Author's Note: Hola eveyone. Here is a new Teen Titans fic for you, and yes it is a one-shot, like the majority of my work.
Anyway, hope you like it! Please review!
Raven looked across the misty park. No one was here today, which was odd, since this park was always packed. But Raven guessed no one wanted to be out in this depressing weather. Okay, that was a lie. Some people did want to be in this weather, and her eyes weren't being totally truthful to her mind. Occasionally an angsty teen would come along, muttering to themselves about how their lives are so messed up. A couple was in the bushes near Raven, and she had a good idea of what they were up to. She even saw a girl decked out in all dark people, right down to her little purple painted fingernails. Now, this girl had just stopped in the middle of the park's lawn and started dancing. Dancing. She had danced in the mist, danced in the rain. This had interested Raven very much, and at one point she had even considered getting up and joining her. But, no, she stayed glued to her bench. Days like this, this is when all the "creeps" come out to play. This kind of day was absolute paradise to some people. And these people were like Raven. She could have always spoken out to one, but she never did. She just watched them. Watched them pass by, watched them do the things that made them different from everyone else, what made them... creepy. But Raven understood, they weren't creepy. They were different. They were dark. Misunderstood. And Raven knew, because she had to go through with it everyday herself.
This is what Raven hated. She wanted more than anything to have a companion. She wanted someone who would understand, someone who would listen. Someone who wouldn't treat her like a weirdo. Sad thing is, no matter how many of these people she saw, no one came for her.
Raven looked up at the grey sky, a few tiny raindrops fell onto her exposed face. She turned her face back upright, pulling back up her hood. She could hear giggles coming from the bushes near her, she rolled her eyes. A park? Of all places... honestly. Teenage hormones. A husky voice spoke slurred words from the bushes, Raven couldn't make out what it was saying.
"Oh, Keith, already?" A girl spoke clearly. More slurred words. "Oh, fine." There was a rustling and a slim, hot pink haired girl scrambled out of the bushes. Her black lipstick was smeared all over her lower face and her black mini skirt was a little low and out of place. She straightened it and walked to the bench Raven was sitting on. She sat down by Raven and re-tied the shoe strings on her big, clunky black boots.
"Hey," She greeted as she finished tying up the last boot.
"Hey..." Raven echoed. The girl looked herself over, straightening her skirt and shirt again.
"Keith!" She called. A rather attractive boy came ambling out of the bushes.
"Wha...?" He said lazily.
"Give me my jacket back." She ordered. He looked puzzled for a moment and went back into the bushes. The girl sighed and looked at Raven. "Boys." She said, rolling her eyes. "I only keep him because he's good at frenching... and he's so damn fine." She smirked and peered back over to the bushes. The boy named Keith came back out with a silver jacket in his hand. He handed it to the girl.
"Here JC..."
"Thanks sweet-ie." JC said, standing up and wrapping her arm around his neck, giving him one last kiss. When she had released him, he walked swiftly away, looking rather pleased with himself. JC sat back down by Raven, pulling the jacket on. "Man, that boy never get's old." She stated dreamily. "Anyway... my name's JC." She rounded on Raven. Raven was a little taken aback by this, normally no one was ever this friendly with her.
"I'm Raven."
"Beautiful name. At least your parents called you something decent..." She sounded jealous.
"What's wrong with JC?"
"It's what it stands for that I'm disgusted with." She said, making a weird face. "Stands for Jay Corah."
"That's not so bad..." Raven said, surprised with herself for actually talking so openly to a stranger. JC shrugged.
"Guess not. But it's not for me." She looked down at her wrist. "Shit! I gotta go to work. Nice meetin' ya, Raven. See you around, okay? Great, later." She said in a rush, getting up and slapping Raven on the forehead, then ran across the park. Raven felt where JC had slapped her. Is that how she says bye to her friends, or what?
When JC's vivid hair was out of site, Raven got up and walked around the park, enjoying the dreariness. It was nearing lunch, and the people in the park started to leave, in search of food. Raven realized she was hungry too and wondered where she should go. She, too, wandered out of the park and walked down a street full of people trying to get out of the rain and into their cars or a nearby building. People didn't appreciate the beauty of rain, did they? Raven guessed they didn't.
