Alright, the last time I did a whole list of singular Thank Yous was chapter 2. So here are all the ones from thereon. I hope I didn't miss anyone and gravely apologize if I do. I am flattered beyond words by your support. No one has ever liked my writing before, so writing this story and my other one have given me new courage to keep writing! Thank you all and now, long list. Skip if you wish, read if you wish, whatever you wish!
Thank yous:
greygin: raven and robin have a solidarity on the team that has always sparked my personal attentions. I'm glad you like them too. Thanks for the kind review.
Arisu Arisugawa: Nah I don't want readers to have to freak out, hehe. I do enough of that on my very own. This isn't 'meant' to be a drama, not like my other one so I'm doing my very conscious best to steer it more toward event-driven, pinning most emotional upheaval to be RobinxRaven centric, for the most part. The other story is not dark but darker than this one, hence the drama edge. I'm aiming more for wit and flair here though. Hope it comes through, even with the twists and whatnot and hope you still like! Very much the thank you for your reviews!
Dark Shadows: hope you got the e-mail! Rematches make the world go round...muahaha...glad you're still enjoying the story!
Meiandu: Thank you. I'm trying hard, even though I am not as focused with the story on the others to keep them acting as they might if placed in such situations, of course every person's take on the various titans is a little different so their takes on what is 'in character' might vary as well, but for the most part I think of Cyborg as the big brother, Beast Boy as the 'class clown' but also 'nice guy' in a way, Starfire as the kind foreigner who will go to extremes to understand what is around her but is greatly upset when she does not understand, Robin as the headstrong leader who does whatever the hell he wants when you get down to it—note his obsessive nature, tendencies, et cetera in the show—and Raven not so much as a goth outcast or loner as someone who understands and therefore appreciates comfortable silence and her personal space, with a stubborn and willful edge of course. Thank you for your reviews!
Sage Raven: As always, thank you! And if you don't know already, hehe, I ADORE your writing. You're an inspiration.
Monito: okie so this one isn't QUITE as romantic, this chapter, but I have some moments in my head I'd like to write into the next chapter or so, so I hope this one is okay and ties you over. thank you very much for reading and reviewing.
Gilraen Luinwe: Raven's got the moves for offense, but she bides her time deciding her strategy and we'll see more of that eventually but as always, obstacles will arise...Thank you for your consistent support, dear! I'm always greatly motivated by such kind encouragement.
xxx.Pyro Eclipse.xxx:accepts cookie: Thank you much. Your reviews make me very enthused about writing this. So um…Update here!
Misha: I am flattered! Thank you. There are quite a good number of amazing Raven and Robin stories, better than mine, but I am sincerely glad you are liking my fic. I really appreciate that!
Neverwinter: chapters more, here. Thank you for the review, and taking the time to do so. (:grateful:)
Teen Titans Obsessor: I OBSESS too. (grins) Thank you very much! I have thusly continued and hope you enjoy this next chapter.
SilverBlueEmpath: wow...(head spins) Thank you for ALL your reviews! You are so nice to take the time. And no worries about rambles or whatnot. I do them all the time and mine are reallyyyyyyyyy bad. Haha.
Tecna: I rule? (big evil grin) the world? Hmmm...okay I don't. sigh. Heh. That aside, HUGE THANKS for your reviews and support of 'winner takes all'.
Final Fight: I super appreciate your reviews, Final Fight. Thank you for reading this story and I hope it continues to hold your interest.
AinoMinako: MMmm, well things cool down a bit now even though I guess that was a cliffhanger, but I hope it's still okay, interesting at least! My ego is very grateful for the reviews, AinoMinako.
Sunshine: wow. That's a huge compliment. I really myself do not mind Robin and Starfire, but I have difficulty finding their dynamic as a writer. In any case, thank you so much. It is always a great surprise and gift to me when someone who usually or for the most part, supports RobxStar or RaexBB still tells me they find my writing interesting, even if it isn't their favorite coupling. Thank you so much. You're very kind.
mysti-eyed: Ah the progression is difficult because clearly we've established mr. traffic light is on the offense but Raven is neither on defense nor offense so it's hard sometimes for me to figure how she might react or act but I think it came out okay too! Thank you for reviewing so nicely.
