Shining Armor

Chapter 3 - Waffles and Affection

In the kitchen, Raven floated as gracefully as she could, trying to efficiently make breakfast. She had to concentrate on her task because cooking was hardly her specialty, but this was important to her. It wasn't going particularly smoothly, but the young sorceress was absolutely determined to get it done. This meal, however, had to be a surprise. She didn't want to be caught in the act. She wanted to surprise him. She wanted to give him something. She didn't know what she was doing but she had to do something. She had to say thank you. She had to show it, even if she could never say it. Say how much she appreciated, how grateful she was, how much she wanted to… The room shuddered slightly, the lights flickered, the contents of the cabinets rattled as the cupboards shook.

"Stop it" she told herself as she looked around, realizing she had allowed herself to 'feel' some of what she was thinking. The room settled. Nothing exploded. "I have to keep it suppressed", she continued to herself. "Just fix the darn waffles and then you'll be even. It'll be over." She gave herself this reasoning, but she wasn't completely convinced. She sighed audibly.

Why am I feeling this way? she mentally asked herself. I don't have to pay him back. He's saved my life many times before, just as I have saved his. Why is this any different? It's all apart of what we do. I can't go feeling anything special about this one time.

Hex! I can't go on feeling anything, she corrected herself. This…particular feeling is so hard to control. It is just gratefulness…isn't it? He's my friend and I am really just grateful that he risked his life…his very mortal life to save mine.

To come all the way out into space just to save me, she repeated to herself. Yes it was brave of him, but that's all it was. Just something you do for a friend. And that is what I am doing. I am just saying thank you to a friend. It's nothing more. Yes, that is it. He is just my big, good friend…who rescued me…as friends do.

Raven's train of thought drifted to how she had fallen asleep under his arm on the couch and to how safe and secure she had felt, and to how surprisingly comfortable it was with her head on his chest. How she felt so protected and so… The mechanical voice of the Titan Tower's central computer interrupted her reverie.

"Abnormal temperature rise detected", the computer calmly droned. "Source: kitchen galley. Emergency ventilation procedure commencing." With that, several mechanical vents and windows opened, fans whirred to life, and the air conditioning cut-on going full blast."

"Ahh…great," groaned raven. She closed her eyes and neutralized her emotions. She thought of cool nothingness as she incanted, "Azrath, Metrion, Zinthos." The room temperature stabilized.

Raven moved to stir the waffle batter but found she could not move the spoon. Her outburst of heat had cooked the waffles right in the bowl.

"Drat!" she said in disgust. "Raven, you have to get in control of yourself, girl. Do this, and then we can forget about him…I mean forget about this. I will have this silly compulsion to show my gratitude out of my system and I can get back to being my normal, calm, placid, in-control self again." Raven began to assemble the ingredients again.

If any of the other Teen Titans had felt the sharp spike and drop in temperature or had heard the frustrated groans and slight curses of Raven's cooking efforts emanating from the kitchen the only one to investigate that early morning was Starfire. Being the most inquisitive of the Teen Titans she was giddily curious to see what was going on. She carefully crept down the hallway and peeked around the corner.

"Raven! Are you cooking?" Starfire half shouted. Raven had been concentrating so hard on mixing the batter while keeping her emotions in check that she was completely caught of guard by the young Tamaranian's loud inquiry. She half jumped out of her skin. The batter completely jumped out of the bowl. It dumped itself everywhere, including over Raven's head and face.

"No, I'm trying on my new batter outfit. Go back to bed Starfire."

"I am sorry, friend Raven," Starfire apologized. "I did not mean to startle you."

"It's okay, Starfire," Raven calmly replied. "I shouldn't have been trying this anyway. It'll never work."

"What are you making?" Starfire looked around as she helped clean off her friend. "Waffles? It is interesting that you wish to do that. Are you very hungry so early in the morning?"

"They weren't for me," Raven advised. "They were for Cyborg. To say 'thank you'"

"Oh?" Starfire seemed intrigued. "Let me help you."

"No thanks," declined Raven. "I think I'll just forget about it."

"Please let me help. You seem a little unsettled still. We can do this together." Starfire had a beaming smile on her face and seemed quite enthusiastic. "I once made waffles for friend Cyborg too. He said they were great."

Raven was surprised. Not only to hear that Starfire had fixed Cyborg something, but that he had actually liked it. Well, they were friends and if she could fix waffles for Cyborg then she could too. What more, she wondered if Starfire's waffles were actually any good. She had so far had not much luck making food appealing to her fellow Titans. Maybe Cyborg was just being polite. I can still be the first to make him some good waffles.

"Hmm…" Raven pondered for a moment. "I don't know, Starfire. I really don't want to add any Tamaranian glorpnik to it or anything. These are special Belgian waffles I am making from scratch with whipped cream and strawberries. See?"

Starfire examined the recipe book that Raven was using as her guide. After a few minutes perusing the instructions she put her fore finger to her chin and said, "Okay, I think I understand, and I think I can help you."

Raven was reluctant to involve Starfire, but it was getting late and Cyborg would be up soon. Also, there was the mess.

