard crossed his arms. There was something in Kori's voice that sounded distinctly...vicious. "Whatever you need to say, you can say in front of me," he started to say, but the hand on his arm gave him pause.

Wren looked at Kori as he spoke, and the helpless resignation on his face convinced Richard that maybe he didn't want to be in the middle of whatever this was. "You…you go on inside, Dick. I'll catch up later."

Richard waited until Wren was looking at him so that he could search his eyes. "You're...sure?"

Wren met his gaze for a moment, nodded quickly then looked away, and it irritated Richard to know that he was keeping yet another secret from him—this time dealing with Kori, of all people—but Richard could almost hear Alfred's scolding in the back of his mind. It took all of his willpower to shrug indifferently, leave Wren and his irate girlfriend alone in the hallway, convince himself that he needed a shower, and lock himself in the bathroom so that he would not end up with a listening device pressed against the suite door.


"You are friend Raven, are you not?" Starfire—Raven still refused to call her by her given name—turned to her almost before the door slid shut. "From the Bijoux Academy?"

"…Yes."

"I must confess, friend Raven, I am most confused. Why does he call you 'Wren'?" Starfire frowned. "You are here for the Gala of Solstices, correct? Were you—what on Tamaran were you doing with Richard in the room of toilets?!"

Raven held up her hands. "One at a time, please. And, I can explain—"

"He does not know you are female," Starfire said bluntly, interrupting her, and Raven sputtered, trying and failing to create a rebuttal.

"I know Richard," she continued, and gestured to Raven's boyish button-down and slacks. "He is coy, but he would never consciously leave his date for another woman. He is too honorable. And he did state the two of you were in the room of toilets in some sort of male ritual."

Starfire's logic was slightly flawed—Richard's exact words were "guys being guys"—but Raven still couldn't speak. She'd just been—indirectly, though still painfully–reminded that Richard would never spend time with her knowing she was a girl.

"Look, Starfire, the truth is—I'm not here for the Gala," Raven said instead, when her voice finally decided to show up. "And I can't really explain why I'm here either—you'd never understand. Please, just...you can't tell anyone you know me."

"I cannot promise that, Friend Raven," said Starfire, shaking her head, piercing Raven with hard, eerily bioluminescent eyes. "I cannot help but feel that what you are doing is wrong. What are your true intentions? Why are you here if not for the festivities? Why do you deceive Richard?"

There was no lie that could possibly sound more absurd than the actual truth, Raven decided. Whatever Starfire thought of it would be her business. "I needed help. More than you can imagine. Paladin is the only place I could think of that could help."

Starfire's face twisted with confusion. "You are correct, Friend Raven, I do not understand at all—"

"I...I live here now. At Paladin."

"X'Hal!" Starfire took a step back, startled. "N-no...I-I do not like this! We will—we will go to the headmaster at once! A-and you will explain what you cannot to me, to him."

Raven dug her heels into the floor to prevent Starfire, who had latched onto her wrist, from dragging her bodily to the headmaster's office. She slid a few feet on the dove gray carpet, unable to match the alien's unnatural strength, and unwilling to use magic and escalate the situation further. "Starfire, NO! Please–trustme–you do not want to do that!"

Starfire halted and looked back at her scathingly. "You have never given me a reason to 'trust' you, Friend Raven."

"That's because you were too busy trying to stuff me into a closet!"

"I have explained to you before that it is against custom for royalty to share rooms." Starfire let her go, looking genuinely perplexed. "It seems to me that you enjoy disregarding customs and rules, including those of Earth."

Raven dragged her freed hands across her face. Her patience was dropping into the negative digits.

Misreading Raven's distress, Starfire placed a consoling hand on her shoulder. She sighed, then said, "I will keep my silence on the condition that you confess yourself. Rules are not meant to be broken, friend Raven."

Raven lowered her hands and stared at her helplessly. She had to be kidding. She had to know that was the last thing she'd ever agree to do.

Taking her silence as assent, Starfire continued, "Terrible things happen when one runs against the flow—and I cannot allow my betrothed be pulled into your folly." Raven could only in blink in disbelief as the princess waved dismissively and turned to the suite's entrance.