LaDyPnAi: I have continued! (hops around in a circle)
HermioneGranger22491: That is an enormous compliment considering there is a multitude of other better written ones, but I accept it with a huge smile and endless thanks! You made my day.
Anaroka: aw, that's not dirty. Just human. Don't worry. I think this story has actually got quite a few people who like it (I'm still surprised since I've been told for years how much my writing sucks haha) which I am grateful for—the kind reviews are super encouraging.
Lady Sonora the Black-Rose: Still can't get over how cool your penname is. Anyway, thank you for the review and the cookies! I hope this update didn't take too long and hope it is to your liking.
Xyteron: Thank you. I am attempting to write a little more fluidly and while I have not yet read 'childhood games' your review sparked my interest so after work tonight I shall have something to look forward to reading!
icegirlz13: continued, I have. oh yoda influence...okie, anyway thank you for taking the time to review, as always.
RedRover3173: you always review! Thank you so much. That means the world to me. I myself try to review every chapter of the stories I read when I like them but I slip up and sometimes am too lazy. So I really admire and appreciate your show of support. Thank you a thousand times!
pureangel86: here's what happens next and of course, a thank you to you for reviewing.
my alter-ego: AH! (hops up and down) I know I'm repeating myself now but I am so serious when I say that your kind of review is always a pleasant surprise. It lets me know that even if it isn't the starlit couple of a person's favor, a story can still interest a person, favorite pairing aside. That is an intense complimentary review and I thank you for it, and for taking the trouble to produce an alter-ego to review it at all!
Celestial Chaos: I do need continued support, my ego is a ridiculous and heinous beast which is probably why my teachers and other peers never liked my writing haha, they said it wasn't very good so I'm always doubting myself. Thank you for providing said support though; it means a lot to me.
evilsangle: thank you! Disclaimer. I shall remember. Ah coffee...I must...thank you for the review and I'll lay off the coffee once I locate my green tea.
Shattered Eyes: I think in a couple fics I've read that he always DOES wear his mask in the shower but I thought about the impracticality of it all and how Robin's character tends to function and how IF he were in such a situation, if he TRULY felt at risk, he would place it on AFTER the shower. As it is, part of the idea behind it is that he can sense if Raven's near or not through their bond and so he probably was still lax in his attention to such a thing—an abnormality, but a possibility nonetheless. Thank you for the review and sorry I babbled. I explain way too much sometimes...silly me. bLargh.
Yorick: thank you much! (smiles)
arielkid78: also thank you much. (smile grows)
karmarox: oh the happy medium, how I chase it with pens at hand and paper in my pocket...um. yeah. Haha. Okay shut up me. Thank YOU for the review and the compliment. I am grateful.
Allie: thank you very much for reviewing and here is chapter five.
Darkofthenight: Glad you liked it. Hope you still do. And thank you!
Jane: I understand this gets a little insincere sounding once I have done several versions of simple gratitude, but I must continue and hope you know I do mean it: thank you for the review. As one might suppose, the time a person takes to submit one of simple encouragement is a great motivation to keep on writing.
DivineRose2392: LONG silly list but all you people deserve it and so much more for being so patient and reviewing to remind me that people enjoy the story. Thank you and I wish I could do more, but hopefully this chapter is sufficient until the next chapter. Let me know.
HighFlyer09: nine is my favorite number. And off of that random note, thank you for your review/ support!
Devyn Thompson: Ah well in the comics his eyes are definitely blue, so um, there you go. Hehe. I adore the striking look black hair and blue eyes gives though, so I am biased and even if there are several accounts disputing the blueness of his orbs, I would have taken artistic license upon myself... I am glad you are reading my story and hope it continues to interest you!
Chica De Los Ojos Cafe: THANK YOU!
AuroraMikayla: I KNOW! See, I think most people forget that while Robin is both analytical and often portrayed as relatively reserved because he is 'the leader' compared to the others, he IS aggressive and stubborn as Hell, a sparking similarity to our dear empath that would, in my opinion, become thusly apparent in a given situation. Thank you for the review and I am glad you agree with my take on an aggressive approach for our dear god of the hair gel...haha.
DITZY: Continued! Thanks for reviewing.
chiba-wafu: your review is very much appreciated! (big smile)
Miss A. LaRosa: thank you, Miss!
