…..
"We're going to miss you." Nurse Camila said, sadly smiling, "You certainly were a ray of sunshine here."
The twenty-one-year-old superhero pulled on his sneakers and bit back a laugh. "Ray of sunshine? You liked listening to my complaining and walking me to a cramped toilet?"
She protested, "You never complained! Compared to the grizzly old men and screaming rugrats, yes, you were a ray of sunshine."
This time Robin did laugh and she added with a compassionate tone, "I hope you don't plan on coming back here anytime soon."
"No, I don't think so. I will miss you serving me on Jello night though."
She was compelled to give this young man who resembled her teenage son a big bear hug when Room 364's door jarred open. A hint of fragrance wafted into their nostrils. To Robin, it was darker than Starfire's strawberry perfume and the sandalwood the routine nurses wore. He reached out to slip an arm around a slim waist, climbing to his feet.
"Someone dressed fancy today," he pointed out.
"It's a special occasion," Raven answered with a patient tone. The nurse had observed that the violet-haired woman had donned herself in a long, swishy skirt and wine-colored, button up sweater. Some form of pale lipstick on her mouth, ballet-style shoes (bought by Starfire some weeks by), and a pea coat dusted with snowflakes. He touched the material.
"It's snowing?"
She replied, "I was surprised, too."
Camila eyed them in the corner of the room and Raven let him go so Robin could hug the nurse. "Thank you for everything," he said.
She ruffled his hair with her chubby, red fingernails. "No problem, sugar."
"Really," the empath insisted. "I wouldn't have not trusted anyone else to take care of him."
"I must go help the other patients…" Nurse Camila left flushing from the praise and the couple stepped into the closest hospital elevator. Raven picked up the conversation as a tiny ding sounded at every floor as they went downward slowly, "Thought this day would never come?"
"I missed the Tower. I'm glad to be coming home on Christmas."
Mostly Robin missed her. Nights were hell without the soft press of her snug body against his torso and the rhythmic hum of her shallow breathing tickling his ear, the melody putting him to sleep. Their destination approached and Raven gripped his hand, walking out to the main floor. Standing in the lobby was a small group of people, watching them.
"Look, there he is!" - "Is that really him?" - "Yes, you can tell by his hair!" - "See, see, Raven from the Teen Titans is with him, it has to be him!"
An auburn-haired woman and a little boy surged forward from the pack; when he and Raven stopped a few feet away, the woman took a step back with a shocked cry. Robin knew something was amiss. "Raven, I left my mask in my bag," he murmured, touching his face briefly. She dropped his bag on the ground and quickly rummaged through the pockets, finding the desired object. Raven secured it over his face as Robin shortly explained to the woman what happened. She was sympathetic.
"My name is Gabriella Bendson. I was one of the people you saved from that dreadful man. If it wasn't for you, my baby wouldn't be here right now." Her freckled hand clutched the hand of her also freckled child who was bouncing hyper. "Momma, that's Robin! He's the coolest superhero ever!"
Ms. Bendson said with a quiet laugh when Robin turned his head downwards towards the source, "My son Gabriel is quite fond of his idol."
He knelt down and tapped fists with the little boy. "Nice to meet you, Gabriel."
The little boy stared at his knuckles amazed and started running around the lobby, shouting with an excited pitch, "Robin knows my name! He saved my life- boomboomboom Aii-yah! and now he knows my name!" Raven felt a strong surge of fondness towards the naïve child and squeezed Robin's shoulder. He nodded and Gabriella smiled broadly.
"I did not mean to keep you, some of us just wanted to share our thanks," the group waved, "God blessed this town when you and your friends came here."
He smiled in her direction. "It's our duty to protect citizens like you and your son, m'am. We appreciate your gratitude."
Raven shook her hand when it was offered. "It was a pleasure meeting you,"s he told the auburn-haired woman.
Ms. Bendson grabbed her son's arm, stopping him in a mid-jump.
"Have a wonderful Christmas, bless you both." The two Titans were very much touched by the gentle chorus of "Merry Christmas's" and "Thank you's" echoing around them. Raven glanced at the glass front doors of the hospital to see cameras and reporters swarming, greedily prying in on the event.
"Dick, the media is everywhere," Raven said. "We have to go out the back."
He grinned, whispering out the corner of his mouth, "Lead the way then."
"We'll keep your secret, Mr. Robin. Right everyone?" They cheered loudly as Mrs. Bendson motioned to them.
Gabriel yelled as Raven located their exit route, "Bye, Robin! Bye, Mrs. Robin!" She led them out into the alley, a little flustered by the small boy's comment and Cyborg beeped the horn down the way, shouting for the "Love Birds!" Raven had to glower at that nickname before they boarded the T-Car, accelerating on home.
Home.
