Lunatic: OK since people seemed to want me to continue this, I shall oblige. Though I had meant for it to be a one shot. I'd like it if you all told me if you felt this was a good decision or not.
Nope. Not even close. Yeah. They aren't mine.
"Raven!" Starfire gasped excitedly, dropping the 'Pudding of Sadness' that she had begun work on the day before. The disgusting mixture of mold and various other, unmentionable ingredients fell to the floor where it shattered, spilling grey pudding everywhere.
Cyborg and Beast Boy whipped around from where they were sitting on the couch. "Star-" Beast Boy began, then, grinned when he saw the familiar dark hooded shape in the doorway. "Raven!"
Starfire was already there, crushing the petite dark figure in a hug. She threw the boys a pleading look, begging him to distract the Tamaranian girl before she lost consciousness from lack of oxygen. "Uhm Hi, Starfire…"
Cyborg vaulted over the couch to join in on the welcoming, Beast Boy following behind. "Hey Star, let her breathe." He laughed. Starfire blushed, and released their friend from her grip. Raven straightened her cloak and gave Cyborg a small smile of thanks.
"It's my turn." Cyborg grinned wickedly. Before Raven could protest, the metallic athlete had caught her in a cyber kinetic hug.
"Urk! Double crosser." She gasped. She had just started breathing again from the last hug too.
While Raven was convinced that she was a danger to all of them, she couldn't help feeling immensely relieved to see them all. She had come home.
"We must contact Robin immediately!" Starfire chimed, clapping her hands and jumping. Raven's heart missed a beat, though her composure never faltered.
Cyborg dropped her at the mention of the Boy Wonder. "Yeah! He'll be relieved to see you again, Rae."
"Heh, the kid's been searching for you constantly." Beast Boy added. Instead of hugging her, the green boy nervously held out a hand to be shaken. She smiled as she took it.
Cyborg lifted his arm to use the communicator there, but Raven's slender hand stopped him.
"He already knows I'm here." The half-demon's voice was a sinuous monotone. She kept her expression as neutral as possible. She didn't want any of them, least of all Starfire, to know what had happened between her and Robin. Unfortunately Cyborg was rather perceptive; already he had realized that there was more to her arrival than she was letting on.
"I'm going to bed." Raven concluded simply and retreated into the dark hallway, leaving them all to stare after her in confusion.
"I do not understand…" Starfire said sadly. "Have I offended our friend?"
Cyborg shook his head, staring at the door as it slid shut behind Raven. "No, Star." He knew how easily these things affected the alien, and gave her an encouraging smile. "She's been gone a while, she probably just wants to rest."
The door opened again, admitting Robin. Starfire brightened at the sight of him.
"Robin! Wondrous news, our friend-"
"I know." He hardly paused as he pushed past them to the other door. "I'll be in the gym."
As he vanished into the darkness, the trio was left to look at one another in confusion.
"Is it just me, or are we missing something?" Beast Boy asked.
"Our friends are in some sort of trouble?" Starfire's hands were clasped in front of her chest as she looked to Cyborg for an answer. Drama wasn't her forte, and she felt very lost. Raven's seclusion she was accustomed to, even if she didn't understand it. But the last time Robin cut himself off from the rest of the team like this, he had been deceiving them.
Cyborg shook his head. "I don't know. But I promise you Star, whatever it is, I'm going to find out."
Robin hastily attacked the punching bag, the silence of the training room broken by the sound of his angry exclamations. His conversation with Raven had left him with so many confusing emotions that he felt he couldn't tell which direction was up anymore. Most of all he felt frustrated and angry and instead of taking it out on his teammates, he chose to come here and abuse the exercise equipment.
"Hah!" He punched the sand filled bag again and watched angrily as it swung from its chain.
Why had he kissed her? He'd broken his own rule, and disrespected Raven's boundaries. He was willing to forget what he'd thought he'd seen in her eyes beneath the silvery trickle of moonlight, but he couldn't forgive himself for taking advantage of it.
He didn't love Raven.
The punching bag groaned again, a footprint marring its black leather exterior.
He'd kissed her because he'd seen something in her eyes that he wanted. Something that she hadn't given to anyone else on the team had waited there in the violet of her eyes.
She'd tempted him with her rarity.
Raven was so elusive, so closed off. Everything about her screamed of solitude and distance. She had always been a mystery to him, strange and unreachable. The one puzzle he couldn't and wouldn't solve. For a long time he had been content with that.
And then she had been there, vulnerable, with her soul exposed to him, as it had never been before. All of the mysteries had lain beneath him for him to examine.
And he'd taken advantage of it.
"Argh!" He screamed angrily and sent the punching bag flying from its hinges.
Cyborg's mechanical body appeared from the doorway, catching the flying, sand-filled bag before it hit the far wall.
"Whoa, man! I'm the one who has to fix that." But Cyborg wasn't all that angry. This sort of thing happened all the time when Robin was really upset and had energy to burn.
Robin turned sharply away from him and grabbed a towel from the rack, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "Sorry." He said with no real conviction.
Cyborg stood quietly behind him. Though, it didn't look like Robin would be talking anytime soon. "So you gonna tell me what's going on?"
"No." Robin pushed past him, fully expecting to leave the room without being further interrogated.
Cyborg's powerful grip grabbed his arm and stopped him. "Look, I understand that you've got this independent leader thing going, but if something's going on between you and Raven, I'd like to hear about it." He kept his voice gentle, trying his best not to upset Robin further.
Robin whipped around to face his oldest friend, a volatile mixture of irritation and frustration on his face. "Nothing's going on between me and Raven." He said through clenched teeth. Cyborg held up his hands.
"Obviously something is. First she runs away and misses the welcome back party at the mention of your name, and you run off as soon as you come in the door." Robin looked away from him, avoiding Cyborg's perceptive gaze. Neither of them said anything.
"What made her come home, Rob?" It sounded less like a question and more like a gentle reassurance. Robin simply shook his head and left the room. Cyborg didn't stop him.