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I Know Kung Fu
by Frost Mage
How the bloody hell did he get so fast? I picked myself up off the ground yet again. He didn't offer his hand, not after the last time when I had pulled him into a surprise headlock. Of course, he had broken out fairly easily. Trying to keep Robin in any sort of hold is like trying to catch smoke.
"You good?" he asked. At least he was being nice, not rubbing it in my face that he was so much better than I.
I knuckled my back, then assumed my stance. "I'm fine. This time, I'm gonna drop you."
He smiled, that gorgeous smile of his breaking my concentration for a second. "Whenever you're ready."
I blinked hard. Focus! Now is not the time! Taking a deep breath, I rushed him. He flowed into my attacks, blocking and dodging with that fluid grace I admired. That was really why I had asked him to teach me martial arts. Whereas my abilities to defend myself without my powers amounted to a kid who'd just watched The Matrix imitating Neo, he was deadly in hand-to-hand, able to take down Cinderblock with his bare hands.
That, and I wanted a chance to see him without his shirt on. Not like I'd ever tell him that, of course. Robin and Starfire had always had a huge thing for each other, though neither of them would admit it, and I didn't want to wreck something that was so obviously bound to happen.
Even if I did have the guts to make a move on him.
Suddenly, he was behind me, and my arms were pinned out to the sides. I strained against the hard muscles of his arms, then relaxed when I couldn't budge him. "Okay, how do I get out of this one?"
"Well, there's not a whole lot you can do to get out of this hold," he said, almost in my ear. I tried vainly to halt the shiver that ran up my spine, feeling his breath on my neck, his scent invading my nostrils. It's not fair for someone to smell so good. "If I pull just a bit..." the tension in my shoulders increased slightly as he gently exerted pressure, "...I could dislocate your arms."
"Please don't," I replied sardonically, trying to keep myself from sounding breathlessly excited.
"Try hooking your foot around my ankle and throwing your weight backwards," he suggested.
I akwardly lifted my foot, trying to do as he said. I found his ankle and yanked my leg forward, pulling his feet right out from under him, along with my own. We both landed on the floor. Somehow, my movement had flipped me over, and I landed on top of him. I boldly straddled his waist, my heartbeat fluttering like a caged bird.
"So, did I reverse it?" My face was inches from his. I could smell him even better now, the hints of toothpaste, hair gel...aftershave? Robin shaves? All mingled with the musky scent of sweat and his own smell. It was like--like--
It was like walking in the woods on a clear winter morning, and the sweetness of pine needles mingles with the crisp scent of new-fallen snow. The sun shining down, not warm enough to melt the snow, but just enough to warm your face to the point where you don't have to wear a hood.
I realized Robin had said something while all this imagery was going through my head. "What?"
"I said, not exactly, but it did work." He grinned again. "You can't lose your focus like that in a fight, Raven." He had rolled me over and was straddling me just as I had been a second ago. "Otherwise this might happen."
"All this practice, and I still can't touch you unless you let me," I grumbled half-seriously.
"You've gotten a lot better, Rae." He replied gently. "But I learned from the best."
Flushing slightly, I shifted under his weight. "Must have been hard to learn all this yourself." I smiled to show him I meant no disrespect to his former mentor.
He laughed then, a rich sound that almost seemed to brighten the room momentarily. He stood up and helped me to my feet. "So, ready to try the staffs again?"
I winced at his mention of fighting with weapons. Last time, I'd nearly broken my ankle tripping over my own staff. But I'd had an idea a while ago that might even the odds a little. I concentrated briefly. "Azerath metrion zinthos," and a shaft of black energy coalesced in my hands.
Robin raised an eyebrow under his mask. "I've never seen that before."
I spun the staff in a figure eight pattern around my body. Since it was made of my power, it was totally weightless, and the fact that it was partially controlled by my mind meant I'd be able to wield it more effectively than any physical weapon. "Maybe I'll be able to keep up with you this way," I said as I held it in the stance he'd showed me.
Robin walked over to a rack on the wall, selecting a long bamboo staff. "Then I'll give you more of a challenge, if you think you're up to it."
"Bring it, Bird-Boy." I grinned challengingly.
His initial attack nearly caught me off-guard, but my staff seemed to move almost of its own volition to block it. We exchanged blows, staffs clacking together, blurring as we swung them. Our battle became a dance, a swift ballet of parry and thrust, feint and block. I could feel sweat dripping down my face. Robin's expression narrowed in concentration, and he picked up the pace of his movements.
Now I was on the defensive. Despite the weightlessness of my weapon, my arms were tiring, and Robin pressed his advantage. In a few seconds, I knew he was going to trip me, or knock my weapon away, or something else that would leave me open, stopping short of a killing blow. I was desparate not to lose this time. I was holding my own, doing so well! I akwardly struck out, trying to catch him off-guard...
My staff collided with his nose with a resounding crack. Robin fell backwards onto his butt, holding his nose. "Ow! Thad hurd!" His voice was muffled by his hands.
I dropped to my knees beside him. "Oh, Robin, I'm sorry!" My face turned crimson. I didn't mean to hurt him! "Here, let me see." I tried to gently pull his hands away.
He obliged, fortunately, removing his hands slowly. Blood was running down his face, and his nose was bent akwardly to the left. "Is id brogen? How does id look?"
I winced. "Yeah, it's broken." Very carefully, I laid my fingers on it. "This will hurt." He steeled himself, knowing what I was about to do. I swiftly bent his nose back into place, focusing my healing ability into it as I did so. Broken bones are no specialty of mine, but this was relatively minor. It looked and felt normal when I took my hand away.
Robin fingered his nose carefully. "Thanks. Guess that staff of yours really does help you keep up."
"I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to..."
"It's okay, I'm fine." He stood up, and I followed suit. "But that's probably enough training for today, huh?" He wiped the blood off of his face with a sweat towel. As he turned to leave the gym, I caught his arm.
"I know this doesn't have anything to do with anything," I began rather lamely, "but I've never seen you without your mask, and I just wanted to know...what color are your eyes?"
He turned to look straight at me, and I turned redder than Starfire's hair. My face felt like it was on fire. Still, he smiled. "You really wanna know?" He reached up to his mask.
I caught his hand before he touched it. "You don't have to do that if you don't want to," I said, hoping with everything in me that he did want to.
I found myself staring into the most intense pair of sapphire blue eyes I had ever seen.