Robin let his senses fill with the scent of sea air and the fever of the daylight on his starving skin. Raven's hand gave him all the guidance he needed to get up the Tower. His lungs were suddenly crushed when a pair of rock-strong arms wound around him. "Robin! You are back from the hospital of badness! Are you once again well in being? Did you miss me?"
He coughed feebly, unable to draw a breath, "Yes, yes, yes, and of course, Star. Let me br-breathe." Robin straightened up when she obeyed modestly. He loosened the white collar of his shirt. Beast Boy greeted him too but was a little distracted by the blaring television set.
"Uh, dudes?"
The green changeling turned up the volume and a smooth female voice perked into Robin's hearing, "You are watching the ten am news. In Jump City, California... the leader of the Teen Titans, known as the Boy Wonder, was released by Nation Infirmary today. He received a vicious attack from a criminal going by the name of Johnny Rancid. Several weeks ago, sources have recently came in that the Boy Wonder was more than severely injured. We go to Bobby for more coverage. Bobby?"
A graying man appeared with a microphone, standing in front of the hospital's glass doors.
"Macy, I am standing in front of Nation Infirmary where I just glimpsed of two members of the Teen Titans, one Robin and Raven. They seem to be talking to a mass of people…. oh, the survivors of the previous attack." An image of Robin and Raven smiling popped up on frame, violet eyes and white-and-black mask zoomed in on.
"One of the photographers here, Larry Sid got a… well, a particularly gruesome picture of what might be the Boy Wonder's condition."
Another image came into view, this time of Robin's slightly dismayed face and sightless eyes bulging.
"Bobby, that is not a pretty picture. I'm afraid to say it, but he looks blind. Do you -?"
Beast Boy purposely changed the channel, the serious newscaster's face replaced by a goofy morning cartoon show. An eerie hush befell the operations center.
Blue-colored flames raged around Raven uncontrollably, but her eyes remained closed to the world as she chanted something under her breath. It felt like an eternity before she reopened them and the flames disappeared. Robin returned to stand beside her, clenching his fists furiously.
In a normal situation that pissed him off, nothing would show except the narrowing of his eye mask and possibly his mouth. To her bizarre relief, his lifeless face showed real anger, the crease in his forehead tightening between his eyebrows. But they had all dealt with the media before… no use getting upset…..
Raven said curtly and abruptly, "I have to go." She took the T-Car's chip out of Cyborg's hands and vanished into the staircase. He wasn't sure where.
Robin spent the rest of the day training with Cyborg, but it was more like talking with Cyborg. While the other man did the martial arts simulator with him, Robin addressed amid grunts, "That's -augh- why -ugh- I -oof- hate -thump- hospitals." He paused to wipe his forehead. "They ask too many questions. Next time I get my ass beat, just send me to the medical sector."
Cyborg gestured to his healed arm. "It looks like you got along fine moreover," he pointed out. Robin rubbed his shoulder, absently.
"Yeah... without Raven it took longer..." He grew a little quieter and asked as Cyborg frowned at him, "How is she?"
"Back to normal. She shuts herself in her room for hours, hardly talks to anyone, and when she does, it is usually an insult to Beast Boy."
"How is that normal?"
"It's what she used to do, remember?" That wasn't what Robin wanted to hear. Cyborg tried to sound more positive, though failing, "-I mean.. .Raven does talk. She's nicer to Starfire and she isn't doing anything other than meditating in her room…. at least we're sure. I had B turn into a spider last week to spy on her." He lightly punched his side. "Man, she's fine! I think she's getting better."
'Hope so anyway.'
Cyborg hit a silver button on his arm. "Comin' at ya." He executed a perfect right hook at Robin's face and his leader's expression never changed as he blocked it expertly and found an opening to knock Cyborg down. "I still don't get how you do that!" The metal man said in awe, sitting up from the floor.
"Even though I'm blind?" Robin questioned, smirking, looking unseeingly ahead. "It doesn't matter, cause in a way I can still see you."
...
Flashback.
...
Agony took hold of his body so swiftly. Heat crawled over his eyes and he had no choice but to shut them.
The pain pulsing on his face faded to a dull twinge. When Robin sat up, he thought his eyes were closed. Everything around him was all black; there was nothing to distinguish from the darkness. After a moment of feeling around his eyelids, he began to realize that his eyes were open and it was not evening... he was staring at it... the sunshine from the late afternoon from a window.
And he couldn't see it.
Panic and stupefaction seized him without compassion, shaking his reality. Robin's breathing picked up. During the erratic beep-beep-beeping of his heart monitor, his hands came in contact with a cold, metal railing. A new jolt of pain bolted through him. It came from his useless right arm. Damn thing was bandaged. He stumbled off the cot he laid in, and due to his loss of nerve, fell on his face clumsily.
Robin remained a heap on the ice cold floor and eventually pushed himself up, blindly stretching out for something… anything.
