Ok, here is a little something I dreamed up for those of you who are waiting for chapter nine of Aftereffects… I thought you could use a little happy stuff, since the last few chapters of Aftereffects have been so mean…so here it is, review and let me know if you think it is good, bad, or in between…Inspired by the song Remember to Breathe, by Dashboard Confessional...so please give it some thought.
Raven sighed, staring at her reflection. What she saw was deathly pale skin, boyishly cut bright purple hair, and creepy blackish purple eyes. She combed through her hair, though she doubted this would help, and tucked one side behind her ear, letting the other fall in her eyes. What was she thinking? This would never work…
Robin had abandoned his painfully colorful hero costume. For tonight, just tonight, he was going to look normal…At least, as normal as you could look and still wear a mask. He smoothed out the creases in his long sleeved navy blue shirt, pulling it down over his black baggy jeans. He sighed, looking at his crazy black hair and wondering how on earth he could ever deserve her.
Raven was more nervous than she had ever been in her life, and yet…she was looking forward to this.
What would they do? Where would they go? What would they say? She felt slightly queasy as she contemplated all the things that could go wrong…
"Stop it. Everything will be fine…You'll tell him everything, and he'll feel the same, and…" Her hands twisted nervously in her lap, pale against the dark blue of her dress.
Robin slumped on his bed, head in his hands. "I can't do it. I can't tell her…" What if she didn't feel the same? What if she saw him as just a loser, or even worse, a friend? "I'm not going! I can't!"
But then he remembered the look on her face when she asked him; he remembered the way the light danced in her eyes, and how her cheeks glowed with a hint of color, and how her purple hair fell forward as she ducked her head down…He loved her. He would always love her. "Now it's just time to let her know that."Robin took the few steps down the hallway to Raven's room. He took a deep breath, and knocked softly, tense with anticipation and dread.
The door slid open, and there she stood, smiling shyly. "Hi."
Robin stared. Raven's dark blue dress swirled gracefully around her as she walked, the black lace rimming the bottom grazing the tops of high-heeled black boots. One side of her hair was held back by a silver star-shaped barrette. She was so beautiful…
"Um, so…do you want to…?" she asked awkwardly, hoping that his goggling was a good thing.
Robin's stomach was twisting and lurching as though he was riding a roller coaster. "Oh…right…" he muttered, going bright red. He haltingly took her hand and led her towards the elevator.
Cold air whipped past them as Robin maneuvered the R-cycle around all the twists and bends. Raven's arms were around his waist, her head tucked behind his shoulder to block the wind…Somehow, it felt right.
"Where are we going?" she yelled over the wind roaring in her ears.
"You'll see!" he called back, the first smile of the evening lighting up his face.
"Now is the time. Just tell him!"
They were standing, hand in hand, gazing out over the brightly lit city. A cool breeze swirled around them, giving an excuse to move a bit closer.
Robin was lost in the perfect-ness of the moment; just being close to Raven made him feel whole, complete. The empty space inside of him was gone. He opened his mouth to speak, to tell her everything…
"Raven?" he whispered, turning to face her.
"Yes?"
"I…I just wanted you to know that…" He swallowed, trying to catch his breath.
"What I mean is…the titans are like my family, including you of course, and I'd do anything for you guys, but…" This just wasn't coming out how he wanted it to.
"Yes?" Was he really saying what she thought he was?
"I…I love you, Raven," he whispered, staring at the ground and digging the toe of his sneaker into the dirt. His heart nearly stopped; he had really told her…Now came the blow…
Raven stood, frozen to the spot. Her brain was struggling to absorb the facts. "Say something!" she commanded, but her mouth remained closed.
Robin could almost feel his heart breaking…with every second of her silence, he sank lower and lower… "I'm sorry. Forget I said anything," he mumbled, turning to go and holding back his bitter tears.
"Say something! Stop him!" she thought desperately, watching him go… "Robin!" she cried, finally finding her voice.
He stopped without turning to face her. How could he have been so stupid?
"I love you, ok?" she blurted out, exasperated with herself. Raven clenched her first, trying to remain in control of her emotions.
What did she say? Robin slowly turned around and slowly walked towards her…
"You…do?" Now it was his turn to struggle for understanding.
"Yeah," she whispered, a blush creeping into her pale cheeks.
They stood there, perfectly still, listening to the silence of the night and basking in their newfound understanding.
There was only one thing that could make this moment more perfect…
"Robin?" she whispered.
"Yes?" he whispered back, caught up in the way her dark eyes reflected the light of the moon…
"Can I…see your eyes?" Raven wondered if she had gone too far; he was so unpredictable…
He was momentarily shocked…His mask was a part of him, he needed it…But did he really? What did he have to hide from her? Haltingly, he reached up, and pulled it off.
Raven stared, entranced…they were like the ocean, mystery and sadness and beauty reflected in the swirling blues and greens…
They gazed into each other's eyes, into each other's souls, both unaware that they were slowly coming together, as though drawn by a magnet…
And then their lips met in a kiss that was so pure and so full of love…They were one and the same, two fallen stars that had finally found each other…
Ok…there it is. Review and let me know what you think! And chapter nine is coming soon, I promise! Later, -Dusty