They appeared next to the computer console that Batman and Cyborg were standing at.
"Dude!" Beast Boy squeaked. The black aura surrounding the three heroes disappeared as Raven collapsed, exhausted from all of the action she'd seen recently. Robin caught her before she could hit the floor and carried her to the medical area.
Batman and Batgirl glanced at each other knowingly. "It's late. We should be going," Batman said, slightly eager at the thought of leaving Titans Tower.
"Dude, you can stay the night here if you want. The couches are pretty comfy," Beast Boy said hopefully, ever the sucker for (other) heroes and girls.
Batgirl looked at Batman pleadingly. "Can we? I really don't feel like making the trip back to Gotham tonight." After a short staring match, Batman caved. "All right. We'll stay."
Beast Boy jumped up and down and squealed. "Batman's staying at our place!"
Batman rolled his eyes and headed toward the kitchen. Batgirl smiled at Cyborg and excused herself to Robin's room.
Robin was sitting in a chair next to the hospital bed he had put Raven in. He was now painfully aware that he had a crush on her. It's kind of hard to ignore, he thought sarcastically. Even he couldn't deny the way he freaked out when Raven had contacted them from the Joker's lair. Robin moaned and put his head in his hands. "I like Raven."
"I could have told you that," Batman said from behind him. Robin jumped in surprise. "Bruce! Don't do that!" he said, holding his hand over his heart. Batman walked over and examined Raven's vitals. "She'll be fine. She just needs some rest." Robin stayed silent. "Once upon a time you would have heard me coming," Batman said pointedly. Robin sighed and sat back down. "I know. I'm just-"
"Worried."
"Yeah, that." Robin sighed again. Batman did something that he hardly ever does- he attempted to make conversation. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Robin raised an eyebrow at that. "Um…why not. I have no idea when I started to…like her. Of course, since we work together we can't date, because that would be weird, and it would put people in danger…"
It was Batman's turn to sigh. "I suppose it's my fault you think that way. Richard, I'll never tell you anything like this again, so listen carefully. Go for it. In the line of work we're in, you can't wait and see how things go. You may not have time, as the Joker demonstrated today. Usually working with someone you're with is a bad idea, but who else do you ever see besides the other Titans? Maybe you'll regret it if you don't do anything, and we all know you don't need any more angst."
Robin stared at Batman. That was the longest he had ever heard the Dark Knight say in one sitting in a very long time. Usually when Batman talked so much he knew what he was talking about, and you should generally listen to his advice. "That actually makes sense," Robin said.
Batman did another thing that he hardly ever does- he smiled. "I know. Now go to bed."
Robin was so freaked out by Batman's behavior that he did as he was told without arguing.
Batman stayed with Raven so he could monitor her. It was really late and everyone else was asleep, so he took a chance and pulled his mask of. "That thing gets hot," he mumbled as he went to the computer. "I know what you mean," an emotionless voice said from behind him. Startled, Bruce turned around to see Raven sitting up in her bed. They stared.
Raven broke the silence. "You're Bruce Wayne."
Bruce didn't know what to say to that. He had expected her to stay unconscious for another few hours. He hated being caught off guard. His eyes narrowed. "As far as you're concerned I'm not." Raven couldn't help but roll her eyes. "I'm pretty good at keeping secrets." Bruce raised an eyebrow. "Is that a confession?"
She blushed and glanced away. "You like him too, don't you."
Not much of a question, Raven thought. "I don't have emotions." Her monotonous voice was starting to get on Bruce's- no, Batman's, nerves. "You're not fooling anyone," he snapped. "You feel things just as much as everyone else, you're just afraid to show it."
Raven was shocked that someone spoke so bluntly to her. Maybe it's a good thing that this was the first time she and Batman had met. When she didn't reply he continued. "You have emotions that affect your abilities, so you hide them from your friends- from people who care about you. It doesn't do anyone any good. Swallow your pride and admit that you like him and move on."
Raven snapped out of her stunned silence. "What do you know? You come here for one day and act like you know everything about us. You don't, Batman. Besides, no one likes me." Bruce pulled his mask back on. "That's where you're wrong, Raven." He left the room, his cape billowing out behind him.
"Drama queen," Raven muttered. In truth, what Batman said made sense to her. "What did he mean, I'm wrong?" She was left to think about what the Dark Knight meant for another two hours.
Batgirl and Robin were in his room talking. "If you're sure you like her then why not tell her?" Robin ran a hand through his hair. "Oddly enough, I already had this conversation with Bruce." Barbara raised an eyebrow. "You did?"
"I did, Babs, and he actually made sense…I just don't think Raven likes me."
"How will you know if you never ask her?" Barbara said gently. Dick sighed and flopped back onto his bed. "I won't. Ugh! Why is this so hard?" Barbara smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "Because someone out there thinks it's funny. Don't worry, it won't get any better."
He sat up and looked at her. "Okay, okay. I'm going to go and talk to Raven." He left the room, grumbling under his breath about sneaky redheads.
Raven was meditating when Robin came in to speak with her. "Um, hi Raven." He rubbed his neck nervously, thinking about what he was going to be putting on the line.
She opened one eye and tried not to blush. "Hi."
Robin made no move to speak, so Raven decided to fill the awkward silence. "Thank you for saving me." Robin shuffled his feet, hating himself for being so timid. "You're the one that saved me and Batgirl, so thank you." Raven actually did blush a little this time. "You're welcome."
There were a few more minutes of silence, and then Robin couldn't stand it anymore. "Look, I just wanted to tell you that I…like you," he blurted out. He held his breath and waited for her reaction. Raven fell out of the air and landed on the bed. "You like me?" she asked, forgetting to put on her monotone. Robin bit his bottom lip and nodded, not sure if she was angry or not. Raven stayed silent, wondering if she was dreaming or not. The Joker did hit me in the head earlier, she thought. When Robin coughed nervously and nodded, she realized that this was for real. "Um…I like you too."
Robin felt like singing, extremely glad that he wasn't being rejected. He grinned, but didn't know what to say. Since Robin wasn't making a move Raven took the initiative and glided forward, kissing Robin.
A minute later he broke the kiss and stared into her eyes. "Why the hell did we wait so long?" he asked. Raven gave a small smile and grabbed his hand.
Sorry about that really bad pun, but it just didn't sound right to me any other way. And about the ending…This is really my first shot at an intended romance, so I'm sorry that it wasn't too great. I really do think Robin and Raven are great together, and I just HAD to bring Batman into this, because he's awesome. Anyway, this was the last chapter. Thank you for reading!
The Spooky Mulder