Exactly what would Starfire do if she found out that her 'betrothed' and his entourage were buried neck-deep in her 'folly'?

Raven took a minute to debate whether or not she should follow her inside and add 'betrothed rooming with another woman' to the list of things Starfire justified murdering for, but was saved from making a decision as the taller girl froze on the steps and turned to her, the question neither of them wanted confirmed lying, unasked, on her lips.

It was Starfire's turn to sputter. "But—but it is improper!"

Raven shrugged helplessly. "I didn't ask for this."

Starfire's answering glare was enough to make Raven visibly pale. "You will confess within a week's time, or I will do it for you," she whispered icily and, with an angry flip of her fiery hair, left Raven alone in the hallway.

Crisis averted, or at least postponed, Raven let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and fell against the wall. Her legs felt like jelly.

This game she played seemed to get more dangerous by the second, and Raven didn't know how much more of this she could take. Starfire could choose to blow her cover at any second and there'd be hell to pay—and she couldn't very well stop the apocalypse then—there were no options available after expulsion, were there?

How could she make Starfire understand that there was so much more at stake than a few hurt feelings?


"You okay?" Richard directed his question at Raven, but it was Starfire who answered.

"Absolutely, my blorfgark!" she exclaimed, and though she had been standing in the kitchenette with a spoon and their jar of mustard when Raven finally entered, Starfire immediately flew to where Richard sat on his bed and deposited herself in his lap. Making a strange noise that could only be described as tittering, she nuzzled his cheek. It was both nauseating and sort of like watching a tiger nuzzle her dinner. Raven tried not to gag. Richard looked apologetic as he gently tried to disentangle the arms around his neck.

"Kori, could you maybe—"

Starfire suddenly silenced him with a finger on his lips. "I was just telling friend…Wren…that I, too, have come to live at Paladin!"

Both Raven and Richard let out twin yelps of "You what?!" and the toaster oven exploded grumpily.

Richard recovered first–Raven was still trying to act like she hadn't almost tumbled down the loft's stairs–and laughed nervously. "We spoke about this, Kori," he said slowly, as if talking to a child. "You can't live here because Paladin is a school for male superheroes."

"Oh, I am well aware of that, friend Richard." Starfire openly glared at Raven for a second before clarifying: "As Tamaran's royal ambassador, I have received special permission to escort and translate for my brother, Ryand'r—Darkfire as he is known on Earth—for the remainder of Summer Quarter! Is this not the most glorious of news?"

Richard's mouth opened and closed a few times, but no words came out. Starfire simply hugged him again (read: re-strangled), and Raven's stomach turned inside out. Feeling like a voyeur, she ignored Richard's plaintive look and retreated to the loft where she could safely search for rest. She needed to meditate before the apocalypse came today.


It's already morning by the time Raven remembers the book.

The loft was empty and quiet for a Saturday morning, so Raven decided to deliberate over returning to Roy's with a nice cup of tea. It seemed like it had been ages since she'd had peaceful time to herself. Unfortunately, the gods above must have decided that she couldn't have even that and not two minutes after she put the kettle on to boil, the door opened and Roy walked in.

He saw her in the kitchenette and made a beeline for her immediately. Raven shushed him with a finger and showed him her mug full of Earl Gray before he could open his mouth. "If you interrupt my tea, I assure you that no one will find your body." At least he was carrying the book.

Roy brazenly took her cup and set it and the book down on the counter. "Guess I'll just have to take my chances.". Telltale determination had hardened his face and Raven sighed. He just had to make things difficult. "You need to let me explain—let me apologize for what happened yesterday."

"I don't, actually. What goes on behind your door is none of my business." Raven tried retrieving the book but Roy took her by the shoulders. She jerked in surprise. "Roy—"

"It is your business. I…I want it to be your business." Roy's eyes begged for forgiveness, but how could Raven explain to him that there was nothing to forgive? "I swear to god there's nothing going on between me and that woman. I don't know who she is or where she even came from—"

"Roy I need to tell you something," Raven said quietly, interrupting him. She took a deep breath and steeled herself. "Whatever you thought was between us…it was just a by-product of that spell you were under. It's all over now."