His fingertips brushed against a solid object and he twirled his hands around a curtain, settling his back on a hard wall. His heart racing madly in his ears, near bursting point. Where was his team? Why weren't they with them? This was the Tower, wasn't it? What happened to him? Without warning, a flash of images danced before his unseeing eyes.
Cinderblock. Johnny Rancid. A crying boy. Raven. Starfire.
'Robin…. please awaken….'
He put his hands to his head and screamed the names of his friends raggedly, his voice barely coming out above a whisper. A door burst open nearby, alarming him so that he skidded away from the noise; a wounded animal. His shoulders knocked a cart.
"Whoa! Sugar, you shouldn't be out of bed."
Robin clutched the curtain tighter in his fist. A woman, but who is she? The rustle of a dress. The smell of medicine. Pattering of high heels. He was in a hospital.
Of places to be... it -had- to be a hospital.
"What happened to me?" He sounded like a lost and scared child. Robin hated it. This whole situation made him feel as if he was eight again.
A soft lotioned hand touched his balled up fist. Her voice. "It's okay. You're in the Nation Infirmary. I'm your nurse. You're going to be taken good care of."
"What happened to me?" he repeated. When silence followed, Robin got another image. Of brown hair. Of darkly lined eyes. Shy smile. Older than him.
"I'm not sure I should be the one to explain everything to you."
"Miss… please."
She was shaking her head. He was sure of it. "If you get back to bed, then I'll talk." He unwillingly let go of the curtain and she took his hand, leading him to his hospital bed, and pulling the covers over him like a mother tucking in her child. The nurse said, quietly, "There was an accident and you were hurt. There's a few stitches in your neck and a sprained arm."
"My friends?"
"They are downstairs. We can't allow them to see you until tomorrow. I'm sorry, sugar. Not until the doctors run some more tests. I imagine that you are afraid now... but you are a very brave man as well, preparing to sacrifice your life for that little boy… Your eyes have been damaged. I don't know the details, but can you see anything? Anything at all?"
Robin tried blinking, half thinking this was a bad dream. No dream could make him feel this way.
Useless.
"...No. There's nothing. I can't see anything."
A pen moved in the air; she was writing down what he said. Then something sharp stuck into his left arm, and he automatically jerked back, his other senses becoming drowsy.
"Don't worry, it will help you get to sleep. The doctors will explain everything when you wake up."
Drifting away.
A name popped into his head... Camila... her name… he was drifting away…..
...
End Flashback.
...
"I had no idea."
The punching bag swayed precariously on its hinges.
Robin steadied it with his hand, replying to Cyborg's statement, "She was very kind to me, very patient. When I woke up that night, they asked questions and told me. I decided no matter what was going on, I had to live. I thought about you, Beast Boy, Starfire, and Raven... I needed the support. You have no idea how scared I was to tell her. After a while, I discovered the odd way I could pick up things. Most of it was in my head and I got used to it happening. I couldn't believe how fast I adjusted... and that's the extent I know of this."
His friend could only reply with a wow.
"So did you test out the chemical?" Robin asked.
"Everything that was in the records showed up. There's nothing new. No weird aftereffects."
Robin snorted. "I figured. Are you going to keep trying?"
"Yeah, man. I'm not giving up yet."
"I'll tell you one thing though..."
Cyborg raised his eyebrow at his leader who didn't bother to conceal a smile upon leaving.
"What Johnny Rancid did to me didn't weaken me, it made stronger."
"Rob?... what happened when you were eight?"
Shoulders halfway out dropped.
"Rob?" Cyborg asked again and the other man replied with no emotion, "Work on your right hook."
His fingers grazed the hallway wall as Robin ambled across the Tower.
His room would be a nice place to get back into the loop... and forget.
He could hear heavy footsteps behind him and stated as his bedroom door slide open, "Why are you following me?"
The musty smell of his room greeted him and Cyborg said from the doorway, "Raven got you some Braille books to check out… if you were learning."
"A little in the hospital." When Robin fingered the newspaper clippings taped on his walls, pictures of Slade and other articles pierced his mind. His temples started to ache.
Cyborg asked when he rubbed his head, "You alright?"
"Headache, probably tired."
Beast Boy exclaimed out of nowhere, "No way, dude! You're staying up all night!" His green hand took Robin's arm and he dragged him downstairs. Robin didn't try to pull away because the teenager was no threat. Starfire, dressed back in her Christmas suit, greeted him overjoyed when they entered the main room, "Merry Christmas, Friend Robin!"
"What's going on?" He asked, curiously suspicious.
"We didn't open presents yet, we were waiting for you!" Beast Boy grinned. "The party can't stop without the Rob-ster!"
The Tamaranean thrust a present into his hands. "Reveal what is inside!" Robin carefully yanked the satin ribbon and inside the box were several CD cases. Starfire squeaked, "I have bought you the CDs of your favorite musical assembly! You are the fan of metal which is heavy, yes?"