Cherry Jade: As always you are most fantastic, Cherry Jade and your reviews are ever pleasing and encouraging, as well as motivating for me to get the next chapter out as soon as I can. Your support is entirely awesome and I thank you.
Trinity: Thank you! I am glad you liked it and I shall do my best to restrain myself from beating my head on various things when I get writer's block haha...thank you for caring, Miss T.
The Sacred Heart 2: I KNOW! Hope you're liking it still. There's some Raven and Robin in this one, less than the last but more in the next on the up side, this one is set-up and also furthering of plot to come. Hope it keeps your interest!
Raven42431: Thank you! A couple words can and do often mean the world to me. I think people get the idea a review must be long or something to be worth it, but that's not true and I am glad that you seem to agree. Asking for an update is as encouraging as anything else and I'm grateful you took the time to tell me you're interested! Thank you again.
Ravens-Rage: I am very glad you like it so far! THANK YOU!
notyouraverageblond: Thank you very much.
kp'k': Heh. I say that all the time. Thank you!
Darkofthenight: My gratitude goes out to you! Okay, that's just a euphemism for thank you but it looks shoddy writing it three times in a row, haha. I care about each review very much and I'm about at my wit's end trying to come up with new creative ways to make each thank you specific.
Tiny: I am glad you stumbled on my stories as well. Your reviews are very kind. Thank you very much and hopefully chapter five is up to par!
lolopixie: Thank you for the 'favorite' and you flatter me when you compliment my writing! Thank you so much. This fic and my other one are the first things I've written in a couple of years. I stopped writing before because my instructors did not approve of my 'creative writing' because it was 'nonsense' but now I'm out of school and going to college where they are not so nit picky. Having gotten into teen titans only recently, I was inspired and thought I'd try my hand at it. I've been on for a while and I'm glad to be an active part of it finally. Heh.
artemisgirl: thank you for your extremely nice review. Your words mean a lot to me and I am really glad you think it isn't too forced; I've had my reservations about how the two birds act and how they might not, but I really wanted to draw attention to several things in this story without actually saying so. First, that they are teens and things are BOUND to happen. Second that raven and robin have a chemistry I've yet to see rivaled in recent television that has a subtle edge of depth, which I adore. I'm glad you think so too and am very grateful for you review. Thank you so much.
animefreak404112: I am glad it is to your liking and I am thankful for your review. Heh. Your penname reminds me of myself. I could be described as such…(has own evil bout of laughter)
Ranger117: (fanfare) thank you and here is chapter five. Thanks for the encouragement.
realfanficts: (yelps) eep. Um, here is chapter five…um , hope you like it? (hides) thank you for the review!
Dorker: ah yes, this will actually be explained, his 'experience' but not in this chapter. Thank you for taking time to review.
Magicallyness: Raven's sarcasm is an art form I am attempting to capture, PAINSTAKINGLY, I might add. She's just so witty with it and I want to do her justice...ah, I hope you like this chapter. There's not as MUCH banter as I would have liked but one must break from good things for them to remain interesting I guess. Thank you for the review and also, yes, I enjoy making Robin's charming arrogance prominent in this. It's usually only obvious when they're fighting the bad guys, but in theory, it would come across if he was trying to woo someone too, right?
chibi playing with fire: ah! Thank you for the picket line! That's awesome.
cute-battery: I like the change too. I mean I've seen it before, not saying I'm an absolute original by any means (shakes head) but given the two options, I prefer him going after her since I doubt Raven would ever pursue such a thing, being who she is, completely of her own volition. Persuasion is a necessity, yes?
Whiteraven: more is here! Thank you for the review!
turq: thank you for reviewing and hope you like this next chapter!
lil runt: it's damn hot where I am and unfortunately it's got nothing to do with my story...sigh. stupid summer. I hate the sun...haha, getting off topic anyway, thank you for the review and I am glad that chapter wasn't too long. I hope this one is okay too. As for cat fights, I don't see it in their nature because in truth, I see the friendship of Star and Rae to be something understated but steadfast and in being true to Star's character, I do not think where Raven is concerned she would give into a catty nature. It's not like she's dealing with (shudders) KITTEN after all...ewwww. anyway, thank you again for your review and hope this chapter is good too for you.