Roy blinked at her. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"When I freed you from the spell, our consciouses were mixed for a time. One of the side-effects was super-charging our libido whenever we were in close proximity to each other. I'm…sorry if it felt like I was leading you on. I wasn't."

Roy straightened and frowned. "My libido is always super-charged around you, Rae."

Of course. "Really, Roy? Would it kill you to be serious for once?"

"Am I smiling?" He wasn't. In fact, Roy's face had darkened considerably, killing Raven's retort. He stepped into her personal space, caged her against the counter with his arms and brought his mouth to her ear to whisper, "You and I both know this has nothing to do with the spell."

Technically, he was right. His feelings had been unaffected while she had been the one on the hormonal roller coaster. Raven swallowed hard. She'd hoped he wouldn't catch that little lie. "I–Roy, please—"

"Tell me that you don't feel anything for me," he pressed, lips feathering along the line of her jaw. "Tell me to stop, and I will."

If she was no longer suffering from the spell, why was it so damn hard to form coherent words? Raven pushed weakly at his chest. "I…Roy…please."

Raven could practically feel Roy smirk as he hovered mere centimeters from her mouth. "Stop repeating yourself."

Raven later blamed the fact that she was so preoccupied with getting her words to work properly that she didn't notice their audience.


Somehow, Richard ended up in the training rooms. A destroyed punching bag lay dejectedly on the floor before him. He didn't remember how he got there after bolting from the suite, but he figured that was for the best—the punching bag could have been a student.

Was this why Wren had been so reluctant? Was this the secret he'd been hiding all along? Richard couldn't shake the sense of betrayal he felt from both parties. Wren had probably been laughing at him when he confessed. He should have known better. He should have seen the signs. Bitterly, he recalled how nothing had seemed to explode or disintegrate when Roy was the one seducing Wren.

Fueled by rage and finding no outlet, Richard found his way to the training room's battle simulator area. He suited up and jerked the difficulty dial all the way to 10—he'd have to let survival instinct drown out his murderous thoughts.


"Stop," Raven finally managed, just as Roy's lips nearly descended on hers. "I want you to stop!"

Roy hesitated, but pulled back. His clearly wounded pride made Raven feel a little better about what she was about to say.

"I…don't reciprocate, Roy. I…I'm sorry."

This time when she pushed, he gave way, even stumbling a little. "You…you don't?"

Raven shook her head, and Roy was silent for a long time. She was just about to grab the book and make a run for it when he said, "It's Dick, isn't it? It always has been."

Raven's fingers tensed on the book's leather bindings, and she glanced at him sharply. "I don't know what you're talking about. This is just between us."

She felt Roy's anger spike suddenly, but his face betrayed no emotion. "You're lying. You know, when we first met, I wondered if you had a death wish—now I'm certain."

"Roy—" He held up a hand and she stopped.

"Just save it." There was rage and disappointment and something that looked a lot like pity in his eyes as he glared at her one last time before storming out.

Raven considered trying for tea again for a moment before dumping the mug in the sink and stuffing the book in her bag. As she left for Nightlocke's, she rationalized that everything had gone a lot better than expected.

Raven had known that Roy'd been attracted to her—she was an empath—but the feelings he'd been radiating not five minutes ago went deeper than she was actually comfortable with.

She didn't have the spell's rose-colored glasses to give in to him and now that they were off, she knew exactly where their feelings stood, and they were not the same. Roy was her friend—the one person in the entire school who knew just exactly what she was dealing with and had stood by her since the beginning.

In all honesty, though, it actually probably would make more sense if she liked him instead of Richard, but feelings are not so easily persuaded by logic.


It was only by chance that Victor had maintenance detail on the battle simulator that day and therefore stumbled upon Richard, who lay passed out on its pristine white floor.

His face was battered and bruised, the simulation suit torn in places where crimson lines crisscrossed his rapidly purpling skin. His chest rose and fell slowly, and Victor sighed, relieved, before retrieving him. He made a mental note to chew him out later.

Because what on Earth would they do to him if he let Richard go insane before graduation?