She spotted a dark café just up the block. When she reached it, she saw all the posters in the windows. Some where for poetry readings, or book signings, even concerts from local bands. She stepped in to be greeted by a heavy smell of coffee, candles, and chocolate. It all mixed together into a wonderful scent. There was an odd collection of artifacts hanging on the walls, and a large self of books along a wall. Along another wall was a small stage, this must have been used for the poetry readings and concerts. A dim light filled the café, provided by all the candles scattered about. There was also a bunch of low wooden tables accompanied by low, poofy chairs. With one glance around, Raven was in love. She smiled to herself and sat at a table near the bookshelf. The chair was very comfortable. She scanned the spines of the books, looking at the titles. She had to admit, this wasn't a bad collection.
"Well, if it isn't my fave-lil-goth-girl-I-just-met-this-morning!" Someone's voice rang warmly. Raven turned around, and standing in front of her was JC.
"Well, if it isn't Jay Corah!" Raven said, smirking.
"Oh, bitch!" JC said with a smile. "What can I get you?"
"Huh?"
"I work here. You want something?" JC explained.
"Sure... uh.."
"What's that? You'd love the soup of the day? And you'd love some herbal tea?" JC said with a wink.
"That I can work with."
"Good, because it's your order. It'll be done soon." She said and walked off. Raven had to admit, she liked this girl's attitude, not to mention personality. This could be the first actual friend she's made, even though they've hardly even talked. She was soon consumed in looking at the bookshelf again, pulling out an aged leather-bound one. It was a collection of poetry by anonymous authors. She flipped through the pages, ready a poem every so often.
"Soups on... literally." JC spoke, Raven looked up, closing the book.
"Thanks." Raven said, pulling the bowl toward her. It was cheesy potato soup. She began to spoon it into her mouth. JC sat down on the opposite chair. Raven examined her as she sipped a cup of coffee. She had reapplied a think layer of black lipstick and a heavy amount of eyeliner. Her hair was still it's vivid hot pink, it was long, but was pulled up into an interesting bun-like thing, chopsticks stuck in certain angles. Parts of her hair were out of the bun, at the front of her face. It was very pretty.
"So, you got a boy?" JC asked suddenly, looking at her above the rim of the coffee cup.
"...No..." Raven replied sheepishly.
"Are you for real? Raven, look, you're a small, pretty thing... you can't tell me no one is after you." JC said seriously.
"Well, I don't get out much." Raven confessed.
"Why's that?"
"Well, I'm... you know, a Teen Titan..."
"WHOA! Seriously?" JC looked at her with envy. "Not just beauty, and a personality... but you got power too. I knew there was something I liked about you."
"Uh, thanks." Raven replied, not knowing what to say. No one ever complimented her. JC looked at her coffee for a moment and then clapped her hand onto the table.
"I got just the guy for you! You'll love each other. Literally." JC said, leaning over the table. "He's gorgeous, and I think he'd match your personality perfectly."
"Uh.. I don't know about this..." Raven said nervously. But JC waved at her as if trying to shoo that thought away.
"Don't be stupid. We'll meet up tomorrow. I was going to hang with some buds of mine, and trust me, he's in the group. It'll be great. Meet me here tomorrow at two o'clock sharp. My shift will be over."
"You sure I'll... you know... fit in?"
"Fit in? Fit in? Girl, you'll fit right in. Everyone will adore you." JC said confidently. Raven's heart skipped a beat. A group for me to... just... hang out with?
"Okay... I'll come." Raven stated. JC beamed.
"Great!" She sipped the last of her coffee and got up. "Well, I'd better get back to work. Barty'll go mad if he catches me on break. See you tomorrow."
"Bye..." Raven finished off her tea and soup. She put the book back and left. It was raining harder now. The instant she stepped outside, she was soaked. She conjured a little black shield over her head, deflecting the rain. She walked back to the tower, happier than she had been in a long time.
"Why are you so happy?" Beast Boy asked.
"No reason." Raven replied simply.
"Okay." He was about to continue watching his show, but did a double take. "Wait, wait, wait... you? Happy? For no reason?"