He smiled, "Yeah. Thanks, Star." Robin received a few other presents from her; basketball shoes and laundry detergent from Beast Boy, claiming that he was sick of him stealing his; a high tech laptop from Cyborg to keep his messy desk of files in order.
As Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Starfire created their own circle to open presents from each other, Raven appeared, joining him standing apart from the others.
"We didn't get a chance to talk either."
He admitted to her, "Only for a second. Where did you go?"
"Dude! The Android Lizard-Man Monkey Dragster Racetrack Of Perish 9! How'd you know!" Beast Boy shrilled in the distance.
No more than a breathy monotone came from her.
"The woman Beast Boy recommended... I've been seeing her since you've been gone."
Robin remained quiet but she knew he wanted details.
"I didn't say much the first time. When I finally did, my powers lashed out and destroyed everything in her office. I must have kept a lot of stress in me because after mediating a second time, the grandfather clock in the room shattered. She was kind about it. I told her about my dream. She thinks it doesn't mean anything. And I shouldn't be blaming myself. Like you said before, if I had told you, I couldn't have changed any of the events leading up to it." Her purple strands fell in her face as she bowed her head. "Gloria says I should tell you at least get some closure on the subject. She could be right."
"Maybe later," he said, tucking her hair behind her ears. "The team seems to be doing fine without me."
"We made due, it wasn't easy." Raven turned into him, her soft arms touching his cheek. Sincerity afire in her eyes. "I missed you."
Why did women feel so soft? It drove him crazy, she drove him crazy.
"God... I missed you too." Robin tangled his hand in her hair as their lips met. Rough, passionate kisses exchanged every millisecond. The ever growing sexual tension between them close to erupting. There wasn't a moment their mouths weren't attached. They slowed down to a lingering point and he was the one to stop, albeit painfully, whispering against the nape of her neck, "I got you something."
Robin pulled away and called out to the giggling corner, "Beast Boy, do you see a red box under the tree?"
"Yeah! What about it?"
He held up a hand, "Toss it here." Beast Boy shrugged when everyone gave him a look. It sailed right into his open palm.
Robin chuckled, "Good throw," and presented it to the empath. Raven cleared her throat.
"Um. I thought we weren't giving gifts this year."
He said smugly, "I don't see why not. I got a hold of this in April... don't, I'm not taking it back." Robin pressed it away when she tried.
With slight disinclination (and a little curiosity), Raven pulled up a black chair from the wall and unwrapped her present. She dipped her hand into the package and out emerged a couple round brooches. Robin explained quickly, "I got them to replace your raven symbol. I thought it was getting old….. and well, change can be good sometimes-" As he ranted on, she observed the design. The bigger brooch was made of black polished stone, painted authentically was a dark blue raven, spreading its wings for flight. A bird ready to break free.
"-If you don't like it, I can always"
"It's remarkable, I like your taste." Raven pecked his lips and pinned the new symbol on her indigo cloak, replacing the arm brooches as well. He was about to come in for another kiss but she sidestepped it and tugged his gloved hand, "Come with me." They climbed upstairs, leaving the rest of the Titans to clean up wrapping paper.
Robin found himself stepping inside Raven's room for the thirteenth time in his life. Back then, no one could get in to save their lives, but she let him inside; she trusted him completely in her private space. Hell, they slept in her bed every so often (only sleeping, maybe some cuddling), occasionally going into his bedroom. He knew it was hers from the smell of dusty books and intoxicating perfume. She left his side for a moment, then returned to drop something cold into his hands. "I guess as long as we're doing this."
Metal. Dangling rock. Very long chain.
He asked what it was, though already identifying the object by the feel of it.
"It's a way for you to get to Azarath," she explained.
His masked eyes widened. He wasn't expecting that. "The ruby is similar to the chakra on my forehead. Humans can't get into Azarath without some sort of strong magic working... if I'm with you and you're wearing this, we can pass safely." Robin rubbed the necklace in his palms.
"I don't know what to say."
"Say…. one day you'll to come with me." Raven wrapped her fingers around his, smiling. "I haven't been home since my last visit three years ago. You could meet my mother if you were up to it. I want you two to meet. You'll get along, she is in some ways a lot like me."
"Sexy and violent?"
He ruined the moment so he was clocked in the head by her stuffed raven on the bookcase. Robin snickered. "See?"
She stuck out her tongue bluntly and he teased, backing her up, "Do it again. I might bite it off."
"Touch my tongue and die, Bird Boy."
His hand caressed the back of her neck as Robin covered her mouth. She groaned when his tongue found its way into her mouth and licked the tip of her pink one. Violet glazed over with unspoken desire as Robin murmured to her pearly skin, "Heaven tasted like chocolate, did you know that?"