Unforeseen: Your review was very solid and supportive and it truly lifted my writer's spirit today! Thank you so much and I hope this chapter continues to hold your interest.
M.I.A. Since 85: I shall be kind to her. I like Starfire and her behavior truly calls for kindness toward her character. I am glad you like the story and thank you for reviewing.
d: um, who are you please? (confused)
chiclet2021: SUPER DUPER THANK YOU. I am very happy you liked chapter three and hope chapter 5 is as enjoyable.
Riyonae: I am the KING of typos, yes, KING...a queen is too smart for me...haha...anyway, thank you for your awesome review and here is chapter 5.
erinnn: here is the update and I thank you for your review!
morgan000: here it is. Thank you for taking time to tell me you were interested in an update!
KenshinGal128: I am glad you do! Hope you still do after this chapter!
Holy crap. Tell me that's all of you. Please. I'll feel really bad if I missed anyone but that took up 12 pages...okay. On the bright side, I think by now you all know how much your support/reviews are appreciated, and that has not changed. Let me know what you think if you have a moment, at any time!
So, without further ado, chapter 5.
Winner Takes All
Chapter Five: A Little Friendly Competition
She found herself dreadfully aware of his weight on her again, of their proximity and all too focused on the fact that neither of them even tried to speak. They only lay there, bodies pressed together in what in the light of a normal room, would be considered very, very compromising.
Raven found herself thinking the dark was a traitorous thing for letting her get so carried away but had little time to continue to think on that as she felt Robin's finger sweeping delicately under her jaw, a feathered touch. She felt his thumb caress her lips softly and she parted them instinctively as he drew his head down to hers again.
Such distraction...
There was something of an explosive noise from beyond the closed door of the research room, followed by outraged cries from both Beast Boy and Cyborg, as well as a startled yelp from Starfire.
They broke apart and Raven took the moment her lips were freed to curse like a sailor—not that she had ever met a sailor, but she assumed it was just as bad. The state of affairs certainly called for it. To her chagrin, Robin seemed as unfazed as she was upset and therefore, not deterred in the least.
"I'm thinking the only way to control your emotions now Raven, is to experience them," he whispered in a tone that would have been less convincing if the empath didn't already want to believe him.
Wait...she wanted to believe him? Oh no...
She could have slapped herself.
Damn, damn, and damn.
She let her eyes wander to Robin who returned the look.
His mask was off still, eyes still heated with their recent activity. She knew she must look similarly flustered and, though it was probably a silly thing to do, she drew her cape around her closely and firmly shut her eyes, turning away. Robin repressed a sigh. Out of the moment, Raven, it seemed, would continue to throw up walls around her...walls he still intended to scale, no matter how long it took. Thusly resolved, he plucked the fallen mask from the ground and placed it over his eyes again.
"Yo, Robin! You still got power in there? Everything's out as far as I can see," Cyborg's voice rocketed through the closed door. Robin stood to open it and Raven felt his lips as he gently placed a kiss on each of her closed eyes before he crossed the room. Realizing he was about to open the door, she did not leave but dove behind one of the remaining mountains of paperwork, hoping her cloak blended in with the accentuated darkness of a powerless room.
"Yeah, nothing here either. Can we fix it?" Robin asked, as if nothing was going on.
"Well, yeah, but I just can't figure out what did it," Cyborg scratched his head, "Usually the only kind of thing that can cause this is a big storm but there isn't a cloud in sight! Or Raven," he added thoughtfully and peered in past Robin. "You make her angry or something?" Robin shook his head plainly.
"Nope. I know better," he grinned that care-free grin and shrugging, Cyborg nodded and went to check the main power source. In front of the dead television, Starfire was trying to calm an enraged Beast Boy.
"I just made it to the toughest level and ZAP!" the changeling practically bawled and then, opting for further sympathy, changed into a kitten to have Starfire placate him by stroking his back kindly, which she did with patience. Robin shook his head. Truly, they were a ragtag bunch. Turning back in, the door whooshed shut behind him. He let his eyes readjust to the pitch blackness, making out the couple of stacks of research left and noticed the edge of a cloak peaking out from between two of them.
"You can come out now. He's gone," Robin said and there was a shifting noise as Raven peered untrustingly around the corner of a pile.
