A/N: Humor takes a short vacation while romance fills in! But humor will be back next chapter when our heroes invite their friend havoc to visit Beast Boy!
Holidays
Raven was perched nervously on the edge of Robin's bed, watching its owner pace back and forth in front of her. Raven relaxed slightly and continued watching her leader's fluid, almost hypnotic strides across the room. "Augh! This shouldn't be so hard! We're the smart ones on this team. We should be able to come up with a simple April Fool's Day prank," Robin said in frustration.
Raven's relaxed state fled. She pulled herself out of the semi-trance she had been in, and was disturbed to find that she had actually been smiling slightly. Although, she didn't feel emotionally unbalanced, Raven frowned. It was better to be safe than sorry, especially with the previous uneasy state of her mind, thanks to Beast Boy. She stood up abruptly. "This is actually my least favorite holiday." Robin looked at her questioningly. "Pranks really aren't my thing. I should get back to my room and just stay there for the rest of the day. Things will probably be a lot safer around here if I do."
Robin seemingly ignored the second half of Raven's statement. "What is your favorite holiday?"
For a moment, Raven merely looked blankly at the boy. "Um, actually, it's—"
"Wait, let me guess!" Robin cut her off.
"I thought you wanted me to TELL you what my favorite holiday was," Raven said with exasperation. "Why do you want to know, anyway?"
Robin walked over to the bed and sat down cross-legged in the middle. "I'm just curious." He stared at Raven for almost a full minute before she became unnerved.
"Ok, so why are you staring at me? Do I have some vinegar still on my face?" she asked sarcastically.
"You can come on over and sit down, you know."
"You just ignored my question."
Robin shrugged and continued to do so. "All right, how about this. Come on over and sit down, and I'll tell you what your favorite holiday is, and you can figure out something to ask me."
Raven frowned slightly. "I've been in your head, Robin, I already know what your favorite holiday is, and why." She paused and looked down at the ground for a moment before raising her eyes back to face Robin's mask. "But I didn't need that to be able to tell you that you've loved New Year's more than any other holiday, especially since you've started the Titans. It's symbolized a new beginning for people. At first, you looked at change to be the founding of our team, but now you look on it with the hope that a new year can truly bring a rebirth, renewal, and a strengthening of your life and position here."
Robin couldn't help but stare at her. "I thought that I was the detective on this team," he grinned delightedly.
In response, Raven stepped over to the bed and sat down opposite Robin, folding her legs underneath herself.
He took a deep breath. "All right, your favorite holiday is actually a little harder to figure out, since you don't actually believe in pinpointing one day to celebrate something which should be always recognized. That's why," Robin paused for dramatic effect, noting that Raven had a small, confident smirk on her face. "Mardi Gras is your favorite holiday." Raven's jaw dropped. "Before you came to the tower and were subjected to the joys of April Fool's Day, though, Mardi Gras was also your least favorite holiday."
Raven's eyes widened in shock. "How did you know that?" she whispered, not daring to raise her voice, seemingly for fear that the spell her companion had cast over her would break with the harsh tones of her voice.
Robin's smirk faded into a genuine, if proud, smile. "It's not because of the idiotic festivities in New Orleans that Mardi Gras is your favorite, but because of what it represents. Mardi Gras is about...wearing a mask. About either putting on a mask and acting wild, or taking one off and doing the same. It may not seem like it to the others, Raven, but I can see that you have a mask, too." Robin's voice dropped slightly.
"It's not like mine, though. You can never take it off. You can never experience that revelry that Mardi Gras lets its participants feel. You can never FEEL. Mardi Gras is hope and a reality check all in one for you," Robin concluded softly, taking one of Raven's hands in his.
When he did, her breath hitched, and he could tell that she was barely holding back a sob. Instantly, he felt guilty for bringing up such painful thoughts, and he moved forward and wrapped the girl on his bed in a warm, comforting hug. "I'm sorry, Raven. It was a stupid question."
When he spoke, Raven seemed to regain control. She took a deep breath and pulled back so she could look at his face. "It wasn't a stupid question, Robin." She smiled weakly. "I've been so worried about not wanting to drag people into my problems..." Raven trailed off, unseeingly watching her hands alternately twist and smooth the fabric of Robin's bedspread.
Raven looked up, and it seemed to Robin as though she could see straight through his mask and into his heart. "But for some reason...you're already halfway there. You're following me, begging me to let you in. You're, you're...You're too smart for your own good!" Raven finished with a frustrated cry.
"Raven, I'm following after you, because that's where I want to be. Don't ever think you're dragging me in. I WANT to know everything there is to know about you. I want to know you!"
Raven smiled genuinely. "You already do." Robin smiled in return, amazed to behold the contented expression he had helped Raven feel. He basked in her expression—until all the lights in his room turned black and blew out.
Raven mumbled an explanation and attempted to scoot backwards off the bed, but Robin quickly grabbed her hand, and caught her off balance. With a little tug, he pulled her back into his arms, only this time, her face was turned upward toward his, and he feel her nervous lips trembling against his.
"It's okay," he whispered, and was amazed again to feel her slight shaking stop, and her lips press more firmly against his own in the dark of his room.
Robin slowly deepened their kiss when Raven's tongue darted out to moisten her dry lips. She moaned lightly as his tongue entered her mouth. As their first kiss ended, the two pulled back and stared at one another. Minutes passed by without meaning, and both were nervous, but inwardly delighted that the other was not running away.
Robin considered trying to repeat the fantastic experience, but recalled his broken light bulbs, and those out in the hall. Perhaps on a day when Raven was more in control...
Raven cleared her throat lightly, and spoke up hesitantly, obviously unwilling to break the spell. "So, um, we were going to think of a plan?" As she spoke, Raven's hands found Robin's, reassuring him that she didn't consider their kiss a mistake.
"Huh?" Robin replied as intelligently as he could under the circumstances.
Almost giggling, Raven repeated her question. "For a prank on Beast Boy. We smart ones need to stick together and come up with a plan, right?"
Robin recovered his wits and smirked. "That's right. Now let's see..."
Well, if that came out of left field for you, it did doubly so for me. I really wasn't planning on doing any serious relationship type writing in this, but it seems to work, so who am I to complain? Anyway, there will be humor coming up! After all, Beast Boy isn't getting off the hook even though the two birds have gotten together!
