Authors's Note: You didn't think I forgot all about Robin/Raven, did you? Spurred on by the news about the Teen Titans movie, I'll be livening things up around here. Meaning I'll be continuing old series and starting new one. Hopefully.
In any case, this fanfic is set a week or so after The Beast Within. The original idea did not come from me, it came from a friend of mine at the Forbidden Love forum. It's kinda short because it was done for a TT500 challenge.
Some people develop strange habits when they're nervous.
He was resting in a rather grim position, the kitchen counter beneath his chin. In front of his nose was a pleasant bowl of fruit, designed to make the room more welcome and cheery, but only made it smell rotten. A small, useless chunk of air exploded from his mouth, deepening his chin in the counter.
Then she walked in.
Something within him made his heart jump start. Something made his body feel hotter, sweat warming his palms.
Raven.
He leapt to his feet like a rabbit on a trampoline, desperate to appear casual and preoccupied, instead of having been memorizing the design on the side of the bowl.
And thus, out of instinct, his hand grasped something round, juicy, and rather soft to the touch. He had a chance to glance at it before planting both feet on the ground, standing at attention to the team's sorceress.
An orange.
He didn't even like the things. And here he was, holding it in his hand like it was the most natural thing in the world- even though it wasn't, and actually looked quite dumb.
Eye contact. Raven's instantly got colder, causing a stifling wave of guilt to wash over Robin's body. The silence they now shared was more painful than any villain's assault.
"Look..." He began.
"Save it." Shut out without mercy.
"It's honestly not what you think, Raven. You know I wouldn't do something that stupid without a reason." Desperate flurry of words flew from his lips.
"I suppose. While your actions are idiotic, they're never without reason."
"Are you going to listen, then?"
"Depends on what you're going to tell me."
Pain. Nothing but pain.
No pain, no gain, right? He was so tired, drunken thoughts poured into his mind. His fists were still flying, hitting the bag with equal force, but Robin could feel that they had no life in them. HE had no life in him. He was running on pure brain power, and even now it was one it's last drop of energy.
Every muscle in his body- from his arms to his eyelids- was tensed and strained, nearly ripped beyond repair. But he had been pushing himself for hours, days, and he wasn't going to stop now. His body was on autopilot. He couldn't stop the motion even if he tried.
But he needed to. He hadn't eaten. He hadn't rested. He had put his absolute all in this fatal workout. If he didn't stop soon, he would push his heart too far.
"Robin!" A yell. Raven.
He was blacking out. She was running towards him, and he was still punching...punching...it was all he knew how to do.
When she tore him away from the piece of equipment, his hands still flung themselves forward. He was pushing away air.
"Robin? Stop!" More yelling. Raven's hands grasped his wrists, wrapping herself around his trembling, deteriorating body as a last-ditch attempt to put his nerves in a state of serenity. She wiped away tears of agony from his eyes he hadn't known existed.
The last thing he felt was her body heating his own. And then...black.
His muscles had barely survived the trauma, thanks to Raven.
"When Adonis came to the Tower to attack you, I got so angry. I thought, "How dare he come and steal her right from under my nose!" It sent fire to the depths of my bones to have him snatch you from me. I thought it was obvious that it would be my personal duty to see to it that he be brought down. But then Beast Boy saved you...and it felt like I was a child again, watching my parents fall...and I couldn't save them because it was beyond my limitations, even though I had set them so high. It was like having all this fury inside you, only to have it taken away, leaving you empty. I can't stand the thought of being unable to keep you safe, Raven. Even though Beast Boy had really been doing the right thing in the end, I blamed him for taking what I wanted to do."
Swallow. Continue again.
"I think that I knew Beast Boy was innocent the whole time. I was so hard on him because I was angry at him- angry at myself. Because I could never protect you the way he did. And that's why I nearly killed myself working out. I wanted to get stronger, so if it happened again, I could help you. I guess I just wanted to so badly...I overdid it."
Finished. Her eyes were clouded over, in thought. Slowly, she lifted her hand slightly, and Robin felt the orange in his hand being freed from his grasp. He let go, wondering where she was going with this. He didn't know she liked oranges.
Plop. The orange landed squarely in her palm. She examined it for a moment, massaging it, letting its unique texture run over her fingers. Robin wondered if she forgot about him when...
WHAM.
Raven had chucked the orange straight at Robin's forehead.
Even though he was Batman's apprentice, the boy was only human. You don't expect people to throw oranges at you. It struck its target, the force of the impact sending him hurtling toward the ground. She's got good aim...
"Now look here, Robin. I'm not your damsel, waiting to be rescued. I'm not ASKING you to protect me. You're my teammate. That's what teammates do. I can take care of myself most of the time- but if I do need help once in a while, you aid me because I would do the same for you. Not because you have to be macho." Words were absorbed and understood. A harsh lesson, but one Robin knew he needed to learn.
"But whenever I am in trouble, I wouldn't want anyone else defend me besides you. Your rescue me like Beast Boy and Starfire can't. You have a sort of...gentleness and intimacy. You make being put in a life-and-death situation that much better. So...thanks." A soft addition to her lecture. She leaves, a quick snap of her cloak signaling the end of conversation.
Robin picked up the forgotten orange and, ever-so delicately, began to peel off the outer skin. He thought he didn't like these things, but at the moment nothing ever tasted so sweet.