…..
"Do y'all think Raven could be right?"
The figure in the hallway stopped tersely in mid-step to listen to the conversation the men in Titans Tower were having, pressing an ear near the wall intently.
"Dude, we saw Slade's dead body two days after it happened. He was flatter than a pancake! He can't just become unflattened and undead, right?"
"As far as I know."
She pulled her ear away.
'It's been a week... don't they have something better to talk about?'
True, the crime business was a little slow lately and there wasn't much to do, but honestly, it was infuriating they were talking about her behind her back where she could clearly hear them.
Discretion was clearly out this year.
Raven wasn't going to wait for them to leave the room to make her escape. She marched out of the South hallway, briskly striding for the entrance doors, not paying mind to their apprehensive greetings towards her. Robin came into view instantly. "Where are you going in a hurry?"
"Out, Mom. I promise to be back by curfew. I won't talk to strangers or try their drugs. And if a boy tries to pressure me into sex, I'll say no and run screaming into the night." Raven rolled her eyes. Not that she was joking about it. It happened to her once but that's a different story.
Beast Boy laughed immaturely, amused by her dry remark, and Cyborg glared a red eye at him.
"No, seriously," Robin said.
She decided to be more tolerable for his sake. Her good moods were coming down from the looming threats of morning sickness soon to be kicking in. It wasn't his fault... okay, half of the fault was. "I'm going for a walk, alright? Latest, midnight." He caught her arm when she took a step aside.
"Got your communicator?"
She lied, expertly, "Obviously." He caught her other arm again. "Now what?"
She was about to push him onto his ass when he suddenly asked, mischievously, "No goodbye kiss?" Beast Boy gagged in the background.
"Augh…I hate watching this. C'mon, let's play GameStation." Cyborg got up to follow him into the stairwell.
"You said it, grass stain."
Only two Titans were left in the main entrance. Raven murmured numbly, her eyes staring deep into a domino mask. "Would you kiss me… if it meant to betray all good things in this world?"
Robin was thrown off-guard by this kind of question. "What do you mean? You are a good person, Raven."
"I'm beginning to doubt that."
His eyebrows knit together. "Is this about the dream you and Star had?"
"What I believe is happening evidently doesn't matter to anyone, not even to the person who matters most." Raven's purple eyes softened and she batted away the hand that tried to console her.
"Do you want to know what I believe?"
"I'm sure it's something predictable," she said monotonously.
"Say whatever you want, but it won't change the fact that I see good and compassion in you."
"I'm not a good person."
"Because you're not faultless? Being a good person doesn't mean acting like a saint. Saints don't shoot Sonic Cannons, have alien strength, shape shift, fly on yellow cords, or wear raven insignias. Besides," Robin inclined his head to plant a assured kiss upon her colorless mouth, his own curving into a brash smile, "What's the point of being human if not playing cards with the Devil a few times?"
Raven questioned, quietly, "Did you ever win?" His fingertips grazed her temple as he brushed her short, violet hair out of her eyes.
"I think I have already."
"You only win because you're arrogant… maybe that's the reason the Devil never can win."
She took her leave and headed out into the cooling summer evening when his expression became taken aback. Her way out of the island was the yellow and black speedboat with a giant T printed on the seat. She rode into the horizon, finding the ideal parking space by the pier, tying the vehicle up. Gray fingers brushed against her wordless lips.
Jump City's streets were packed with excited chattering citizens, sleeping hobos in alleyways, and farther down, children who disregarded the calls of their parents to come inside. Raven wandered aimless, shoving her hands into her cobalt blue hoodie pockets, the hood secured over her face. Beige slacks over her long legs. Combat boots.
Any proceeding thoughts were pushed out of her mind. The only ones allowed were focused on walking.
She let out a sigh, passing one of the quieter sidewalks. A tattooed boy strode out of a shop, sneering at her as his burning eyes found her. Raven didn't make eye contact as she passed him but after a second or two there was an unanticipated sensation of a hand slapping her behind. Anger coursed through her veins. She whirled around, raising her hands, ready to hurl something especially heavy at this very foolish boy's skull. Then Raven remembered her current condition. The punk got away, looking very self-satisfied doing so.
She didn't feel like getting arrested for assault and battery anyway.
One of the bigger park playgrounds was still open. Raven crossed the street to go through chipped blue and green painted gates, the poorly lit region bare of any kids. She seated herself on a creaky yellow plastic swing, leaning her head on the chain.
'Let's try this again….'
She closed her purple eyes, her chest rising and falling rhythmically.
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos…Azarath Metrion Zinthos…Azarath Metrion Zinthos….."
Her limbs slowly began to loosen and she smiled impulsively.
'At last.'
But it wouldn't.
Her senses sharpened, hostile. Tiny echoing of sneakers. Someone humming
after that everything went blank
it felt like a blackout. It couldn't have been, she was sitting upright. But something wasn't right.