"How can you act so calm?" she asked, frantic and confused. If she had not known—and boy did she know—what had just happened she would never have suspected a thing. He stood there like it was any other day, like nothing had happened, like everything was peachy. Like Hell I'm gonna let him get away with that impassive act after that fiasco, she thought angrily.
"Because I know how I feel," he said calmly, her anger deflating instantly at his genuine tone.
Damn it all, was it too much for him to let her be livid with him, for one moment? She blinked back some of her antagonism, focusing on calming herself, vaguely aware of the renewed danger she was putting the tower's remaining electricity and functionality in.
Noticing her indignant expression mixed with her attempt to recompose herself, Robin's lopsided smile returned, to Raven's further aggravation.
Okay, two moments?
"You stole my fury," she said finally and settled for huffing.
"I gave up petty theft," Robin grinned at her, alluding to the Red X fiasco with more lightness than ever before. He probably would not have done so if he had known the events of the upcoming evening but he was not precognitive. So he kept on grinning at her, a little too cocky for her tastes.
At least he was a decent three feet away from her still. That helped.
A little.
Of course, there was the small problem of her flustered state, the small problem of her wanting more of what had just transpired and kicking herself in the shins mentally for wanting it at all, the small problem that was her and Robin.
"What are we?" she asked. Raven bit her lower lip in an unconscious effort to keep her emotions in check while still seeking solidarity in a single question.
"What do you want us to be?" he matched her; a smirk for a scowl, an easy silence for a perturbed one, an honest question for an impossibly vague one.
"You know," Raven sidestepped his response and said, "I actually miss the light in here, not that there was much." Well, that wasn't exactly what she meant. What meant was that she wanted the protection offered by the visibility the glow of the flat screens would provide.
As if on cue, there was a sparking noise and a bleeping and the machines in the room whirred with life again, the screen flickering back on, Slade's face appearing from a cutout Robin had scanned in to apply weakness and strength stats to.
From through the walls they heard a distinct "BOOYAH!"
They shared a couple of wry smiles.
"I won't change my mind, Raven," he told her, the flicker of the screen with his mortal enemy on it playing background to his stubborn visage. She found the combination of his seriousness and the viciousness of Slade on the screen to have the same effect as a thousand pounds of lead being dropped on her.
And when she said nothing, finding nothing that seemed right to say, Robin accepted the quiet again and went to reorganizing the now badly disarrayed piles of new research.
Raven frowned slightly and busied herself doing much the same thing as Robin, as she considered his proclamation, finding that she both hated his candor and envied his conviction.
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A while later, her disposition had, of course, not changed in the least.
"What kind of fool claims to know how they really feel anyway?" she muttered to herself later when she retired to her haven, having ordered Robin out of the researching room to do anything but research. The door barely shut behind her before she held out a hand and several impressive volumes of various writings shuffled reluctantly out of her unorganized piles. Eyeing them with some distaste, Raven set her chosen readings for the evening in a neat stack at the foot of her bed and took a moment to remedy the mess on the other end of her room, papers and more books and objects all askew. While she was in no way the 'neat freak' she had christened Robin once after seeing his room some time ago, she did like her things to have places they belonged.
It didn't take long and soon she levitated comfortably above her bed, letting her mind thumb blandly through the pages of the middle sized book while her actual thumb flipped through a smaller volume and the largest floated dormant behind her. There was a part in one of these books she wanted to find but she could not for the life of her remember which it was or at what point it might be in any of her less than arbitrary choices.
This was easier than contemplating her questionable feelings for the last remaining flying Grayson. Against her better judgment, a small smile graced her lips at the thought of his real name that only she knew, of the titans anyway. No one was there to see the softness of her lip's upward curve, or they might have suspected her of being in love.
Raven told herself she didn't do love. She wasn't allowed.
With a sneaking suspicion that her subconscious was laughing at her with an infuriating amount of hilarity, Raven set herself once again to strictly looking for that section of writing that might tell her how Slade had so inconveniently controlled and smothered her power.
She desperately wanted to void her mind of needless distraction and tumultuous emotional upheaval that could only result in an exploding game station or the repeat of the T tower's power outage.