"Yeah." Raven hummed a little tune.
"That I can't believe."
"Oh well." She said, closing her eyes and smiling. Beast Boy eyed her strangely.
"Insane..." He muttered, turning back to the t.v.
"Is being happy insane?" Raven asked. "If so, you must be insane all the time." Beast Boy opened his mouth to say something, but then shut it. He shook his head. "Hee hee, got you there."
"Yeah, yeah..."
"I'm going to bed."
"Uh... okay... 'night, Raven."
"Good night!"
Raven woke up the next morning very refreshed. It was scarcely past ten in the morning and everything was quiet. Four more hours... She thought when she glanced at the clock on her wall. She slipped out of under her covers and moved over to her wardrobe. She opened the doors and pulled out one of her dark blue robes. She took her time in dressing. Raven pulled her belt around her waist, securing it tightly. After that, she pulled her boots toward her and pulled them on. She stood up, fully dressed, and examined herself in the mirror. After running a brush through her hair a few times, she was satisfied and left her room. Though it was a Saturday morning, no one seemed to be up yet. Raven found this surprising, because normally, someone was up making some sort of racket. She peered into the living room, expecting to find someone there, but it was empty. Puzzled, she walked over to the windows and looked out. Outside, at the bottom of the tower, she saw Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Starfire sitting on some of the rocks, talking. It must have been a nice day if they were outside. But where was Robin? Probably training... She thought automatically.
"They won't miss me." She said to herself, shrugging. She downed a piece of toast before leaving. By the time she was done, it was around eleven thirty. Might as well start walking. She thought to herself, putting her used dish into the sink. Just as she was about to leave, a door opened to her right. Robin stepped out, yawning. He stopped and looked at her.
"Oh, hey Rae." He greeted her friendly.
"Hello." She replied, backing away from the sink. He looked her over.
"Planning to go somewhere?" He asked.
"Uh, actually, yes." She admitted, not returning his gaze.
"Cool." He said simply, retrieving a glass and filling it with water. Raven eyed him suspiciously for a moment, wondering why he wasn't asking her more. She shook it off and silently watched him drink his water. He had obviously been training, he was drenched with sweat, his hair was a little askew, and his face looked a little flushed. Raven had been right. Good old, predictable Robin. She smiled to herself slightly.
"So, you didn't tell me..." He started, looking up from his water glass. "Where are you going?" This is exactly the question she hadn't wanted him to ask. Oh well.
"Well, I met this girl in the park the other day... And we decided to hang out today... you know, get to know each other a little better..." Raven explained. Robin smiled at her when she'd finished.
"I'm glad you are finding more people to hang out with other than the team."
"I wouldn't exactly say that I found her. More like the other way around." Raven smirked, recalling the moment they met. She glanced up at the clock. It was noon. "Well, I'd better go since I'm walking. See you later."
"Bye." He returned to drinking his water. It may only been noon, but I might as well get a good start. Better to be early than late. Raven thought as she headed out of the tower. When she got outside, she was greeted by the bright sunlight pouring through the clouds. She pulled up her hood to shield her eyes from the almost blinding light. She could hear the faint cheerful voices of the other titans, who were situated on the other side of the tower's island. It was fairly nice, she guessed it was in the mid seventies. She began to make her way to the city with ease.
By the time she had stepped into the café that JC worked at, it was about one twenty.
"Ra-ven!" JC called when she had spotted her. "Here already? I didn't expect you for at least another thirty minutes." Raven shrugged. "Sit down while I finish up... maybe I can wriggle my way out of my next forty minutes." Raven nodded and obediently sat down in a chair nearby, watching JC clean up some tables. She disappeared into the back for about five minutes, then came back out. "Hey, Barty! You think I could skive off my last, oh say, thirty minutes?" She said innocently to the man counting the money in the cash register.
"No." He said gruffly, not looking up from the money.
"Aww, pleeeease?" She whined, plastering a pout on her face. Barty looked up at her, his eyebrows scrunched together. After a few seconds, his face fell with a look of defeat.
"Ah, alright, alright. Only because you're so damn cute. Now, get out of here." He said playfully, waving her away.