Richard came to, wrapped and bandaged, and in his bed. It was late, according to the alarm clock on the nightstand, where various medical supplies were littered in disarray. Richard's OCD screamed in protest at the mess.

"You need to tell me what's going on." Victor was sitting uncomfortably in a too-small chair nearby, attention focused on an unwound roll of gauze in his hands. "And no bullshit this time. I want the truth."

"Well, fuck you too," Richard grunted in response. He tried to sit up and failed.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Victor said helpfully. "You cracked a couple ribs."

Richard let his head fall back onto his pillow, defeated, and muttered, "You wouldn't get it anyway."

"Try me."

Richard glanced at him, but Victor's face was far from amused. He sighed resignedly. "Fine."

Victor listened patiently to Richard's quick recap of the events of the Gala leading up to the tryst between Wren and Roy, then burst into laughter.

Richard endured the ten minutes it took his him to recover from his mirth and hoped the bloody murder in his eyes could convey to Victor just how much he shared his glee.

"I'm so glad my misfortune amuses you."

Victor wiped a tear from his good eye. "I haven't laughed like that in so long, dude."

"Whatever." A pause. Then, "So?"

"So? So what?"

Richard gritted his teeth. "So, what do you think?"

"I think that all three of you are batshit insane, that's what I think."

"Thanks, Vic. I'm so awed by your wisdom I think I just shit myself. You're gonna have to change my sheets—my ribs are cracked."

"Okay, Dick—so let me get this straight,"—Victor ticked each item off on his metal fingers—"the relationship you have with Starfire is a sham, you think you might be gay, and you just witnessed your roommate—son of Satan and the guy you just found out you were in love with—make out with your best friend—"

Richard choked. "I never said I was in love with him—" He gestured wildly with his hands but trailed off as he caught the look his friend was giving him. "What."

Victor just shook his head at him sadly. "Damn, dude. Life must suck ass for you right now."

Richard pulled the sheets over his head. "What do I do, Vic? I'm so confused and angry and…god, is this how girls feel?"

Victor stifled a laugh for his friend's sake. The guy had lost every scrap of dignity he'd ever seemed to own. "I don't know what to tell you without sounding cheesy, man."

A muffled groan and some unintelligible mumbling came from beneath the sheets.

"Are you gay?" asked Victor, after it seemed that Richard wasn't about to volunteer anything else.

Another painful groan and Richard was silent again. Victor went back to quietly rewinding the roll of gauze, waiting. Eventually, Richard pulled the sheet away from his face and frowned. "No. At least, I don't think I am. You've gotta believe me, dude–I have never found another guy–besides Wren–attractive."

Victor nodded understandingly. It was actually a little disconcerting to Richard how fast his friend had accepted his truths, but then again, Victor had always been the most unflappable member of their team.

"This may sound like I've been hanging around Garfield too much," Victor began, and Richard glanced at him sharply. "But maybe…maybe–for lack of a better term–you need to get laid."

"You're right–you have been hanging around Garfield too much."

"I know it sounds crazy, Dick, but think about it scientifically–humans need human contact–other than, you know, fighting and stuff like that. Your body might just be starved for attention, and it's seeking out the nearest viable option."

"I am not talking about this with you."

"Hear me out, man–I know about these things." Victor gave him a look, and Richard shuddered despite himself.

"I don't even want to know how you 'know these things'," he muttered, and covered his face with his hands.

"Look, just try it out. I heard Starfire's sticking around for Summer Quarter–perfect opportunity right there, man."

Richard stared at Victor through his fingers incredulously. "You're not suggesting I–?"

"She is your girlfriend. And willing–I'd bet." Victor paused. "Dude if you don't think Starfire's hot, maybe you are gay."

It wasn't like Richard was celibate–he'd had a few more one-night stands than he was actually comfortable with–but since he started dating Kori he had to admit that his passions were spent on dirty magazines and ended up in a wastebasket at 3 a.m. in the morning.

Sadly, Victor was right, she was willing. More than willing, in fact. And she wasn't unattractive–Richard would be lying if he said he wasn't tempted sometimes. But the fact that their relationship was sort of thrown together–without any real input from him–irked him sometimes. Enough to turn her down whenever she pressed him to go farther than heavy making out. It was easy to see that she was getting frustrated with him, but her frustration only made him refuse her more.