So, when two blue eyes kept showing up in her vision unbidden, masked and smirking, she dove impatiently inside her mind and threatened a pink caped version of herself with a week of solitary confinement. As a result, with a somewhat vexed if playful giggle, it retreated to a place of Nevermore that helped Raven to put that part of her aside for now. If a yellow caped Raven rolled her eyes and looked down her nose at normal Raven, normal Raven did her best not to notice. Likewise, she pointedly ignored the knowing smirk of Cleverness (sometimes called Smug when she got particularly catty) as she exited the warlike mirror to the normalcy of her room.
She exhaled.
Much better.
Hours later, Raven was about to give up on her fruitless search for answers concerning the strange containment devices Slade had conjured up when a soft knock came at her door. Couldn't be Cyborg; he had too much bulk to be so quiet. Beast Boy would have pounded—well, that or transformed himself into something Starfire would call cute and fluffy and meowed through the wall until she opened it. Robin would have said her name right away. So that only left...
The knock came again, a little less hesitant this time.
"Starfire," Raven greeted evenly as she opened her door to the bright eyed Tameranian.
"Friend Raven, do you have time? I would like to have the speaking of privacy with you," Starfire requested softly and Raven had a sinking feeling she knew what it was.
Without a word she stepped aside and the unusually subdued redhead flew quickly in, as though fearful of being caught doing something she should not.
"What is it Star?" Raven did her best to actually sound caring; the occasion seemed like it might require it and she didn't need Starfire thinking she was heartless just because she was toneless.
"It is about friend Robin," Starfire began and Raven bit her tongue hard to remind herself not to roll her eyes in frustration. That would certainly be taken the wrong way. Starfire continued, aware of the tension but unaware as to the exact reason for it. "This afternoon I did the offering of my services of assistance to him concerning his hunt for the man named Slade. However, he turned me away. He did this twice and I did not ask again for fear of it becoming thrice since thrice is a bad omen on my planet." Star paused here and when Raven only continued to meet her eyes in silence she asked: "Have I angered friend Robin?"
Oh Star, Raven thought with a gentleness she was unaccustomed to feeling. She kicked herself, or would have if it hadn't been terribly awkward to actually carry out. Poor Tameranian, Raven mused. Robin could never be 'angry' at you.
"No, Starfire. He's not angry with you at all. He just wanted to do it alone," Raven realized her mistake the moment the last word left her mouth. Starfire's green eyes gazed at her levelly, a flicker of abnormal light noticeable around her irises.
It might have been hurt. It might have been envy.
It might have been quite a bit of both.
"But friend Raven, Robin was not alone," Star did not need to say who had been with him. They were smart girls. They knew what was at hand here.
"Star..." for once, Raven Roth did not know what to say. This was not the place for witty remarks. Luckily, she didn't need them.
The red lights flared and the alarm panicked itself into a tizzy.
"Titans, the docks, west pier," Robin's voice came over their com links and Starfire, after sharing a glance with Raven that insinuated finishing this conversation later, hurried out the door at his voice, catching up with Beast Boy who bounded down the hall. Closing her eyes, Raven felt her hood materialize over her and followed suit.
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"Titans, we need to split up. Star, fly through the moored ships and check those out. Beast Boy, take the docks and the landing. Cyborg, take the first warehouse; I'll take the second; Raven take the last. Titans, GO!"
And they were off before the last word left his mouth.
Raven phased through the wall of the warehouse, not seeing much point in a door she had no need of. It was a reasonably large building made of concrete, typical. Careful to take in everything around her, she zipped through the many boxes and things and shelves to see if anyone was there. The dark of the one huge room was only slightly illuminated by the dim glow of the moon through one uppermost window in a corner and that was where she found the one who had gotten them all dragged out here at this unseemly hour.
"How's life treating you, gorgeous?" A familiar silhouette flipped casually to land in front of her, skull mask blaring at her as he blocked a kick she threw at him—instinct from her most recent training that consisted of honing her almost nonexistent physical skills. .
"X," she glowered and wasted no time in heaving boxes of whatever at the agile thief.
"Whoa, simmer there doll face," he laughed and dodge as a particularly nasty mass of black energy sent some metal parts his way.
"My name is Raven," she reminded him none too lightly and dove at him, blasts of energy preceding her. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!"
"I know that," Red X tossed an X at her casually to bind her mouth but she was at least as good as he was at evasive techniques and she dodged without trouble.
"What are you doing here anyway?" she spat, eyes glowing the eerie white of a brink on her stronger power.