"Thanks Barty!" She exclaimed gratefully, slapping his forehead, like she had done to Raven the previous day.
"Yeah, yeah. Out, out." He mumbled, going back to counting the money. JC turned back around to face Raven, giving her a thumbs up. She could really mold guys like clay, right in her hands. She removed her apron and threw it onto a hooker behind the counter, then straightened her clothes. Today she was wearing another mini skirt, though this time it was purple, pink, and black plaid, she also had a black t-shirt that said "rwar" in a bold, pink print. And like yesterday, she was wearing her clunky black boots.
"C'mon, I told them I'd meet them at the mall." JC stated, weaving her arm into Raven's, leading her out of the café. She marched Raven down the street. "Sorry we gotta walk, I'm still saving up for a car."
"That's okay. I'm used to walking." Raven replied.
"Alright... plus, it's not that bad, the mall is only about fifteen blocks from here. No biggy." JC said, then quickly changed to a new subject. "Anyway, this kid I told you about. Major hottie. Doesn't get better than this one... well, okay, Keith is an exception... but otherwise..." She continued to chatter for a few more blocks about this mystery guy and Keith. Raven just let her talk, she didn't mind just listening. "Sorry for my constant blabbering... what do you want to talk about? What do you do when you're not kicking ass?"
"Well.. I mainly read. Or meditate." Raven said.
"Awesome. I read a lot too... mainly poetry, I've got a new passion for that. I meditate sometimes, but normally find it really difficult to concentrate..." She trailed off.
"That's alright, it takes a lot of people awhile before getting the hang of it." Raven assured her.
"Yeah, maybe you can help me out, ya know... have a meditation session or something?"
"Sure."
"Great... so, do you read poetry?" JC changed the subject back to reading.
"Oh yeah. Tons."
"You ever read anything by that 'Anonymous X' guy? I have his book. It's absolutely brilliant. If you haven't read his work, I'd be glad to lend it to you." JC said, looking at the passing stores.
"I'd like that." Raven replied, smiling under her hood. JC looked at her.
"You know, if you put your hood down more often, you wouldn't be able to keep the guys off ya." JC said casually, looking at Raven.
"I, uh, prefer to keep it up..." Raven mumbled.
"Oh, that's okay! Really, I was just sayin'..." She trailed off again. "Hey, look, we're almost there!" And sure enough, when Raven looked up, there was a white mall looming over head. JC looked down at the watch on her wrist. "Oh, good, perfect timing, it's about one fifty."
A few minutes later, they stepped into the cool mall entrance. It was rather large, it contained three floors of shops and stretched a good distance. The floor was made out of white marble with blue designs, not to far off there was a large fountain by the food court.
"Let's see... we were supposed to meet by the fountain... ah-ha! There they are..." JC mumbled to herself and dragged Raven over to the group of people standing by the fountain. She finally released Raven's arm, trotting up to a tall boy: Keith. She threw her arms around him, letting out a little squeal. Keith folded his arms around her, accepting the embrace. Some of the group watched the, rolling their eyes, and the others took interest in checking out Raven. After a moment, JC pulled away from Keith and cleared her throat. "This..." She said, pointing toward Raven. "Is my new friend I've been dying to introduce... children... this is Raven." She said proudly, looking back at them for their reaction. They were now all checking her over, she felt her face grow hot. After they had gotten a good look, they all mumbled their greetings. There was four people in the group, including Keith. There was one other girl and two other boys. The other girl had very heavy eyelids, and they looked even heavier with the amount of black eyeshadow she had on. She looked peeved about something, but Raven quickly understood why. She was shooting annoyed looks at one of the boys, whom was transfixed with checking Raven out.
"Mark!" She hissed. The boy shook his head.
"Oh, what? Oh! Sorry, Liana..." Mark snapped back into attention. She took hold of his arm, giving Raven a piercing look. JC spotted the look and laughed.