She was on the ground and her right hand was closed around a thick, wet, and fleshy object. The pricks of the brush flanking around her poked her sides. Something long lay in her lap. At least she thought it was a thing. Heavy, cold, and unnaturally soft to the touch. Darkness met her tried to adjust it, looking for the pale glow of the streetlamp a few feet away. Raven crawled out from under the shadowed undergrowth, glancing back at what she had been holding but decided to leave behind.
Helpless moans choked her system. Raven climbed to her feet unsteadily, restraining her nausea. She was about to place a hand over her mouth, however, recoiled instead. Her slender hand, both of them, were coated in lukewarm, dark red. Under her nails were chunks of rosy pink skin. Raven held them away from her, shaking.
"No…no, Oh Azar no no no, please no no…"
She turned around to bolt and smacked into a rock-hard figure. Steel hands enclosed over her wrists. Copper glinted from the streetlight.
"Hello, Raven. Did you miss me?"
…..
High pitched screaming drained out all other noises. Except that of a confused Tamaranean. "I do not understand, why is she so frightened?"
Cyborg gestured to the giant television screen.
"She's not. She just doesn't want to be captured by the guards for stealing."
Starfire inquired, pushing out her lower lip thoughtfully, "Should she not be captured? Stealing is illegal."
"She's a main character, Star. She's not allowed to be in a major conflict until at least halfway through the movie." Robin said, kicking up his feet, "Can you two shut up so I can hear what's going on?" All eyes went back to the movie. There was immense concentration for a full forty seconds before Beast Boy flew out of the kitchen with a big grin.
"Okay, dudes! I got the tofu popcorn popped!"
Cyborg twisted in his seat, scowling.
"Man, I said I wanted butter- not that nasty tofu junk!"
"Make it yourself, crabby!" The green changeling stuck out his tongue and plopped down between Robin and Starfire, offering the bowl to the woman amiably. "Want some, Koria?"
She blushed at the nickname. "No, thank you…Garfield."
Cyborg snickered, "Hehhehheh…Garfield." Red crept up Beast Boy's face and he chewed on his snack, strangely quiet. Robin shushed Cyborg impatiently. The robotic man complained, "You can't even see the screen, how are you even-?" Starfire joined in with Robin as they put a finger to their lips and blew air through their teeth.
The movie continued for another half an hour. In the middle, the Titans stretched in their sitting positions awkwardly. Cyborg commented, "Hey, wasn't Raven supposed to watch the movie with us?"
Robin said with a detached tone, "She went out for a while, I forgot to mention it."
"You…..forgetting something? That never happens."
Beast Boy piped up, "Unless the world's coming to an end. Speaking of forgetting things…" He handed the tofu corn to Starfire, who chowed down greedily, and got up from his seat to one-arm hug a bewildered Robin. Beast Boy clapped him on the back. "I totally forgot to congratulate you."
Cyborg warned from the other side of the couch, "BB, I told you to lay off the sugar!"
"This isn't about sugar. It's about Robin and Raven."
Robin shoved him off unnerved. "Uh… thanks, but I thought you already knew about the engagement."
"Dude, I'm not talking about that either." Beast Boy's big smile deflated. "What's wrong with you guys? I'm usually the one who jokes around."
Cyborg paused the movie, now attracting Starfire's undivided concern.
"No, what's wrong with you? What are you talking about?" Beast Boy laughed weakly.
"Come on guys, you know… the baby… Robin being a daddy now…"
"I do not understand." Starfire's tiny eyebrows dropped.
"Say wha?" Cyborg's eyebrows shot up to the top of his forehead.
"What…"
Their leader stared sightlessly at the teenager who stared back, his jade eyes filled with sudden understanding.
"She didn't tell you, did she?"
Robin shook his head twice, digging a finger into his ear canal.
"-I-I-I'm sorry, you're going to have to run that by me again… because I swear I heard something entirely different."
Beast Boy repeated, "Raven's pregnant. She said it was yours. I thought she told you already."
"She has not said anything to us," Starfire said puzzled, gazing at everyone else. "Friend Raven is with-child?"
"Sounds like it. Got any idea why she wouldn't tell us?"
Beast Boy shrugged off the question directed at him. "She thought she was before, but it was a flook... dam nit," he let out a loud frustrated bark, "I told her to say something!"
Robin was entrenched in his own thoughts. Emotions, hundreds of them battled for domination. Anxiety, resentment, happiness, embarrassment, wonder, but mostly shock. Starfire saw the troubled exterior of his facial features and touched his arm. apprehensively. "Are you sad?" she asked.
"For the idea, no. For Raven keeping it a secret, yeah." He headed for the opposite end of the operations center where his Titans communicator was located on the coffee table, "I think I should call-"
Beast Boy asked, seriously, "And what are you going to say to her?"
Green, gloved hands clutched the device tightly. Robin hesitated, for the first time, unaware of what to do in a situation. As he internally struggled for a grasp, Cyborg came over to heavily pat his shoulder. "Tomorrow." His head fell forward defeated.
The new father let his communicator slip from his fingers, murmuring the same word behind numbed lips.