"Running an errand, delivering a message, tedious things really. Though I had hoped I might run into you," he said as calmly as if they were fast friends. She bit back a toneless laugh of derision at the very notion. She could feel his smirk even if she couldn't see it.
"What?" she asked after a few minutes, irritated with his smug silence.
"You stopped attacking me," X observed handily and ducked as several steel crowbars went sailing clean over his head. "Right. Next time I think I'll keep that to myself," he said thoughtfully.
"Who are you working for?" Raven tried an approach she imagined Robin might have gone with.
"You should know better, pretty," he reversed his flip and landed behind her, securing her arms soundly behind her back. "I don't work for anyone but myself."
"Again, my name is Raven," she said venomously and then as an afterthought she quipped, "Just looking out for number one." X seemed pleased, taking her use of his own catch phrase to mean that he was memorable.
Even to her.
"I had no idea I was quotable!" he mocked but became excessively wary as she fazed out of his hands, ten feet in front of him.
"You aren't. It's just something that describes the kind of person you are," Raven clarified. One of the last things she needed was for this pompous idiot to think he was held in any remote form of good regards in her head. Her power lashed out at him.
"I get the feeling it wasn't a compliment then," he replied lazily. "I'm hurt," he chuckled with a carelessness that suggested the exact opposite, and tossed something at her she could not identify.
The explosion that followed its connection with the ground spoke for itself as part of a concrete divider collapsed down on her.
Raven groaned and cursed the masked men of the world. They were positively nothing but trouble for her. Rubble shifted off of her as she moved, trying to push off a rather heavy slab of concrete off of her until she swore with a God-give-me-strength expression and simply fazed out from under it. She needed to clear her head...
"I've decided you don't fight fair," X conversed with her as she situated herself from t he crumpled heap on the floor to one of barely there dignity, floating above it. "Not everyone can manage that convenient little fazing technique."
"Like you would know anything about fairness," she squared with him.
"Good point," he acquiesced and with an alarming speed dove down off of his perch on a ledge against the wall and brought her down with him, pinned under his arms that restrained her.
"You always have to prove a point," she muttered darkly.
"Same as you," he echoed some of her earlier words and eyed her casually for a moment. "You really are something. It was hard to tell last time, since you know, you were unconscious and all that."
"And I wonder whose fault that was," she said with trademark sarcasm that X was surprised could be expressed with her equally monotone quality as she alluded to their last encounter, some time ago.
Their eyes opened a staring contest and the pause that ensued was not quite awkward but not comfortable either as Raven ceased to struggle and Red X loosened his grip in an odd show of solicitousness.
More might have been said, but fate wasn't up to it that night it seemed.
"X!" Robin yelled, more to get his creation's attention than anything else and only when the masked face turned to his own did he notice the form beneath him…Raven.
"Step away from her ya sleazebag!" Cyborg ordered, leveling his cannon at their resident bandit in the night. Beast Boy in the form of a tiger growled unhappily; the position the two were in from where the other titans stood was less than pleasing and more than a little compromising.
"That looks like my cue, sweets," X commented, arrogant as ever, and to Raven's combined shock and anger and something else, he traced a finger beneath her jaw lightly before kissing her.
"X!" Robin's voice careened through the air, livid, and as if timed and tuned exactly to his imminent fury, five rather large bundles of cargo set to be shipped the next day exploded into unidentifiable smithereens. That was, of course, Raven's powers getting thrown for a loop, but one couldn't deny the unmistakable effect it gave Robin's warning shout, directed of course, at his once alter, alter- ego.
It was over in less than a minute: the strangely gentle gesture, the kiss, Robin's anger, the explosion and then Red X's venerable escape through that single window in the corner of the house. Starfire shot out the window after him and the others dashed back out the door the way they came, hot on the invisible trail.
Raven followed at a somewhat slower pace and absently ran her fingers over her lips. The kiss had not been a hard one but it had not been a soft one either, enough to bruise slightly but not enough to make her breathless, which she knew was not his intent, in any case.
Who knows what anyone's intent is anyway? She admitted, frowning and took off with new speed toward the others.