"Liana, calm down. She isn't after your 'man'." JC said. Liana just sniffed. "Well, anyway... Raven... this..." She gestured toward the remaining boy. "Is Robby." Raven looked at the boy and got a full view of him for the first time. JC hadn't been lying, he was gorgeous. He had raven(hee hee) black hair that almost reached down to his shoulders, with charming dark blue eyes, and he was maybe two inches taller than Raven. He was wearing dark, baggy jeans, a red shirt that had a big black X in the middle of it, and some plain white sneakers.
"Hey." He said, waving at her.
"H-hey..." She echoed, practically speechless. JC saw her reaction and was trying to hide a huge grin behind her hands. Liana had relaxed a little now that she realized Raven was here for Robby, not Mark.
"Sooo... where are we going first?" Liana asked. Raven just stood there, staring at Robby, not knowing what to do. He made the first move and walked over to her. She made a movement to pull her hood back up, very aware that her face was a deep crimson by now. Before she could get it over her head, Robby reached out and stopped her.
"I prefer it down..." He whispered in her ear. Her heart leapt so far, she was surprised it did get lodged in her throat and choke her.
"Let's mall browse!" JC said in a singsong voice. Keith rested his arm around her shoulders comfortably and began to stroll off with her. Liana and Mark walked beside the two, looking into shops they passed. Raven and Robby fell behind, talking quietly. Raven wasn't so sure of what to say, but Robby led the conversation gently, always scraping up something to say. She found this day very enjoyable so far. JC had defiantly been right, they got along perfectly.
"Want to look at some music or something?" Robby suggested as they passed a CD store.
"Sure." Raven replied.
"Hey! Guys!" Robby called. They other four turned around. "Me and Raven are just going to look in that music store, alright? We'll catch up with you later."
"Okay, Rob, see you guys in a bit." Mark said. JC turned and caught Raven's eye and mouthed, 'I told you.' She gave one last grin at the two and headed in the other direction with the others. Robby put his arm around Raven's shoulders, leading her into the store. They wandered around the store, scanning the racks of CDs.
"Hey, have you ever listened to these guys?" Robby asked, picking up a CD and showing it to her.
"... 'The Dark Muffin Mongers'?... Can't say I have." Raven said.
"They may have an odd band name, but their music can't be beat." Robby said. "Here, try it out..." He led her over to the 'Scan'n'Preview' scanner. He put the headphones on her head and scanned the bar code. Raven's ears were suddenly filled with some of the best music she'd ever heard. She breezed through the beginnings of a few songs, then took of the headphones. "So? How are they?"
"Great." Raven replied simply, she looked back down at the CD cover, examining it. She was embarrassed that she couldn't say much. She knew she would, and she could... but she didn't know how he'd react to it. So, for now, she was staying as quiet as possible. They left the store awhile later, Raven was clutching a small plastic bag, inside was the DMM CD. They browsed along some more shops, keeping an eye out for the rest of the group, too.
After awhile, they got tired of walking and settled down on a bench with ice cream cones. They both had chocolate and vanilla twists. Raven said silently, licking her ice cream and watching people pass by. Robby, too, stayed silent, but was only concentrated on Raven.
"You don't have to be so quiet all the time, you know." Robby stated. "It's okay, you can talk to me." Raven blushed immediately.
"S-sorry... I just... don't do this often." She sighed. "I'm just used to being quiet, and alone." She cast a sideways glance at him. He smiled at her. His smile was so... dazzling. She just about melted right on the spot.
"Today's always a good time to start." He said calmly. She chanced a smile at him, and got a warm look in reply. She took a deep breath and started talking. She talked about everything she had ever wanted or needed to talk about. She even surprised herself with how much she had to say. What made her feel even better, was that he could relate with just about everything she said. She didn't know how long they had talked, but the crowds were beginning to thin. By the time they decided to get up, she felt very close to Robby.
"Well, it's getting late. I think it's time I head home. You should too." He said. Raven felt a twinge of disappointment. "Don't look so sad... we can always meet again. How about this, meet me in Central City Park tomorrow at eleven?"
"That would be wonderful!" Raven exclaimed.