"Okay," Raven relented. "But first let's clean this stuff up a bit so we will have less to do when we are finished."

"Wonderful, friend Raven!" Starfire clapped her hands joyfully. "Together we will make the best waffles…"

"Err…Starfire?" Raven cautioned. "This is supposed to be a surprise. Kinda keep it down, okay?"

"Oh. A surprise," Starfire whispered conspiratorially. "I will be most secret then."

"Yeah. Be most secret, Starfire."

After much fervent work and effort the batter, whipped cream, and strawberries were ready. They waited until they heard Cyborg in the shower, and when he exited they poured the batter into the waffle iron. Everything was ready when he exited his room.

"Surprise breakfast, Cyborg!" Starfire shouted wildly at him as he approached the kitchen area. Starfire hadn't noticed that had a jacket and jeans and ball cap on plus a back pack. He was clearly intending to skip breakfast and was headed out. Raven noticed.

"What? Huh? What?" was all the biggest Titan could say at this unexpected repast lain out before him.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Star," he managed to say when he realized what was going on. "I've got classes today at Jump City U. and I am running a little behind." He was sincerely apologetic. If he had known he would have gotten up earlier.

"But Raven has made this especially for you." Starfire said tugging on his arm. "She has made the special waffles of Belgian with the powdery sugar, the cream that has been whipped and the freshest strawberries."

"She did?" asked Cyborg as he held a truly magnificent, perfectly formed, large waffle on a plate with all the toppings Starfire had described. He could smell the toasted goodness. "Wow."

"We did," Raven corrected from over near the sink where she was calmly washing dishes. "It's no big deal."

Cyborg was however already sampling a piece of the waffle with a fork Starfire had proffered him.

"Ummmm…" Cyborg made a throaty yummy sound. "Oh yeah! This is good, girl!"

Raven thought he might have been making fun and turned around to glower at him, but he had a sincere look of ecstacy on his face and Raven had a hard time believing that he was being duplicitous. She watched as he took the remaining waffle and folded it in half.

"There's syrup on the table," Raven commented levelly.

"Doesn't need it," Cyborg replied as he stuffed half the waffle in his face. He chewed he swallowed and then he downed the other half.

Christ! That boy can eat, Raven laughed to herself. And what a huge mouth.

"Ahhhh….man that was good," Cyborg complimented as he wiped his mouth with a cloth napkin from the table. "Ain't nothing quite like a Belgian waffle and that one was heaven."

He approached her so fast that he completely caught her off guard. He put his right hand on her upper arm and bent down to kiss her on the top of her head, but she looked up at the last moment and he wound up kissing her on her forehead….on her red gemstone…the one on her forehead….the one that her intensified her chakra. Raven swooned.

Cyborg's waffle iron exploded.

"Hey!" Cyborg turned around to see the waffle iron in smoking pieces. Raven looked around him to se what she had done.

"Oh my gosh, Cyborg," Raven cried. "I'm so sorry."

"Hey, it's no problem, Rae," said Cyborg smiling. He opened up a bottom cupboard revealling more new waffle irons of different manufactures. "I have plenty of spares!"

Out of relief and partially out of titillated excitement Raven laughed out loud. Cyborg put his hand behind his head and beamed unabashedly.

"I guess I'm kind of addicted."

He swung on his backpack and headed for the doorway.

"Hey, thanks again, Rae. I'll see you after classes, okay?" He left the living area and as he zipped down the long stairway next to the elevator Rave could hear him patting his tummy and saying, "Ummmm…good waffles!"

"I'll see you…" Raven repeated wistfully. She placed her hand on her forehead where he had kissed it. She could still smell his cologne. She closed her eyes for just a second. She was only a little startled when Starfire addressed her.

"We surprised friend Cyborg well, did we not?" Starfire smiled at Raven with huge green eyes glowing with accomplishment.

"Yes," said Raven returning her smile gratefully. "Thanks. Thank you, Starfire. I couldn't have done it without you."

"Oh, you are most welcome, friend Raven," replied Starfire while picking up Cyborg's empty plate and taking it to the sink. "It is peculiar though. He never kisses me when I make him waffles. I wonder what it is that I have done wrong, or what it is that you do right?"

Raven however was not listening to her as she was looking out one of the huge bay windows, down at the ground where the T-Car was emerging from the garage. As she watched Cyborg drive into the tunnel that lead to Jump City she placed her hand gently on the window and her breath began to fog up the glass. She remembered his patented Cyborg smile as he finished that waffle and the sensation of his lips touching her ajna chakra. A slow explosion of warmth started at the center of her forehead and spread throughout her entire head. It ran down the full of her neck and into her chest where it expanded more. She started to shiver as it cascaded down her spine. Before it got any farther she realized it was not just her shaking it was the entire room…maybe the entire tower.

Raven quickly got a grip on herself. She turned around to see Starfire clutching the lunch counter.

"Is it quake season in Jump City Raven?" Starfire asked innocently.

Raven could only blush with embarrassment as she said, "I think I had better go meditate for a while."

With that she levitated up to the ceiling and dissolved through to the roof.

- End Chapt. 3