She got to the top of one of the buildings nearest the pier to catch the ends of what sounded like a heated argument as he and Robin dueled—one fueled by amusement, the other by severe irritation. The others were otherwise occupied with strange bots that reminded Raven greatly of Slade, but they were not his trademark cronies, so she hesitated to connect the two, even as she joined the fray with glowing eyes and a taste for her enemy's destruction.
She was sick of being toyed with tonight and with a vengeance, she let the bots know it. Witness to one of her more unyielding attacks, Beast Boy found himself appreciating the fact that he was not on her bad side tonight. Cyborg just shook his head and Starfire yelped as some of Raven's energy nearly grazed her.
"Sorry Star," Raven grumbled, throwing more bots telepathically to their junkyard worthy fates.
Meanwhile, the two evenly matched and masked young men battled each other, their conversation linking their movements like something choreographed out of a book.
"You're rather possessive," X taunted as he very nearly suffered losing his head—or at least breaking his neck—ducking a powerful swipe from Robin's bow staff.
"Protective," Robin bit out, continuing his attack.
"Ah, so she isn't yours after all," the blithe young man's eyes lit anew with something Robin felt a distinct revulsion to. "Honestly I think her color scheme goes better with mine anyway," he grinned.
"Stay away from her," Robin spat. At this point, he was so wrapped up in his fight with Red X, he didn't realize how loudly he had said that. Green eyes framed by red locks stared at him questioningly.
Cyborg and Beast Boy's heads turned sharply as if to say, "Say what?" which they did.
Raven, for her part, continued to bash bots into concrete until they were nothing but unfixable parts, fully aware of what was being said and fully intending to ignore it.
"It's not like you've got your name on her or anything," X smirked and added, "What's the matter Robin? Afraid of a little friendly competition?" At this, the leader of the titans chanced a look at the empath who chanced a look in their direction at the same time.
Amethyst met hidden blue and a smug look tugged at Robin's lips as he turned back to X, "I don't do fear." He leapt at his opponent, red tingeing his vision.
"Cyborg, Beast Boy, Starfire, a little help?" Raven grunted as she barely avoided a bot smashing into her side. Jolted out of the confusion they had just witnessed and would undoubtedly ponder and question about later, they ran to assist.
"Tell me who you are working for," Robin said. X rolled his eyes behind his mask. Birds, he thought in mild amusement, laced with annoyance at their similar take on things.
"She asked the same thing and I didn't give her a straight answer. What makes you think you're any different?" X asked, clearly interested in what the bird boy's answer might be.
"It wasn't a request," Robin replied and struck out at X. It was aimed for his nose but he turned barely in time, getting it on the right side of his masked face instead. X rubbed his jaw ruefully.
"Actually I know the difference," he paused and could feel Robin resizing the situation as more bots piled onto the rooftop and the others began to seem overwhelmed, "She's a lot hotter than you are, no offense," he added with a smirk. "I just don't swing that way," and he flipped off the edge of the building, landing with cat's grace. Robin seethed. "Your friends look like they could use a hand," X laughed and melted into the shadows as Robin, thoroughly disgruntled and more irate than ever, threw himself into the mess of machines, bow-staff twirling like mad.
They won of course.
But no titan returned that night without considerable scrapes and bruises, all of which were treated in the med room.
Except for Raven. She insisted she would heal herself in her own way and Cyborg, a big brother with a knack for knowing when to just say 'okay' to the dark girl, relented. The empath retired to her room for the second time that day, now evening, wanting to avoid the uncomfortable stares three of the other titans sent her way, and Robin's.
X's taunting words had been heard by all of them.
Raven made a mental note to give him five unhealthy helpings of Hell for his untimely and unwarranted remarks--not to mentionthe kiss--and sighed, her bangs blowing off her forehead and then settling back to curtain her eyes, accentuating her mood of brooding.
Things were getting just a little too sketchy for her liking.
So here's the grand entrance of Red X. I had planned to have him show up next chapter, but sometimes these characters start running circles around me and I have no choice but to give in. In his case, he kept laughing at me in my head until I worked him in here. You all have probably inferred that he is a bigger part in this story than is let on in this chapter, so I guess it's fair enough warning. Hope no one has anything against him. I rather like the persona of Red X.
Thank you for reading and see you next chapter. Hope this one was okay. A little less banter but I'm working on a rather wit-driven one next, I think. Or at least moments.
-Rei