"Alright... see you then." Robby said, getting up and stretching. Raven looked down at her hands, expecting him to go. But when he didn't walk away, she looked up. "You didn't think I'd go without a 'good-bye', did you?" He asked, bending down and kissing her on the cheek. He straightened back up and smiled at her. He waved and then walked out of sight, whistling. Raven sat there, shocked, burning bright red. She got up a minute later and teetered down the passage, dodging the remaining people in the mall. She ran into someone head on.
"Ouch!" She squeaked, rubbing her head. She looked up to find a grinning JC and a very out of it Keith.
"Sorry..." JC said quickly. "So... how was it?" She asked mischievously.
"Uh... good." Raven said, then grinned. "We are meeting again tomorrow." JC's eyes widened and she scooped up Raven easily into a huge bear hug.
"That's awesome! I knew you two would get along!"
"Hey... um... JC?" Keith muttered.
"What?" She snapped, letting Raven down.
"Can we go now?" He asked, watching the people that were passing them.
"Oh, fine." She said, then lowered her voice to Raven. "I promised him I'd do something with him tonight." She said out of the corner of her mouth and winked. "See you."
"Bye..." Raven said as they walked away. From there she literally floated home and settled in for a good night's sleep.
Raven awoke eagerly. It was already ten by that time, meaning she only had an hour to get ready and down to the park. She jumped out of her bed and took a quick shower, throwing on her clothes. Her heart was hammering, she wanted nothing but to see Robby's face, to feel his touch again...
She flew out of the tower half an hour later, ignoring anyone who attempted to talk to her. She half ran to the park, wanting to get there as she could. She didn't want to keep him waiting, and she didn't want to wait herself. She had taken a watch with her, so she had a sense of time. She burst into the park out of breath. She collapsed on a bench nearby and looked around. Not many people were here yet, and none of them were Robby. The only visible person was a middle aged woman in a jogging suit and walking her three dogs. It was slightly foggy out, and cool. It looked like it might rain again.
Raven kept glancing at the watch nervously. The watch's hand seemed to be moving incredibly slow. She wasn't sure how much longer she could bare this. Eleven o'clock came and passed. She was beginning to feel uneasy around eleven fifteen. Robby, where are you? She thought, turning her head left to right every few minutes. A figure strolled over the grass, but it wasn't Robby. Instead, the person that sat down by her was none other than Robin.
"What are you doing here?" She asked him suspiciously.
"Taking a walk in the park." He said simply. "What are you doing here?"
"... Waiting for someone..." She replied quietly as she glanced at the watch again. She automatically reached up to make sure her hood was secure over her head and face.
"You know..." He started. "I prefer it down..." Raven's eyes widened and she looked at him.
"What...?" She breathed. He smiled at her and took off his eye mask and tried to flatten his hair, but it didn't work that well because of the massive amounts of hair gel he used. He met her gaze with brilliant dark blue eyes... Robby's dark blue eyes. "It was you..." She whispered.
"Yeah... I'd been hanging out with JC and her gang for about a month now... I was pretty surprised when she brought you along yesterday..." He said.
"And... you like me now or what? Or were you just..." Raven choked, no, she couldn't finish that sentence.
"Hey, hey! No. Don't think that way. Raven." He said firmly. He reached out and turned her head toward his. "Raven, whether you've noticed or not... I've liked you for a long time. Normally you wouldn't give me the time of day." He smirked. "But yesterday... I took that as a chance to get closer to you. I really enjoyed it. And... I hope you did too..."
"I... I did." Raven said, looking at him. She looked at those handsome eyes. He looked so... different... and gorgeous without that stupid eye mask on.
"Good..." He whispered. She smiled at him and let herself be pulled into a warm kiss. It was unlike anything she'd ever experienced. It was... unbelievable. Now she knew why JC liked it so much. She laughed to herself as she stayed lip locked with Robin. They finally pulled away.
"So, now I know you're secret identity... Robby." Raven teased.
"Actually, no, it really is Robin. I just don't want everyone I meet to be riled up to know they are speaking with the famous leader of the Teen Titans." Robin said dramatically.
"Ha ha." Raven said sarcastically. He stuck out his tongue at her and she pushed his shoulder playfully. The park filled with their laughter.
I'm... not alone now... even though the perfect person for me was right under my very nose. Oh well, I guess that's how life goes...