Richard figured he was a bit of a hypocrite–not wanting to sleep with her and not really mean it when he'd had his share of meaningless sex–but he'd never imagined these kinds of consequences. And he really did hate feeling this way–what if Victor was right? What if this was his body's way of retaliating against his refusal of natural human–or in this case, alien–comfort?


Victor sat back in his chair to watch the gears in Richard's brain turn and the corners of his mouth curved up in a slightly self-satisfied smile. Richard would thank him later.

Of course, the birds falling in love with each other was never a part of the original plan, but it wasn't like it was expressly forbidden either. What the Justice League didn't know wouldn't hurt them.

Right?


Something was definitely up, Raven thought to herself as she was intercepted each time she tried to return to the dorm the following Sunday evening.

First, Garfield had coerced her into acting as referee during an impromptu 'stank ball' competition on the dorm's rooftop, blackmailing her with an increased flow of love letters to her locker. She really couldn't pass up the chance to finally stop the endless barrage of unwanted advances, and so had reluctantly agreed. It was either that or murder him, and Raven was really trying hard not to get expelled.

Roy was avoiding her, which was unsurprising to say the least, so she wasn't miffed by his absence in the training room when she arrived for the sparring session. Richard, however, was also nowhere to be found, and Raven found that increasingly worrying before remembering that his girlfriend was in town. She'd be lying if she said her mood didn't turn to shit right after that.

Raven spent the next hour doing some solo drills before heading to the showers, but was again interrupted by Victor.

"Hey, Wren, got a minute?"

It was only because Victor was the least annoying of their little group that Raven ignored that her muscles ached and that her hair was plastered to her neck with sweat and that she so desperately needed a shower, and followed Victor to the shuttlecraft garage adjacent to the training rooms.

But, despite feeling like she wanted to crawl under a rock and sleep for a millennia, Raven found that she actually liked the stress-free monotony of watching Victor tinker with the hoverbuses. One particularly massive bus lay on its side, metallic innards scattered around the garage's dusty floor, and straightaway Victor half-submerged himself in its engine. Every so often he would ask for some tool, voice muffled and tinny-sounding, describing the size and shape of the ones Raven didn't already recognize from her days spent with Byter. He seemed impressed by her slightly-more-than-rudimentary knowledge of electronics, and Raven felt pleased that he noticed.

Conversation came easily after that and before Raven knew it, the sun had dipped behind the mountain and the fluorescent lights had flickered on, bathing the garage in a cold, indifferent sort of light. She stifled a yawn, but apparently even stifled yawns were contagious, and Victor soon followed suit, emerging from the bowels of the bus.

He smiled at her and she fidgeted a bit, slightly uncomfortable with the way she had almost completely let her guard down, like how she would if she was with Byter. It had been months but Raven hadn't gotten completely used to the idea of friends. Even earlier that day when she had been narrowly dodging a disgustingly putrid ball of socks and underwear, she'd felt an odd sense of fondness for Gar and was caught off guard. The apocalypse really was coming.

Ever the perceptive one, Victor came to sit beside her on a nearby bench. "Don't worry, the motor oil will wash off in a few weeks."

He laughed good-naturedly at her stricken expression, and, when she realized he was kidding, Raven allowed a small smile to steal over her face.

"Very funny," she said, folding her arms in mock offense. Victor , still laughing, dug around in the toolbox on the bench beside her until he found a jagged piece of metal and held it up so that Raven could see the long black streak of grease that went from her cheek to her ear where she had repeatedly brushed her hair out of her face. Great–now she was covered in sweat and resembled a grease-monkey.

Raven stood and stretched. "I should be going now, Vic," she started to say, before turning to notice him glance surreptitiously at the clock readout on his arm. Now that she thought of it, he had been doing that the whole time she'd been down there.

What the hell was going on?


TO BE CONTINUED IN PART II...


This chapter is unbeta-ed, bite me.

Please leave your thoughts, crits, etc! I always love to hear what you think. I've gotten some messages regarding the romance and "M" aspect of this story–please rest assured that it will come soon.

-Ehbi